Series
(From The Source)
Good nutrition on a Shoestring Balancing your diet along with your checkbook
Third in a series of articles involving the layoff:
Nutrition: Balancing your pocketbook and your health.
By Linda Zapczynski
Source Staff Writer
As food prices use and layoffs continue, it is becoming harder and harder to pay for the groceries, especially for those unemployed.
Substituting less expensive foods for those previously chosen is becoming more necessary. The limited shopper is also looking at the quantity that their food dollar allows, rather than the quality.
But this is a point when many shoppers may tilt the scales of nutrition &emdash; sticking to meals high in empty calories, starches or cholesterol and missing out on needed nutrition.
And with the financial and emotional problems of the suddenly unemployed, a health problem can only intensify the situation.
An unbalanced diet can not only create or hinder a physical health problem, but it can contribute to listlessness depression and various other emotional disorders.
And a balanced diet does not have to be expensive &emdash; all that is needed is an awareness of the daily intake of foods. When you're grabbing something off the shelf, ask yourself this: "Will this merely fill me up, or will it also give me some nutrition?"
Considering the price of a bag of chips or a couple of candy bars today, you're not getting your money's worth. Especially if you or one of your kids ends up with anemia or you can't understand why you feel so "dragged out."
Try comparing yourself to a valuable possession, such as a car or your home. You're worth more than either &emdash; and you need the same insurance and upkeep &emdash;good nutrition, which leads lo a more confident well-being.
Informing yourself of nutrition is the firststep. Those sources contacted were also contacted for the financial and emotional pitfalls of the laid-off worker.
The Phoenix Center, located in Sterling Heights and Shelby Township advises consumers to stay away from sugared and processed foods. A paperback highly recommended to guide the shopper is "Let's Eat Right To Keep Fit", by Adele Davis.
Though the Center does not specialize in nutrition, agencies are often referred, such as the Department of Social Services of Macomb.
The Expanded Nutrition Program, a division of Social Services, under the Cooperative Extension Service, is fully capable of answering any questions on shopping; and nutrition.
Besides offering recipes, the Program is designed to show the consumer how to plan meals, how to shop and will even send a specialist to shop with the consumer.
The Program is an outshoot of Michigan State University, and its aim is to provide a nonformal education in nutrition to families of local areas.
The many ways in which the Program reaches the public includes news releases, bulletins (at no extra cost) on topics of interest, general programs, guest speaking, and even correspondence courses.
The bulletins prove very helpful, as they are simplified and are related subjects. The bulletins include a description of the four food groups &emdash; 1 - Breads and cereals; 2 -vegetables and fruits; 3 - meats, beans or nuts, milk and cheese; 4 - fats and oils.
Then there is the bulletin on labels - and what they mean. Explained here are the often-seen words "enriched" and"fortified ' and how to divide your food dollar on different foods.
Learn more about meals - USDA Food and USDA Standard are leaner, have less fat and are cheaper. 0r substitutes for meat: beans, peas, peanut butter, eggs and cheese.
Or, to get the total needed protein, for less money, combine the protein in vegetables and cereals with the protein of meat, milk and eggs.
To lower the food bill further, try eating hot cereal instead of cold cereal, use dry milk instead of fresh, or make your own salad dressing. These trades have about the same food value, though prices differ.
And calcium can be derived from other foods besides milk- -from cheese or ice cream, or foods made with milk, such as cream soups, puddings, cereal, yogurt, and even cooked green leafy vegetables and sardines.
A myth is shattered - -it is not always cheaper to make it it from scratch. Such foods to prove that point include frozen and powdered orange juice concentrates, frozen and canned peas, devils food cake mix, and instant coffee.
Just because meat is cheap for the size, it doesn't mean there's more to your money. Consider the bone, fat and waste; the more of this, the less meat to go around.
Save those leftovers. Turn meat stew into meat pie, serve hot dogs with beans or sauerkraut--or freeze leftovers for later.
And try dry milk--fresh whole milk costs about three times as much. Though dry milk lacks fat and vitamins A and D, these are found in other foods in the daily diet.
Make sure the bread you're buying is either "enriched" or whole wheat; these contain B vitamins and iron. And compare the store brand price to the nationally advertised brands. There may be a big difference in price.
Those snacks--not only .will commercial snacks and sweets fatten you up and not provide nutrition, but they may make you feel too full to eat a nutritious meal later. Instead try raw vegetables, pickles, sugarless soft drinks, tea or fruits.
A final note--catch those special sales, use coupons, buy in large quantities, if possible (save on trips to the store), and economy sizes, and develop will power&emdash;don''t buy whatever strikes you or what the family wants. Or compromise.
And for a better understanding of nutrition and shopping, call or stop in at the Cooperative Extension service in Mt.Clemens.
Next Week: Entertainment On A Budget.