How to save on groceries: nutritionist’s tips for healthy eating

During the war, against the backdrop of economic challenges, Ukrainians are increasingly focusing on the cost of goods, including food. How to make “healthy” purchases, but without unnecessary expenses – the journalist of UNN together with nutritionist Lyudmila Goncharova investigated.

Advantages of menu planning and shopping list for saving money and healthy eating

According to the nutritionist, first of all, you need to remember that in supermarkets, a maximum of 20% of what is on the shelves relates to healthy eating. The remaining 80% are refined products that harm our health.

Goncharova emphasized that when a person buys natural products, he saves his wallet from unnecessary expenses, because refined products are many times more expensive.

If a person buys natural products, then he spends, according to my patients, 40-60% less than they spent before. Let’s consider the example of buying a piece of raw meat and pies, sausages, rolls, various snacks, which are not fully saturated and do not provide the necessary microelements for our body

She added that the main problem is that a person does not want to pay for a piece of raw meat in 200 grams, because it is easier and faster to buy fast food. However, it is better to take care of yourself in advance and go to the supermarket, making purchases for the week.

Seasonal and local products as the basis of a budget diet

Seasonal products are usually much cheaper due to the lack of shortage. The advantage is also that they get to the grocery shelves faster than those exported from afar out of season. In addition, seasonal and local products do not contain so many chemicals for their storage. This is an unequivocal benefit for our body, when we use seasonal products due to the large number of vitamins they contain.

List of basic foods for healthy eating every day

The nutritionist recommends eating the following foods for healthy eating:

• meat, offal (liver, heart, kidneys, navels);

• fresh river, lake, vacuum-packed sea, ocean fish (preferably predator (e.g. hake, pollock, seafood);

• dairy products: cow, goat, sheep milk, preferably rennet cheeses (with whey), 2% fat kefir, yoghurts without sugar and fillers (because even bacteria do not survive in them), sour cream, fermented baked milk;

• cereals (oat grain, rye, wheat, corn, millet, chia, unpolished rice, wild rice, and others);

• legumes (white, black, red beans), beans, lentils (green, yellow, red), peas;

• olive, hemp, linseed oil.

You should also add greens, leafy salads, berries, fruits, vegetables, celery root, parsley, parsnip.

If a person is used to “harmful” products, then you can buy them in small quantities and use them dosed, so that the transition to healthy eating does not seem so strict.

Tips for making a shopping list and avoiding impulsive spending

First of all, clear planning is needed.

You can make a menu for the week, which will help you to orient yourself on what products are needed. Before going to the store, you should also check the stocks at home in order to buy only the necessary products. For convenience and successful shopping, write a shopping list, this will also speed up the shopping process.  

You can use applications such as Google Keep, Bring!, Listonic or regular notes. 

Lifehacks:

• you should not go shopping hungry;

• avoid promotional and random products that may end up in your basket due to successful marketing.

Examples of simple and healthy dishes

It is necessary to combine products according to the rules of a healthy plate, which will contain all microelements and observe the proportions regarding the content of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and fiber.

So, here are some quick, simple, healthy and budget-friendly recipes for your attention: 

Omelet with vegetables + side dish

Ingredients: eggs, tomato, greens, vegetables, spices to taste. Preparation:

1. Beat eggs with salt and spices.
   1. Fry vegetables in a small amount of oil (if possible without it) in a frying pan, pour eggs over them.
      1. Cook the mixture under the lid until cooked.

         For a balanced dish, use complex carbohydrates: cereals, potatoes, wholemeal bread.

         Oatmeal with fruits and cottage cheese

         Ingredients: oatmeal (not instant), water or milk, banana, apple, honey, nuts and 5-9% cottage cheese. 

         Preparation:

         1. Pour hot water or milk over oatmeal, cook for 5-7 minutes.
            1. Add chopped fruits, a little honey, nuts and cottage cheese to the finished dish.

               Oatmeal pancake  

               Ingredients: oatmeal, 1-2 eggs, water or milk (pay attention to the consistency, salt, spices to taste. 

               Preparation:

               1. Mix 50-100 grams of oatmeal with 1-2 eggs, salt.
                  1. Heat a frying pan and fry like an omelet on both sides.

                     The dish is balanced and suitable for any meal. Also, the fillings can be different: both in the savory version (chicken/fish + vegetables) and in the sweet version (fruits/honey + nuts). It also tastes good in combination with cottage cheese in two variations. 

                     Earlier UNN wrote that with the onset of the warm season, the season of delicious barbecue opens, but in order not to harm your health, you need to know certain secrets of eating meat. According to the recommendations of the nutritionist, eat barbecue separately from sweets and cereals, combining it with herbs and vegetables. It is important to choose quality meat and avoid harmful marinades.