Using a Balanced Diet to Your Budgeting Advantage

As a second time college student and now a soon to be bride (that’s right! I’m engaged) I have to stick to a budget as well as a balanced diet more than ever. With a basic understanding of what a balanced diet really is I was able to actually lose about 50 pounds while I was in college for my undergraduate degree and now I want to share that knowledge with you.

Maintaining a balanced diet on a budget may seem difficult, but it is completely within reach. Limiting your diet to foods that are high in nutritional value and avoiding empty calories is one of the best way to eat on a budget. A balanced diet packed with the essential nutrients your body needs to function will make your body feel satisfied more quickly. You will need to consume less and, in turn, buy less.

People who rush through the super market, blindly tossing food into their cart without thinking about how that food contributes to a balanced diet are usually spending way more than they need. They don’t weigh the benefits of each food, so in the end they buy more foods that have less nutritional value than if they were buying foods for the purpose of fueling their bodies.

Understanding the purpose of the foods you consume is the first step to maintaining a healthy diet on limited funding.

The Six Basic Essential Nutrients and Their Purposes

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the body’s most important source of food energy. They are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Carbohydrates help the body burn fat properly. Because carbohydrates are necessary for fuel they should make up a large part of your daily caloric intake, about 45 to 65 percent for an adult.

Complex carbohydrates, especially those from unrefined foods, such as whole grains, are usually better for the body because they contain other beneficial nutrients. Simple carbohydrates and refined starches are primary sources of empty calories and wasted money.

Fats

It is necessary to have some fats in your diet. Fats provide energy in a highly concentrated form, are necessary for regulating certain bodily functions, and are carriers of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Saturated fats, found mainly in animal products such as meats, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products and solid shortenings, are believed to contribute to heart disease and other health problems.

Polyunsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils such as corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, and cottonseed oil. Monounsaturated fats are found in high levels in olive oil and canola oil. Research suggests that monounsaturated fats may lower levels of harmful cholesterol in the body. Both mono and polyunsaturated fats are found in plant products such as whole grains, nuts, and some fruits and vegetables. Polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated are believed to be more healthful than saturated fats however an excess of fat of any kind in the diet is not beneficial to bodily functioning or health. Fats are an essential part of the diet but should be limited to about 20 to 35 percent of your daily calories.

Proteins

Proteins are necessary for growth, building body tissue, and for basic body functions. The body can also use proteins for energy if the diet does not contain enough carbohydrates. Proteins are made up of amino acids. The body can produce some amino acids, however there are nine amino acids the body cannot produce and must get from foods. A complete protein is one that contains all nine essential amino acids. Meats, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products contain complete proteins.

Foods that supply all the essential amino acids only when eaten in combination are called complementary proteins. A legume combined with a starch, such as rice and beans, are an example of complementary proteins. The rice provides the amino acids the beans are lacking. Soy beans, however, contain complete proteins on their own.

The average adult only needs to consume about 50 to 60 grams of protein daily. Most North Americans consume twice the necessary daily amount.

Vitamins

Vitamins provide no energy, but are essential for regulating body function. Some vitamins are necessary for energy to be utilized in the body.

Water-soluble vitamins such as the B vitamins and vitamin C are not stored in the body and must be eaten every day. Special care must be taken to ensure the nutrients in foods containing these vitamins are not lost by over cooking. Fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K can be stored in the body so it is not necessary to eat them daily provided the amount eaten over time is sufficient.

Minerals

Minerals are also essential for regulating body functions. Major minerals are those the body requires in relatively large amounts, more than 100 milligrams daily, and include calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, sodium, and potassium.

Trace minerals must be consumed in smaller amounts and include chromium, copper, fluoride, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc. Although small amounts are necessary, too much of any of the trace minerals can be harmful. An excess of sodium, which is found in table salt, can also be harmful. A reduced sodium diet is recommended by health authorities such as the FDA.

Water

Water is necessary in all of the body’s functions. The body tells you when it needs to consume more water by making you feel thirsty, however, it is ideal to consume enough water to prevent this feeling. Eight glasses of water daily is the common recommendation, however this can vary depending on age and level of daily activity.

With a better understanding of the food you consume you can now consider each food item that you consume as if you were making a large purchase. You can weigh the benefits of each food by asking yourself simple questions like “Does this food contain any of the six basic nutrients?” “Does it contain more than one of the six basic nutrients?” or “Does it contain too much of any of the basic nutrients?” Purchasing foods containing many essential nutrients that harmonize together for a balanced diet is the first step toward maintaining good nutrition on a budget.

It seems like many of my friends and family are floundering in the grip of this terrible cold and flu season. With Culinary school starting in a little over a week I can’t afford to be out sick. I decided that Brian and I need an immune system boost; what better way to get it than from soup. Soup gives the opportunity to combine an array of healthy and healing ingredients because you can basically throw everything in but the kitchen sink.

If you’ve already taken ill this flu season and think you don’t have the energy to cook, this recipe is relatively easy to make especially with the use of canned or box stock (which I use often when it’s just for Brian and me).

I recently read an article called “The Axis of Food Evil:  Fat, Sugar and Salt.” The article explained that food can stimulate the same circuits in the brain as drugs. Every one knows the affects of food cravings and that feeling that you just can’t stop eating even though you’re full. You know that feeling when you’re eating a bag of potato chips and you just can’t pull yourself away from it. It can be difficult to eat well with all of the salty, sweet temptations bombarding us daily.

If you actually stop and think about each ingredient in the food you’re eating as a way to provide your body with caloric energy and nutrients it can change your world. The first two healing ingredients that came to mind while writing this recipe were Ginger and Garlic, but after doing some research I found that most of the ingredients I planned on using anyway would also contribute to boosting our immune systems.

Here’s my reasoning behind some of the ingredients:

• Red Kidney Beans for protein, iron, vitamins A and C.
• Ginger for nausea, migraines, aches, chills and congestion
• Garlic and onions help stimulate the power of macrophages and T cells which are important to immune system defense.
• Celery and carrots for vitamin C which may help reduce the duration of the cold.
• Tomatoes for antioxidants which protect against destructive free radicals

Please keep in mind that this soup is not the end-all-be-all to curing your cold. It contains many healthy ingredients and is an example of things that should be included in a healthy diet  that can lead to a strong immune system, but it is not a substitute for a visit to the doctor if you are sick. For more nutritional health information a great book to read is “Foods that Harm Foods that Heal” by the editors of Reader’s Digest or Prevention.com has a fantastic Nutrition Section.

The Healing Soup

• 3tbs evoo
• 1/2 medium onion finely chopped
• 2 carrots finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk finely chopped
• 1lb mushrooms caps sliced
• 1/2 tsp koser salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tbs butter
• 1 tbs flour
• 4 cups beef stock
• 2-3 tbs fresh ginger minced
• 9 cloves garlic minced
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can red kidney beans
• 1 lemon juiced
• 3 tbs fresh parsley chopped
• 2 green onions diced
• parmesan cheese
• orzo

heat evoo in a large soup pot. Saute onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms until just tender, season with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. add butter to pot, when it’s melted sprinkle in flour and stir. allow to cook 3-4 minutes.

Add beef stock, ginger, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves to pot and bring to a boil. scrape off any foam that rises to the top. Add canned tomatoes and kidney beans. Turn heat down to medium low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, uncover and add lemon juice, parsley and half of the green onions. Stir together. Serve over orzo pasta, garnish with remaining green onions and parmesan.

Additions & Substitutions:

Shrimp: if you don’t like beans, throw in a 1/2 pound of pealed, deveined shrimp at the last ten minutes of simmering. Cook until shrimp are opaque. – shrimp for protein, iron, zinc & slenium

Some of my Home Cooking Philosophy:

I realize that fresh produce provides more nutrients and a better flavor than canned and frozen, but buying only fresh can become quite expensive. Generally, I split my fresh and frozen/canned usage about 50/50. Freshly grated artisanal cheeses are expensive as well; you’ll notice that I use the pre-grated stuff in the plastic cylindrical container for our daily use. I try to be as frugal as possible, I do however frequently spend the extra money on canned or box stocks because I don’t have the time to make them myself on a regular basis. I would not criticize you if you did the same or if you made your own. I believe in culinary freedom.