Real Food Costs Less in the Long Run

It’s said that real food is more expensive than processed food, and in some ways this is true.

A 2013 analysis of 27 studies from 10 countries found that eating healthier food costs about $1.56 more than processed food per 2,000 calories.

However, in the long run, this difference is minimal compared with the cost of managing chronic lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

For instance, a 2012 study found that people with diabetes spend 2.3 times more on medical expenses than people who don’t have diabetes.

There is a popular notion that it is cheaper to eat unhealthy foods than healthy foods (fruits, vegetables and organic food), and that the astounding difference in costs determine the diet habits of a lot of people – especially of low-income families. According to Harvard School of Public Health researchers, the healthiest diets cost about $1.50 more per day than the least healthy diets.

However, healthy foods are often much less expensive than junk foods when compared with health costs of eating an unhealthy diet. The price difference is very small, the Harvard researchers found, in comparison to the economic costs of diet-related chronic diseases, which would be dramatically reduced by healthy diets.

Dr Michael Greger, founder of NutritionFacts.org and author of New York Times Best Seller How Not to Die, insists that healthy foods cost less than junk foods. While junk food may be four times cheaper than healthy foods, he says, you get 20 times less nutrition.

Made with Greek Yogurt and spices found in mayo, this is a palatable and very healthy alternative. Easy to make and easy to adjust spices to suit taste.

Ingredients

170gms Fat Free Plain Yogurt

1/4 tsp Cider Vinegar

1/8 tsp Yellow Mustard (adds flavor and color)

1 dash Hot Pepper Sauce (adds flavor and color)

1 dash White Pepper

1 dash Paprika

1 dash Salt

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and blend well. Adjust to suit taste. Works well when making mayo based salads (tuna salad) or for any other meal you fancy with Mayo 🙂

Serving Size = 2 tbsp

Number of Servings: 12

Made with Greek Yogurt and spices found in mayo, this is a palatable and very healthy alternative. Easy to make and easy to adjust spices to suit taste.

Ingredients

170gms Fat Free Plain Yogurt

1/4 tsp Cider Vinegar

1/8 tsp Yellow Mustard (adds flavor and color)

1 dash Hot Pepper Sauce (adds flavor and color)

1 dash White Pepper

1 dash Paprika

1 dash Salt

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and blend well. Adjust to suit taste. Works well when making mayo based salads (tuna salad) or for any other meal you fancy with Mayo 🙂

Serving Size = 2 tbsp

Number of Servings: 12

Real Food Provides Variety

Eating the same foods over and over can get old. It’s also healthier to include many different foods in your diet.

There are hundreds of different real food options, including a wide variety of meat,fish, dairy, vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains and seeds.

Make a point of regularly trying some real foods you’ve never eaten that look or sound interesting, such as kiwi, chia seeds, or kefir.  You might just find a few new favorites.

Eating many different foods helps maintain a healthy and interesting diet which provides a range of different nutrients to the body. Eating a variety of foods promotes good health and can help reduce the risk of disease.

Even more than just looking at calories as a means for energy, real food can be healing and nourishing.  Despite our society’s desire to break food down into simplistic categories such as fat, carbohydrates, protein, and calories; the reality is that our scientific understanding of how our bodies process food has just scratched the surface.

Real Food Provides Variety

Eating the same foods over and over can get old. It’s also healthier to include many different foods in your diet.

There are hundreds of different real food options, including a wide variety of meat,fish, dairy, vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains and seeds.

Make a point of regularly trying some real foods you’ve never eaten that look or sound interesting, such as kiwi, chia seeds, or kefir.  You might just find a few new favorites.

Eating many different foods helps maintain a healthy and interesting diet which provides a range of different nutrients to the body. Eating a variety of foods promotes good health and can help reduce the risk of disease.

Even more than just looking at calories as a means for energy, real food can be healing and nourishing.  Despite our society’s desire to break food down into simplistic categories such as fat, carbohydrates, protein, and calories; the reality is that our scientific understanding of how our bodies process food has just scratched the surface.

This is a firm favourite of mine as the entire family love them, and what better than a healthy treat for your loved ones!  Easy to prepare and full of taste too 🙂

Ingredients

2 – 8oz pkg cream cheese
1/2 c Splenda for baking
2 eggs
1/2 tsp Sugar FreeVanilla extract

Directions

Soften cream cheese in microwave for 40 seconds.

Blend in 2 egss and 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract.

Add 1/2cup Splenda (available at most P+P outlets or Dischem)

Mix well on medium speed using hand mixer. Pour into 12 cupcake papers. Cook at 350 for 20 min. Cool and refrigerate.

Number of Servings: 12

This is a firm favourite of mine as the entire family love them, and what better than a healthy treat for your loved ones!  Easy to prepare and full of taste too 🙂

Ingredients

2 – 8oz pkg cream cheese
1/2 c Splenda for baking
2 eggs
1/2 tsp Sugar FreeVanilla extract

Directions

Soften cream cheese in microwave for 40 seconds.

Blend in 2 egss and 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract.

Add 1/2cup Splenda (available at most P+P outlets or Dischem)

Mix well on medium speed using hand mixer. Pour into 12 cupcake papers. Cook at 350 for 20 min. Cool and refrigerate.

Number of Servings: 12

Real Food Helps Lower Triglycerides

Blood triglyceride levels are strongly influenced by food intake.

Because triglycerides tend to go up when you eat sugar and refined carbs, it’s best to minimize these foods or cut them out of your diet altogether.

In addition, including unprocessed foods such as fatty fish, lean meats, vegetables and nuts has been shown to significantly reduce triglyceride levels.

Simply put, they are fat in the blood. They are used to give energy to your body. If you have extras, they are stored in different places in case they are needed later.

A high level has been linked to a greater chance for heart disease. But just what your own level means and how much it helps to lower it is sometimes less clear.

Elevated levels may lead to heart disease, especially in people with low levels of “good” cholesterol and high levels of “bad” cholesterol. The same is true if you have type 2 diabetes.

Experts once debated how important triglycerides are, but it now seems clear that higher levels are linked to problems such as heart disease.

Real Food Helps Lower Triglycerides

Blood triglyceride levels are strongly influenced by food intake.

Because triglycerides tend to go up when you eat sugar and refined carbs, it’s best to minimize these foods or cut them out of your diet altogether.

In addition, including unprocessed foods such as fatty fish, lean meats, vegetables and nuts has been shown to significantly reduce triglyceride levels.

Simply put, they are fat in the blood. They are used to give energy to your body. If you have extras, they are stored in different places in case they are needed later.

A high level has been linked to a greater chance for heart disease. But just what your own level means and how much it helps to lower it is sometimes less clear.

Elevated levels may lead to heart disease, especially in people with low levels of “good” cholesterol and high levels of “bad” cholesterol. The same is true if you have type 2 diabetes.

Experts once debated how important triglycerides are, but it now seems clear that higher levels are linked to problems such as heart disease.

This is a great alternative to your carb option of provita, melba or grissini sticks, and it is okay to eat at least 2 times a week 🙂