The coronavirus disease outbreak is turning life upside down for families.
Figuring out what’s for dinner can be a daily challenge. To make things even harder, not having enough money also makes food shopping an additional financial challenge.
Dietitian and Geneway practitioner, Bernice Venter shares 9 ways to eat on a budget during the lockdown.
Protein shakes. Picture: Supplied
Replace a meal by having a protein shake for lunch
Not only are some protein shakes balanced and nutritious, but they also keep you full for longer rather than refined carb-driven meals, and help you with calorie control. If you struggle to “drink” your meal, you can have a few starch-free vegetables such as peppers, cucumber, lettuce or tomato with it (a small salad). Your protein shake meal should be the meal you tend to overeat on or struggle to control your calorie intake.
Find some plant-based meals that you enjoy
Have these instead of meat one or two days a week. Plant-based proteins eg chickpeas, lentils or beans keep for long in the cupboard, often coming in tins or packets. There is a great health benefit (these have anti-inflammatory properties, reduced calories, are a good protein source) and they are more delicious than you think. A compromise is to have half the meat portion you usually do and add a portion of plant-based proteins to make up your protein quota for that meal. For example, instead of a full chicken breast with your salad add half a chicken breast and add some chickpeas to make up the other half of the protein. The same concept can be applied in pasta, stews or curries.
Vegetables. Picture: Supplied
Include more vegetables in your meals
This one is really simple. Instead of having two vegetable servings, have three, and a smaller portion of meat. Find some recipes for vegetables that you enjoy. Vegetables are very affordable (you can even opt for the frozen ones) and offer wonderful health benefits as they are packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and fibre. Vegetarian cooking is all the rage at the moment so there are plenty of vegetarian recipes online.
Pre-cut mixed vegetable packs are usually cheaper than buying each vegetable individually
The stir-fry and available soup packs give great variety with plenty of nutrients, plus they are a huge time saver with everything already cut. Check the prices and you will be surprised. This will especially be beneficial for small families, couples or if you live alone.
Sugary drinks. Picture: Supplied
Avoid buying cold drinks and sugary drinks
These are unnecessary sugar, and offer empty calories in your diet. Make your own ice teas. Create your own water flavours with ice, lemon, apple slices or even herbs. Water is key.
Don’t buy things that you would never have bought before
Try and stick to your normal habits as much as possible. Don’t buy any unnecessary food or snacks. Remember, if you don’t have it, you can’t eat it.
Make full, nutritious meals so that you don’t constantly feel hungry and want to snack all the time. Rather spend time making a proper, nutrient-dense meal that is high in protein, vegetables, and even fibre. High protein and high fibre meals will improve your satiety and help you feel fuller for longer. Don’t spend too much time on making interesting snacks as these can easily become a full meal and lead to over-eating.
Breakfast cereal. Picture: Supplied
Make your own breakfast cereals
An easy option is by soaking oats and grated apple in milk overnight. Overnight oats are a great alternative and require no cooking. (You save a huge amount of electricity by not having to cook it). You can also make your own muesli by mixing some bran flakes, raw oats, cranberries, nuts and seeds and a hint of granola. Cranberries offer fibre and that hint of sugar to your cereal so you don’t need to add honey or sugar.
Make use of leftovers
Depending on the size of your family, making use of leftovers can minimize wastage. Use leftover proteins for lunch, blend fruits into a smoothie for breakfast or as a snack drink. Freeze over-ripened fruit and bake with it (e.g. banana bread). You can treat this one as a MasterChef mystery box challenge.
Food choices are always important
Remember to ask yourself: am I making the most of this meal? Does this give me all the nutrients I need? How can I prevent myself from overeating? Is there a variety of foods on my plate? Think before you eat, always.