Learn to Love Fresh Produce that is In-Season: Fresh produce is a wonderful addition to any table. Buying produce that is out of season, however, is hugely expensive. Most of you probably already look for produce when it is on sale but have you actually experimented with seasonal fruits and vegetables that are new to you? Look for bargains on produce even if you have not tried it before, and learn how it can be added to your kitchen arsenal.
Pop Your Own Popcorn: Air popped popcorn (with no butter or salt) is an excellent inexpensive and nutritious snack. You can buy an air popper for under $20 (about the cost of 5 or 6 bags of popped popcorn in the store). Unpopped popcorn will then cost you pennies per serving and it will not add any fat or sodium to your diet (as long as you do not add it yourself).
Never Buy Shelled Nuts: Enjoyed in moderation, nuts are a healthy snack. Although they are high in fat, they also pack a lot of protein and the fats themselves are usually “good fats,” as in walnuts. If you buy shelled nuts, however, they cost a lot more than nuts in the shell and you are very likely to eat them too quickly, resulting in the consumption of too much fat. Buy nuts in the shell and you will find that you eat far fewer nuts before your hunger is satisfied and thus save money and calories.
Never Eat Out of a Bag or Food Container: If you find that you need a snack, do not grab a bag of chips out of your pantry or a container of ice cream out of your freezer and eat directly from the bag or container. If you force yourself to “serve” your snack on an appropriate plate or serving dish, you will avoid any impulse or lack of self control that might lead you to snack to excess. I just checked in my pantry and noted that a serving of potato chips amounts to 9 chips – count them out, put them in a bowl and sit down to enjoy them. The fewer chips you eat, the longer the bag will last and the healthier you will be.
Use Small Serving Dishes and Bowls: If you plate your food on large plates or dishes, you will need a lot of food to create the appearance of a hearty meal. If you serve ice cream or cereal in a large bowl, you will need many servings to make the bowl seem full. Ice cream, for example, usually calls for a ½ cup serving size. That is not a lot of ice cream but if you serve it in a small bowl – we use ramekins – it will seem much more substantial. By creating the appearance of more food on your plate, you will more likely be satisfied with your portion and thus eat less, again saving you calories and money.
Drink a Large Glass of Water Twenty Minutes Before Meal Time: It takes about twenty minutes to feel full after you eat. You can jump start that process by drinking a large glass of water twenty minutes before you sit down to a meal. Your body will register fullness much more quickly and you will stop eating faster. If your body is full of water, there will not be room for more food. That will serve the dual purpose of saving you money and cutting your caloric intake.
Serve Your Meals in Courses, Starting with a Salad Course Just as drinking a glass of water before you eat will help to convince your body that it is full, if you have the time to serve your meals in courses, your body will have time to digest what you have eaten in the earlier courses and you will be full faster. I always like to begin with a salad and then move on to the main meal – even two courses are better than one. If we have a lot of time, my wife and I will also try to add a soup course to our meal. Usually, after I have had a bowl of soup and a salad, I do not have much room left for the main course so we end up eating the main course as leftovers! (Of course, my wife and I love to cook so that may sound really unappealing to you!)
If you follow these suggestions, you will spend less at the grocery store and you will have a healthier diet.
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