Can you eat healthy on $5 a day?

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SJHI UOPX JOM JGFTUZM F Is it possible to eat healthy on $5 a day? Cassie White finds out. Source: Supplied

Is it possible to eat healthy on $5 a day? Cassie White finds out. Source: Supplied

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I’d heard the rumours, but is it really possible to eat all my meals and snacks for $5 a Dietitians Association “Absolutely,” says KatetoGudorf, day, without resorting baked spokesperson beans on toastfororthe two-minute noodles? of

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But I’ve also just become a student again and I’m pretty sure Centrelink wouldn’t be happycrunching to learn that my Austudy is beingwas spent on activated textbooks.

After the numbers, the forecast bleak: cut back, nuts or beover busking outside I’d heard the rumours, is it really possible to eat all my meals and snacks for $5 a Newtown train stationbut within a month. day, without resorting to baked beans on toast or two-minute noodles?

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“Absolutely,” says Kate Gudorf, spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of Australia. converted by Web2PDFConvert.com

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“I often hear people say that healthy foods are more expensive, but I think that’s a misconception.

“It might take a bit more preparation and planning, but it is possible.”

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No more fancy fig and blue cheese salads. It’s time to get frugal. Source: Supplied

Here’s how she suggested I get more bang for my thirty-five bucks: Step away from the porterhouse. Less-sexy cuts like topside or silverside are going to be cheaper. They’re tougher, so throw them in the slow-cooker, but they’re also leaner and better for you.

Stock up on frozen vegies. They’re cheap and can be the base of pretty much every meal.

Oats McGotes. Rolled oats can be made into porridge and homemade muesli. That’s a fibre-loaded brekky for about 5c a serve.

Love your legumes. They’re cheap and pack a nutritional punch. Add them to curries, salads and casseroles to bulk them up.

So it’s time to say sayonara to tapas on date night and coffee with the girls, and hello to a week of being thrifty.

My first step is buying the groceries. After a quick tally at the supermarket, there’s no way I’d get what I need for $35, even buying the cheapest version of everything. So I purchase what I must and drive three suburbs over to the local grocer and butcher.

My first lesson? I’ve been spending way too much on food. I picked up 500 grams of topside at the Asian butcher for $4.75 and still had $12 left for fruit and veg. The bargain bin at the grocer was a veritable treasure chest, where I grabbed loads of tomatoes, grapes and rockmelon for practically nothing. And they weren’t even close to being slimy.

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Buy your fruit at veg at your local grocer, rather than the supermarket. Source: Supplied

This is too easy, I thought. But when I hit the register I’d gone way over budget. Back went the mushrooms and bag of carrots, baby spinach was swapped for cheaper silverbeet — and I was in dreamland thinking I could afford that avocado.

Then reality set in. No coffee, no tea and definitely no little luxuries like feta cheese.

There isn’t even enough for oil. Shopping is stressful when even 20c makes a difference.

Frugal foodie Gudorf’s topside suggestion brought back painful memories of sloppy stews and braised steak eaten under fluorescent lights in the dining hall of a Central Queensland boarding school. But I took a deep breath and plugged in the slow-cooker, reminding myself that sometimes we need to suffer for our art.

The week started off well. Roast veg, shredded meat and brown rice salads; tofu and veg stir-fries; and oats or poached eggs on toast for breakfast. My homegrown herbs made everything really flavoursome for no extra cost.

Snacking was harder. I exercise a lot and have a huge appetite, so rely on high-protein nuts and yoghurt to fill me up. Instead, I ate chopped fruit and rice cakes topped with tomato or mashed baked pumpkin. It wasn’t too bad ... but then the food ran out.

With two days to go, the fridge was looking sparse. There was no meat, tofu or eggs left, but I still had bread, rice cakes, brown rice, oats, some fresh and frozen veg, and fruit.

Meals became smaller and more carb-heavy. By the end of the week it was brown rice with frozen veg for lunch and toast spread with peanut butter I’d stolen from my flatmates for dinner. One night I dreamt about a piece of BBQ salmon.

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Mmmm. Salmon. Source: Supplied

The verdict Eating nutritious foods on $5 a day is definitely doable, but there are some variables.

I live in Sydney, so cheap food for me might be expensive compared with other places. And we all have different appetites, so this might be a cinch for someone who eats like a bird.

Also, if I even look at another rice cake again I’m going to punch someone.

For me, $7 a day is probably more realistic and it’s something I’m going to do most weeks while I’m a student.

I still can’t work out how to afford basics like tea, coffee and oil — one of those things alone can be worth a whole day’s allowance.

I still have some rice and oats left, so there might be room in the budget for one of them next week.

Aselection of Cassie’s meals throughout the week. Source: Supplied

How to make you dollar go further: Shop local. I’m not talking about your local farmers’ market where everyone’s drinking fair-trade coffee and buying loaves of sourdough bread. I mean the suburban grocer you drive past on the way to the markets. Then head down the back to the bargain bin.

Grow your own herbs. It’s much cheaper than buying them and they give any dish lots of flavour. Throw a handful in the blender with some lemon juice and BOOM!, salad dressing. You’re welcome.

Eggs are your friend. Not only are they full of protein and healthy fats, they’re really versatile and can be eaten at any meal.

Be organised. Write a meal plan before you shop. It’s easy enough to make different

variations of the same dishes using whatever’s cheap. Stir-fries, salads, omelettes, curries — you get the picture.

Ration it out. Pre-cook your meat and shred it up, make a batch of rice, roast some veg and chop up your fruit. That way you know exactly how much there is for the week and can make sure it lasts.

Learn to cook. You’re a grown-up now; it’s not hard.

Cassie White is a health and fitness writer. Follow her on Twitter @cassie_white or join the conversation @newscomauHQ Ads By Google

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