The 20 Healthiest Foods for Under $1

I don't know about you all, but a trip to the grocery store puts me in a major funk these days. The prices on some basic items such as bread and milk are just unreasonable compared to what they were just a year ago. I can't imagine what families with growing children are going through. Forget about shopping much at my favorite store, Whole Foods.

We won't even talk about the cost of meat. I'm a hearty carnivore and fish lover but now it's a treat to have a piece of steak, pork chops or salmon.

In my quest for alternatives, I've started going to farmers markets for fresh produce and fruit and Amish markets for meats and fresh juices. It's been a good thing as I've been rediscovering what fresh food really is.

It's never been cheap to eat healthy, but this is even more true in this economy. I fear that if we continue on this way, the obesity epidemic will get even more out of control. McDonald's Dollar Menu hasn't been affected by the economy.

Tell us about some of your cost-saving solutions for healthy eating in the comments.

Get some ideas from this article, The 20 Healthiest Foods Under $1

1. Oats
High in fiber and complex carbohydrates, oats have also been shown to lower cholesterol. And they sure are cheap—a dollar will buy you more than a week’s worth of hearty breakfasts.
Serving suggestions: Sprinkle with nuts and fruit in the morning, make oatmeal cookies for dessert.

2. Eggs
You can get about a half dozen of eggs for a dollar, making them one of the cheapest and most versatile sources of protein. They are also a good source of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which may ward off age-related eye problems.

Serving suggestions: Huevos rancheros for breakfast, egg salad sandwiches for lunch, and frittatas for dinner.

3. Kale
This dark, leafy green is loaded with vitamin C, carotenoids, and calcium. Like most greens, it is usually a dollar a bunch.

Serving suggestions: Chop up some kale and add to your favorite stir-fry; try German-Style Kale or traditional Irish Colcannon.

Vivrant Thang blogs about live, love and music over at Songs In The Key Of Life.

69 Percent of Women Trying to Lose Weight Don’t Work Out

According to the CDC via BlackDoctor.org:

When you’re on a mission to lose weight, slashing calories can help in the short term. But new research shows adding physical activity to the mix is what peels away the most stubborn pounds (think belly fat) and keeps them off for good. Those who don’t exercise regularly (69 percent of women trying to lose weight don’t work out, according to the CDC) risk a rebound.

Dieting without exercise can’t zap the fat.
Exercise is just as important as diet if you want to lose belly fat. This isthe kind of fat that’s associated with metabolic syndrome, which can lead to heart disease and diabetes. Researchers found that obese women who dieted for five month without exercise had no changes in abdominal-fat cell size, while those who combined exercise with diet saw their fat cells shrink by about 17 percent. So a dieter who exercises often have smaller fat cells and a lower risk of heart disease.

Exercisers stay slimmer.
Active people have an easier time maintaining their results over time. In fact, exercise without a diet plan is more effective for managing weight. For optimum results you should incorporate both a diet and an exercise plan into your lifestyle.

This is just sad, ladies. I think if we've beat any topic over the head enough on this blog it is the importance of exercise. The belief that diet is great but if you aren't moving then you aren't really doing anything. To get the body you want and to be healthy you're going to have to sweat. The article also points out that exercise alone is a more effective method of weight loss than simply dieting. You get that? So yes, continue with the healthy eating but Move That Body!


Related Posts
Don't Forget the Weights
90 Minutes a Day Will Keep the Fat Away
Do What You Love

Daily Weight Loss Tip

Don't skip meals. Eating small frequent meals help to balance your calorie intake throughout the day and also keeps your blood sugar level balanced. Instead of eating 3 big meals, try to eat 5 - 6 smaller meals throughout the day.

Source

Black Women's Magazines Giving Bad Diet Advice

Seems Essence, Ebony and Jet are doling out bad diet and fitness advice:

African-American women's magazines are more likely to encourage fad diets and reliance on faith to lose weight, while mainstream women's magazines focus more on evidence-based diet strategies, according to the study by UI researcher Shelly Campo, published in a recent issue of the journal Health Communication.

AA women's mags are more likely to suggest Faith as a weight loss strategy, which never is a suggestion in more mainstream mags:

Relying on God or faith was suggested by 1 in 10 weight-loss stories in the African-American magazines, but in almost no weight-loss stories in the mainstream magazines.

The study also says that Black magazines put too much blame on the individual and not enough focus on envrionmental and economic issue that make it difficult for Black women to lose and maintain their weight:

"Both genres are highly guilty of over-reliance on individual strategies," Campo said. "We blame individuals too much for circumstances that are not entirely within their control. We know people living in unsafe neighborhoods are much less likely to exercise. And fast food is cheap compared to fresh fruit and vegetables. To tell a poor person that they made a bad choice because they couldn't afford the salad fixings raises some ethical concerns."

Why is there such an unwillingness in the Black mags to discuss health issues? I haven't been a regular reader of Essence, Ebony or Jet in years but I distinctly remember plenty of articles on making more money, finding a man, God and any number of other issues but not too many on health and fitness and leading a healthy life. It feels like Black women's weight is the elephant in the room (no pun intended) for many Black women and out magazine's reflect this.

What do you think?

To read the rest of the article click on the link in the left sidebar under "Articles."