With all of these dollar menus and such at McDonald’s, Burger King, etc., some low-income people think that eating this stuff is cheaper than cooking at home. Weellll…it all depends on what you buy!
Bill Cosby talked with Dr. Daniel G. Amen about this issue. Dr. Amen consulted with his friend, nutrition expert and author Jeff Fortuna, and together, they came up with an article that is posted on Dr. Cosby’s website: 10 Steps To Brain-Healthy Eating For The Poor.
One of the mistakes that many poor people make is to go wild on food stamp day, buying expensive luxury foods, like steak and lobster. I wish I were joking, but I have actually been in line at the supermarket on several occasions, where I’ve seen people doing just that. Then I see them wheeling it all out to cars that are more expensive than ours. I know enough about car prices to know that a Cadillac Escalade is much more expensive than a Ford Focus! (we have a Ford Focus, I personally would not buy a Caddy or other pricey gas guzzler, even if I could afford one)
These people and their kids are often grossly overweight, because they eat mostly junk. When they blow their food stamp allotment so quickly by not shopping carefully, buying expensive foods, they turn to those dollar menus! I’m not saying that no one should eat at McDonald’s or Burger king ever, once in a while won’t kill anyone. But to make it a regular part of your diet is only asking for trouble. Obesity leads to heart problems, diabetes…need I say more?
Not all poor people do this, mind you, most probably do not. Most of them have to walk or take the bus to the store; I just get angry when I see people who have stuff more expensive than I do who are on the government dole. I know that most low-income people would love some tips as to how to eat better and make their food stamps/money go further each month. So here they are!
Lobster is actually good for you. But let’s get real here, it’s expensive and not practical. I do not cook lobster at home, I save it for when we go up to Maine, where I’ll indulge in a tasty lobster roll. We can easily afford this, but still, it’s a special treat. As it should be.
Canned tuna, which is on the list in the article, is not only cheap, but has the same nutritional value as lobster. There are plenty of cheap yet tasty ways to use tuna…I recommend checking out Mr. Food’s site, where he has several tuna recipes. This tuna pasta salad is especially good. And here is a way to take that cheap blue-box mac & cheese, and make it healthier and more substantial with tuna and frozen veggies (another item recommended in the article on the Cosby site). Stovetop Tuna Mac.
I used to rely a lot on Mr. Food recipes when we barely had two nickels to run together, they were good then, and they are still good now. I have a bunch of his older cookbooks, most are no longer available on Amazon or anywhere else, unless you can find them used someplace. But he has some newer ones that can be bought from his website. There are also tons more free recipes on the site, and he also does a lot of diabetic-friendly recipes, for those who need them.
The beans – dried beans in bulk are far cheaper than canned, and better for you. You can substitute cooked dried beans for canned when called for in recipes. You just need to plan ahead, as dried beans take hours to cook. An excellent investment for your kitchen is a slow cooker, it is the ideal beanpot! Sure, they make all sorts of fancy ones with all sorts of gadgets and gizmos attached, but you do not really need all that. I paid about $30 for a basic 5 quart one, at that fancy French department store, Tar-jhay. In addition to making cooking beans a breeze, it is also great for taking those cheap, tough cuts of meat, and making them nice and tender and tasty. It is a must-have in a frugal kitchen!
Spices – yep, buy in bulk at a health food store if you can. The little jars in the supermarket are a rip-off. If you can’t get to a health food store, stores like CVS, Walgreen’s, and various dollar/discount stores often have large jars of various herbs and spices for a buck each…way cheaper than the expensive supermarket brands. If your supermarket has a Latin American/Spanish food aisle, look for an inexpensive brand of spices called Badia. These will not be with the regular spices, only in the ethnic section.
I just can’t get into cottage cheese. I’m sorry, but to me, that stuff looks like barf. So does oatmeal. Memories of too much badly cooked oatmeal as a kid has turned me off the stuff forever. Strangely enough, I do like oatmeal cookies, oatmeal bread, and I often use raw oats instead of bread crumbs in meat loaf. However, Mike likes both cottage cheese and oatmeal, so I just try not to look while he is eating them!
Anyhoo, I hope all of this advice will help you and your family eat healthier, and save some money as well!
