Financial Health vs Eat Healthy…and Cheap!

Financial Health with SettleiTsoft Debt Settlement App

Experiencing stress due to financial health?  It’s hard to avoid in today’s rushed society. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of stress is making poor nutritional choices.

Here are a few tricks for consumers to accomplish a healthy diet even on a tight budget with little money.

WHEN YOU’RE FEELING STRESSED OUT…

…instead of grabbing a bag of chips, try crunching on a bunch of cheaper, healthier carrots.  The Key:  Make sure you have healthy food choices on hand.  Accomplish that by Planning your Food Shopping and Menus.

First, be sure to shop for sales at all local supermarkets, not just your favorite grocery store.  You’ll be amazed at the overall savings.

NEXT, PLAN YOUR MENUS FOR THE WEEK

  • Skip the junk food and shop the perimeter of the grocery store for the whole, unprocessed foods.  Those are healthier and some times cheaper. This is where you’ll find the freshest fruits and vegetables.
  • If you cannot find what you need “fresh” (in season produce is usually cheapest), your next best bet is to check out frozen foods. Frozen food is sometimes a cheaper alternative to fresh, sacrificing 10% or less of the food’s original nutritional value.  Most frozen food is “flash-frozen” within hours of being picked. Therefore, it may actually have a higher nutritional value than fresh produce that sat on display for 5-7 days after arriving from the fields.
  • Lastly, you have the canned food option. Canned tuna and tomatoes (no additives) are good choices.  But, be aware that canned foods contain bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that has been linked to many health issues including heart disease, cancers, and developmental problems.  One study shows the worst offenders to be canned green beans, so you want to definitely buy these fresh or frozen if you can, and keep overall canned food consumption to a minimum.

Keep Going you are Almost There!

  • Don’t forget most “super foods” favored by nutritionists are the least expensive. Try going “meatless” at least one day a week, if not more often.  Beans are a nutritional powerhouse and cost just pennies a serving.  Try dark red kidney beans, black beans, and chickpeas. They not only pack a punch when it comes to protein but are full of nutrients and fiber to boot.
  • Whole grains like oatmeal, pasta and brown rice can help stretch a food budget. Try Quinoa, a rice-like seed that is high in protein containing all 9 amino acids – no need for meat when you eat this!
  • Try buying a whole chicken instead of parts and make several meals from it incorporating grains and fresh vegetables into your recipes. Fresh salmon is great for Omega 3 fatty acids and other nutrients, but pricey.  Canned salmon will do just fine at great savings.

Remember:  eating healthy help reduce stress simply because your body is not dealing with the additives found in processed foods.  As a bonus, you may find that eating this way not only saves money but also improves your health while helping you lose weight.

MAINTAIN YOUR FINANCIAL HEALTH

Another way to reduce stress and possibly save money is to consistently stay on top of your financial health by knowing exactly where you stand “in dollars and sense”.  SettleiTsoft® provides free financial management tools that will help you create a household budget; allowing you to organize and keep track of your income and expenditures; especially that weekly grocery bill.

So, enjoy the satisfying crunch of a fresh carrot or sweet juicy apple for a snack and RELAX – everything’s under control.

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