Oznaka: nutrition

How much does a healthy lifestyle cost? We calculated the costs of a healthy diet per one week

This article has a purpose to show that it is really possible and not hard to eat healthy and avoid additional expenses.

Good nutrition, based on healthy eating, is one of the main factors that helps us with living a healthy and active lifestyle.. In the short term, unhealthy nutrition can contribute to stress, tiredness and lowers our capacity to work. Over time, it can contribute to the risk of developing illnesses and other health problems.

It is therefore beneficial to eat a healthy diet, however, the stereotype that “healthy’ equals “expensive” can stop us from choosing better food. But it is only a misconception that persists. One part of the problem is that people may confuse “healthy” with other labels that do increase costs, like “organic” or “gluten-free”. However, unless you have a diagnosed medical condition, you can have a nutritious diet without worrying about those extra labels.

 

People associate healthy products with health-food stores with their beautiful displays and often higher prices. In reality, you can get healthy whole foods at any grocery store.

Below, you will find an example of tasty and balanced healthy food for one week and its price at your local grocery store.

An ideal daily amount of consumed food varies, depending on age, metabolism and levels of physical activity, among other things. Of course, it can be more or less, depending on your needs – so that you can increase the number of written products. This ration is just a general example.

Breakfast

The most suitable dish for feeling full and getting a portion of morning energy is porridge. Of course, we do not mean ready-made cereals that are cooked within a minute, but whole-grain oatmeal with the addition of milk or water. 

Let’s calculate the cost and say we eat porridge three times in a week. Oatmeal (60 grams) with honey (30 grams) and nuts (20 grams) = 0.07 EUR + 0.23 EUR + 0.2 EUR = 0.5 EUR per day. This is 1.5 EUR per week. 

Besides porridge, you can eat cottage cheese (250 grams), let’s say twice a week, and add fruit or honey (30 grams) to it. One day would be 0.68 EUR + 0.23 EUR = 0.91 EUR. For two days that is 1.82 EUR.

Let’s say that for two days of the week you cook eggs for breakfast (two eggs), to which you can add a little cheese (40 grams) and a tomato. 0.4 EUR + 0.32 EUR + 0.25 EUR = 0.97 EUR (per day) or 1.94 EUR for 2 days.

 

Lunches could look like this:

Rice 50-60 grams (0.07 EUR), chicken hips 150-200 grams (1.2 EUR), vegetable salad 300 grams (about 0.65 EUR). All together – 1.92 EUR. You can eat this meal 3 times a week and it will cost 5.76 EUR.

Bulgur 50-60 grams (0.13 EUR), fish (hake) about 150 grams (1.49 EUR), roasted vegetables 300 grams (about 0.25 EUR). All together – 1.87 EUR. If you eat this lunch 2 times a week, it will cost 3.74 EUR.

Once a week you can eat spaghetti from durum wheat 45 grams (0.14 EUR) with fish 150 grams (1.49 EUR) and a vegetable salad 300 grams (about 0.65 EUR) = 2.13 EUR.

And the other time you can cook spaghetti from durum wheat 45 grams (0.14 EUR) with shrimps 200 grams (3.39 EUR) and a few tomatoes (about 0.5 EUR) = 4.03 EUR.

 

Dinners 

Turkey filet 200 grams (2.25 EUR), roasted potatoes 250 grams (0.18 EUR), a salad with cucumber, lettuce and corn 5 spoons (about 0.64 EUR) = 3.07 EUR. Two such meals will cost 6.14 EUR.

Say you eat a vegetable stew (400 grams, 0.35 EUR) three times a week.  Three such meals will cost 1.05 EUR.

And another dinner option is tuna salad. You need lettuce, a tomato, 5 spoons of corn and a can of tuna. It will cost around 2.50 EUR per one or 5.2 EUR per two meals.

 

Then we add up the results. All together for a week is: breakfasts (5.26) + lunches (15.66) + dinners (12.39) = 33.3 EUR.

To this list should be added a bottle of olive oil, salt, spices, tea, if you don’t have them at home. And if you are used to eating snacks between the main meals, you can make them so: fruit, yogurt, nuts. All these additional costs will be about 15 EUR. 

 

To sum up, eating healthy is not expensive. Of course, the costs can go up or down, but you can try to be flexible through buying different food or going to another shop where the prices might be lower. But as you can see, eating healthy is quite affordable!

 

Sources:

https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/healthy+living/is+your+health+at+risk/the+risks+of+poor+nutrition#:~:text=Poor%20eating%20habits%20include%20under,%2C%20salt%20and%2For%20sugar.

https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/food-and-diet/what-should-my-daily-intake-of-calories-be/

Healthy nutrition – ESC volunteers researching Slovenia

Despite the fact that Slovenia is a very small country, its food traditions are among the most famous in Europe. Each region – including the lovely Mediterranean, the gorgeous Alps, and the Thermal Pannonian plain – has its own special dishes and nutrition habits. BUT!

Several studies on dietary habits of the Slovenian population show that Slovenians tend to eat unhealthily. In 2019, 19 % of adults in Slovenia were obese and more than one fifth (21%) of Slovenian 15-year-olds were overweight or obese in 2018, which is above the EU average. The wrong eating rhythm, high intake of saturated fats and sugars and low intake of fruits and vegetables are some of the food-related problems Slovenia has. This significantly affects the incidence of cardio-vascular disease, such as myocardial infarction and stroke, as well as the development of diabetes and cancer. 

SO!

It is really important to promote food safety education and healthy dietary habits among people, especially adolescents and youth. It is also important to convey to people this information in a simple, accessible language, using as few scientific concepts as possible.

In this article, we will try to give you some useful simple tips on healthy eating that can significantly improve your life. 

  1. Eat regularly. Eat at least three times a day. The body perceives any lack of nutrition as the onset of hunger and – when the next meal comes – begins to create reserves in the body: fat deposits. Long breaks between meals that exceed 12 hours (the so-called intermittent fasting) can also lead to reduction of muscle mass (no good). Optimal breaks between meals – no more than 5 hours, the last meal – 3 hours before bedtime. At night – no food. With this mode, you will not overeat or feel hungry.
  2. Vegetables and fruits – every day. The easiest way to get the portion you need – is to fill half of your plate with greens and vegetables every time you have a meal. In total per day – at least 400 grams. For the visual aid: one medium-sized apple – 176 grams, pear – 130 grams, kiwi 75-85 grams, tomato – 140 grams, cucumber – 132 grams. Give preference to local and fresh vegetables. And be careful with fruits – they contain a lot of sugar.

      3. Limit refined sugar. If you think sugar is bad for you, you are wrong. Sugar is the perfect fuel for your body. However, it can also be deadly. How is it possible? 

The perfect fuel we have mentioned is glucose. Insufficient glucose intake impairs the blood supply to the brain and spinal cord, leads to weakness, drowsiness and a decrease in intellectual abilities. However, we rarely eat it by itself – it’s mainly a component of carbohydrates – and not all of them are sweet (a few examples: bread (flour), rice, oatmeal). That means you might meet the need for glucose by eating no sweets at all. The more whole the food is, the better.

What about the deadly part? That’s the sugar that has been processed, in other words: ‘undressed’. It can cause many unpleasant things: from hormonal imbalance to many chronic diseases. The names on products you should avoid contain: maple syrup, corn syrup, sugar, fructose – to name a few. 

4. Limit salt. Try to consume less than 5 grams of salt per day (equivalent to about one teaspoon). You most likely did not know that only 20 percent of the total amount of salt consumed is that which we add during cooking and eating. Be aware that salt is found in almost all products, especially in sausages, cheeses, tomato paste, sauces, chips, etc. Do not salt your food while cooking. This also applies to the water in which you are going to boil pasta, vegetables or rice. As in the case of sugar, not eating salt at all – is not good. Keep the balance. 

5. Drink only water. For the normal functioning of the body, a human needs 28-35 ml of water per kilogram of body weight, i.e. about 2-3 liters per day. If you eat normally, you get most of the water from food, such as fruits and vegetables, soups etc. Do not “drink” calories, such as juices, carbonated and energetic drinks, flavored water. There can be up to 10 teaspoons of sugar in one glass of sweet soda. If you pass by the section with sweet drinks in the supermarket – show willpower and do not buy anything!

 

 

6. Diversify your food. Monotonous food deprives you of pleasure and does not provide the body with all the necessary nutrients. Choose and combine healthy products in the menu: vegetables, greens, meat, fish, nuts, dairy products, legumes, wholegrain bread and cereals, durum wheat pasta, berries, fruits. Eat more plant origin foods rather than animal, because plant-based foods have a beneficial effect on digestion and provide a healthy intestinal microflora.

 

And! 

Last but not least.

 

 7. Control the balance. It is not healthy to eat too much or too little food.

 

 

Sources:

 

  1. https://6gkb.by/informatsiya/polezno-znat/10-printsipov-zdorovogo-pitaniya
  2. https://www.prehrana.si/moja-prehrana/solarji-in-mladostniki
  3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128207826000013
  4. https://toitumine.ee/ru/kak-pravilno-pitatsya/sovety-po-zdorovomu-pitaniyu

 

 

 

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