False economy

Yesterday, someone told me they found shopping for groceries very expensive, and that eating take-aways was far less costly. Am I missing something here?

My weekly grocery bill is between R600 and R800 for two people. That includes some toiletries and cleaning products – these products are expensive, so let’s say they constitute 15% of R700 (average) - that’s R105, which leaves R595 spent on food. R595 divided by 2 is R297.50 per person. R297.50 divided by 7 (days of the week) equals R42.50 per person per day: divided by 3 (meals a day) comes to just over R14 per meal. Show me where I can buy a healthy take-away meal for R14!

Here’s what I get at each of my R14 meals:
My typical daily menu consists of breakfast – cereal or toast, with fruit; lunch – a salad with cheese, canned fish or an egg, or maybe the same ingredients in a sandwich; dinner – fish, chicken, vegetarian or, very occasionally, red meat with loads of fresh vegetables and some starch (pasta, rice, couscous, beans, whatever), followed by a good size helping of fresh fruit salad and yoghurt.

At the end of each week, there is still plenty of food in my house – I could probably go six weeks without shopping, and we would still eat reasonably well. There is always something in my freezer – chicken, fish, frozen peas, home-made ready-meals etc. There is always plenty of pasta, rice, flour, canned goods, dried beans, nuts, tea, coffee and treats in my store cupboard. Of course, I would run out of fresh fruit, vegetables and yoghurt within 10 days, but we would survive the six weeks in reasonable health.

And that is the key issue in my book – reasonable health. Take-aways are notorious for their high fat and salt content, and are usually starch based. Loads of calories that will push you way over the recommended daily allowances of cholesterol (300mg), salt / sodium (2,400mg), fats (65gm, including 20gm saturated fats) and carbohydrates (300gm) – and all in one meal. Eating in excess of these allowances can lead to weight gain, water retention, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, diabetes… must I go on? Poor eating habits lead to disease, which can be horribly expensive.

Beyond the ubiquitous paracetamol I keep on hand, and sinus tabs (we live in a gold-mining area with a lot of environmental pollution), I don’t need to buy vitamin and mineral supplements, antacid powders, laxatives or any of the other thousands of over-the-counter medications most people take (in an attempt) to compensate for poor eating habits.

Eating a variety of foods from all the food groups provides all the vitamins, minerals, fibre and calories anyone needs – in a balanced and healthy form; vitamins and minerals are synergistic – they work together. Fresh foods provide a wonderful variety of textures, aromas, colours and flavours – far more interesting, satisfying and delicious than a burger and chips, don’t you think?

Cheaper, too.

Meatless Mondays

Vegetarianism has been a way of life throughout the world for hundreds, if not thousands, of years and it is spreading.

Even if you are a carnivore, there is no reason why you shouldn't give your digestive system a break, at least once a week, by eating a vegetarian meal. Yes, some vegetarian recipes are high in kilojoules and fats, but a low fat vegetarian meal (or diet) is easy to achieve.

A balanced vegetarian diet tends to be low in saturated fats and high in fibre; also, because you are eating more vegetables, you get more of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals your body needs. Protein is supplied by eggs, milk, yoghurt, cheese and nuts - plus in many countries tofu, quorn and soya substitutes are readily available as ready-meals and 'in-the-raw'.

Most non-vegetarians seem to think that vegetarian food consisits of limp lettuce leaves or a plate of plain vegetables. This doesn't, indeed shouldn't, be the case. Vegetarians enjoy beans , peas, lentils, grains, nuts and seeds - they will happily eat other complex carbohydrates such as bread, rice, pasta, quinoa, bulghar wheat, couscous and potatoes too. Many enjoy eggs and dairy products.

I have fed three vegetarian family members (and many guests) on numerous occassions. My oldest daughter became an ethical vegetarian after studying philosophy at university - and remains a vegetarian twenty years later. She was not always healthy to begin with, but she has learned through experience to balance her food groups.

If you think about it, you don't have to give up much. And you will save on your budget and your health.

Making fresh food last

It’s all very well going to the supermarket and doing the grocery shopping for the coming week, but how fresh is the food you’re buying? I guess the best thing is to find out when the main fresh deliveries come in. My local supermarkets seem to restock on Mondays (after the weekend) and Thursdays (before the weekend). This didn’t seem to be the case last Thursday.

I’ve been feeling really weak and tired – I have a bad head cold and cough and I’ve been feeling thoroughly chilled. Because of this, my husband did the shopping for me on Saturday afternoon and reported that the shelves were bare! Very limited (and very sad looking) fresh produce. Okay, Saturday was May Day and, yes, the world and her husband were out shopping. Fortunately he managed to get the basic essentials for me, and I will just have to go again later in the week.

Anyway, I digress (sort of). I actually wanted to look at fresh fruit and vegetables, and extending their lifespan. The lifespan depends on whether the item is ‘ripe and ready to eat’ (a label not always to be believed – but store in the fridge) or intended for ‘ripening at home’ (store on the counter until ripe, and then refridgerate). And a lot depends on how you store the product.

All fruits and vegetables give off a harmless, tasteless gas called ethylene, but some give off more than others - specifically apples, apricots, avocado, bananas, figs, melon, nectarines, peaches, pears and plums. Ethylene can build up in the fridge and cause other fruits and veg to spoil, so these fruits need to be stored either on the counter (until ripe) or in a separate drawer of the fridge. In South Africa we get ‘multi-fresh’ bags which do seem to contain the ethylene and keep stuff fresher for longer.

Lettuce, watercress, basil and mushrooms can all go slimy in the fridge, because they are hydro-tropic (they attract moisture). I have found that sealing a piece of kitchen paper in with the product helps to keep it at its peak for longer (this helps prevent mould on cheese, too). But some things are best eaten within two to three days of purchase – they just taste better. Soft berries spoil very quickly, and green beans ‘rust’ while you’re looking at them.

And some things just never seem to ripen, like the mango I bought two weeks ago which is still rock hard.

Food waste is awful. And costly. Don’t buy more than you need for the week, and use it before it spoils. I don't care if it is marked down or on special, unless you know you're going to use it all, don't buy it.

Supermarkets

Supermarkets are in business to make money, and they have ways of making you spend more than you intend to. I've talked before about only shopping the perimeter of the store, but most of us tend to wander up and down the aisles from one end to the next, indeed, if you need bird seed or toilet paper then you have to. Here are a few tips for getting more for less.

Know your supermarket.
Knowing where different items are stacked in your supermarket speeds up the whole shopping process. Using an unfamiliar shop can be confusing and time consuming. I use a supermarket 2 kilometers away because the one closest to me had a big reshuffle about a year ago, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of logic behind their shelving. For example the curry paste and curry powders are two aisles apart! I can never go straight to the item I want.
Always, always eat before you go shopping.
A rumbling tum does nothing for your will power when you can smell freshly baked bread and the rotisserie chickens at the deli. If you are really hungry, then buy an extra piece of fruit to munch.
Always, always have a shopping list.
You have planned what you are going to be cooking over the next week and carefully worked out what you need to buy. If it is not on the list, you don't need to buy it this week.
Move your eyes.
The bigger brands often give supermarkets incentives to shelve their product at eye-level. Look up and look down - there is probably a nutritionally comparable, lower priced equivalent nearby.
Check the nutrition facts and ingredients labels.
The cereal you buy should have at least 5gm of fibre. Any product claiming to be whole grain should have 'whole' as the first word on the ingredients list. If you are buying low fat or fat free products, check the different brands for the lowest fat content - you'll be surprised how much they vary (even fat free isn't entirely fat free).
Avoid special and '2 for 1' offers.
Unless the 'special' is on your list, or is something you know you will use, don't buy it!
Bigger pack, cheaper price.
This is so often not true! It is cheaper to buy my favourite brand of tea bags in packs of 100s rather than 200s - okay, I only save about R1.00 on the deal, but have you checked the price variance on coffee by size, or soap powders?
Time to pay.
 If you shop at peak times, there may well be long queues at all the tills. This gives you (and the kids) time to be tempted by all the sweets and snacks on display. Curb the impulse - check your shopping list again to make sure you have everything; rearrange the goods in your trolley for ease of loading onto the counter; start up a conversation with the person behind you; quiz the children on general knowledge or their times-tables.

Oh, and be green - take your own shopping bags with you.

Have a great weekend.