170 Eating for Good Health
Eating
Better for
Less Money
If you have some
space, growing your
own vegetables will
provide you with
healthy food at
very little cost.
When money is limited, it is important to use it wisely.
Here are some suggestions for getting more vitamins, minerals,
and proteins at low cost:
1. Protein foods. Beans, peas, lentils, and other similar foods
(called legumes) are a good, cheap source of protein.
If allowed to sprout before cooking and eating, they have
more vitamins. Eggs are one of the cheapest sources of
animal protein (see page 168 for ways to use the shells,
too). Liver, heart, kidney, blood, and fish are often cheaper
than other meats and are just as nutritious.
2. Grains. Rice, wheat, and other grains are more nutritious
if their outer skins are not removed during milling.
3. Fruits and vegetables. The sooner you eat fruits and
vegetables after harvesting, the more nutrition they have.
Store them in a cool, dark place to preserve vitamins.
Cook vegetables in as small an amount of water as
possible, because vitamins from the vegetables go into
the water during cooking. Then use the water in soups or
drink it.
The tough outside leaves or tops from vegetables like
carrots or cauliflower contain many vitamins and can
be used to make healthy soups. For instance, cassava
(manioc) leaves contain 7 times as much protein and more
vitamins than the root.
Many wild fruits and berries are rich in vitamin C and
natural sugars, and can provide extra vitamins and energy.
4. Milk and milk products. These should be kept in a cool,
dark place. They are rich in body-building proteins and in
calcium.
5. Avoid spending money on packaged foods or vitamins.
If parents took the money they often use for sweets or
sodas (fizzy drinks) and spent it on nutritious
foods, their children would be healthier for
the same amount of money.
Since most people can get the
vitamins they need from food, it is
better to spend money on nutritious
foods than on pills or injections.
If you must take vitamins, take pills.
They work as well as injections,
are safer, and cost less.
Where Women Have No Doctor  2012