Posted: 6/14/2017
Healthy meals within reach of most consumers
A nutritious breakfast for $1, dinner for less than $3? No, it’s not a dream. It’s a reality anyone can achieve with just a little education and planning.
“There are so many things people can do to spend less money on food and still eat very healthy meals,” said Mary Payne, MS, RD, LD, a registered dietitian at Parkland Health & Hospital System’s Acute Response Clinic (ARC), Elmbrook. The clinic is one of the health system’s five facilities that provide outpatient care to newly discharged patients to help them avoid further hospitalization.
One of the keys to staying healthy, Payne said, is to eat well-balanced meals made with foods that are fresh, low in sodium and nutritious. But, she said, many patients tell her that shopping for healthy food is not always easy in their neighborhoods and it’s much more expensive than going out for a cheap fast food meal.
“Actually, nothing could be further from the truth,” Payne said. “You can easily prepare three very healthy meals for far below $10 a day. It’s a matter of planning and knowing where, when and how to shop.”
And that’s where Payne and Elan Gada, MD, come in. Dr. Gada is staff physician at ARC Elmbrook, and strongly advocates empowering patients to gain control of their health by relying less on medications, when possible, and more on nutrition and fitness.
“Patients at our clinic have recently been discharged from the hospital. We have a great opportunity to educate them on how good nutrition can improve many of their medical conditions,” Dr. Gada said. “Preparing your own meals can be healthier and less expensive than eating out. Doctors want their patients to succeed and to get off their medications whenever possible. Having a sound diet is a good start.”
Payne works to educate her patients about basic food shopping strategies, such as avoiding shopping the middle section of any grocery store. Fresh, healthy foods like fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products are usually on the perimeter of the store. When you do venture into the middle, look for healthy options such as whole grain pastas and rice.
“If you see something that’s on sale, buy it, make a double batch and freeze half for future use,” Payne said. “Look for coupons or specials and buy produce that is in season. It’s not only fresher, it’s usually less expensive.”
Take for instance Payne’s recipe for breakfast tacos that’s made with an egg, two corn tortillas, half-cup cooked pinto beans and onion/garlic powder. Add a nutritious 8-ounce glass of 1 percent milk and you have a healthy meal for about 77 cents per serving.
Payne said people often forget that meal planning is a major part of healthy eating. If you’re rushed at the end of the day without a plan of what to prepare or don’t have the right ingredients, the easy solution is often the least healthy and most expensive – fast food.
For more information about services available at Parkland, visit www.parklandhospital.com.