Twelve Ways To Cut Your Family HealthCare Bills for 2012
Monday 23th January 2012
A simple solution to cut your family’s healthcare bill is by smart eating according to Wellpark College senior nutrition tutor
Maria Middlestead and Head of Faculty
Phil Dowling. Here the senior staff offer easy and simple suggestions, to grow your family’s good health and cut down on expensive healthcare.
Eating the C’s
- There is so much vitamin C in oranges, kiwifruit and other fruits chances are that you don’t need to spend any additional money buying supplements
- The RDI levels (Recommended Daily Intake) are low so be generous with the amounts of fresh fruit you eat
- Vitamin C will help boost your immune system, fight free radicals and make you feel happier and healthier
- Shop at farmer’s markets, discount chain fruit & veg stores, or if time allows, plant and grow your own to give your children lifelong good health knowledge
Eating the colours
- Choose the brightest colours, the darkest shades – the deepest green broccoli, the brightest orange pepper, the yellow kumara, the purple aubergine, the reddest berry
- Colour equals antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fibre – and low calories
- Exotic imports can get high antioxidant ratings, but the list of winners is still topped by the basics: deep dark prunes and colourful berries
- For best prices, eat what’s in season
- Buy long-keepers such as root vegetables in bulk
- Include some frozen vegetables for convenience and cost-efficiency
Eating the grains
- Eat whole grains which contain a range of minerals, vitamins and fibre all of which contribute to good health
- Whole grain foods are fundamental to good bowel health and helping avoid cancer
- Choose your whole grain options in bread, cereal, pasta, rice, wraps
Worshiping the mighty avocado
- Eat avocado – it’s packed full of healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, it tastes delicious, is highly versatile in recipes and comes in a convenient bio-degradable wrapping!
Dodging the industrial food chain
- Go natural and get resourceful by replacing highly processed cereals (loaded with sugar, refined carbohydrates and as much salt as crisps) with porridge or homemade muesli
- Serve toast with peanut butter for more protein, fibre and minerals and avoid the need for margarine or butter
- Keep stale bread and slice into triangles and toast in the oven to make crackers: serve with homemade hummus as a snack
- Especially economical are soups, stews, casseroles, rice and pasta dishes
- Keep bones and vegetable scraps in the freezer and use to make mineral-rich stock
- Such food habits also help cut down on food imports, debt and carbon emissions: your health and the planet’s are tied together says nutritionist Maria Middlestead
Making the favs – but adding more veg
- Make your family’s favourite dishes, but add lots more vegetables
- For instance: make lasagne but replace half the mince with red kidney beans and replace some of the pasta with grilled eggplant or courgette slices; use less cheese and add onion, garlic, mushrooms and olives and toasted sunflower seeds for oomph
- Maria says lunch and dinner plates should be half vegetable, quarter protein (eggs, fish, dairy, meat, legumes, nuts, seeds) and quarter starchy carbohydrates (potatoes, pasta, rice, bread or other grains)
Drinking the elixir of life
- Water cleanses, detoxifies and keeps the engine of your body (heart, lungs, kidneys, liver) ticking over well
- It’s a fraction of the price (especially in long term costs) of phosphorous-laden, sugar-laden , additive-laden, caffeine-ridden, bone-robbing soft drinks
- Try putting water in a jug in the fridge and adding sliced leftover fruit, mint, lemon or ginger to help attract you to the H20 habit
- Or slice strawberries or other fruit in ice cube trays to serve with water – your children will love it
- Some naturopaths will argue for eight glasses or more a day – others will say you only need to drink when you are thirsty, work out what works best for you
- Coffee, wine and fruit drinks all have their place – take pleasure in them, but be more moderate in your intake