Proper Nutrition – The Product Basket and How Much Does It Cost?

Proper Nutrition - The Product Basket and How Much Does It CostHealthy eating or proper nutrition, as defined by the World Health Organization, includes fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. The rest is optional. A limited amount of salt, sugar, and saturated fat is recommended.

WHO discussing healthy eating

The WHO puts vegetables and fruits as the first item in the list of components of a healthy diet – at least 400 g per day. Vegetables and fruits also make up a large part of all meals in the recommendations for healthy eating in different countries.

A balanced diet doesn’t look all that difficult. There are no exotic foods and vitamin supplements in it.

Why follow the principles of healthy eating?

Nutrition affects the duration and quality of life.

In 2007, The New England Journal of Medicine published an article on factors affecting life expectancy. According to scientists, habits and lifestyle play a greater role in this than genetics or the level of development of medicine in the country.

In 2018, scientists at Harvard University analyzed 42,167 deaths in the United States and concluded that healthy habits can extend life by 14 years for women and 12 years for men.

There are confirmed cases that people with a desire to start healthy nutrition issue online loans Louisiana to cover first expenses on top-quality products. The reviews confirm that such an option is favorable especially if you are going to buy groceries before your paycheck. They underline that it takes several minutes to submit an application and 24 business hours to get deposited.

An 11-year study of 20,000 Swedish men, conducted by researchers at the Karolinska Institute, found that participants who switched to a healthy diet had 80% fewer heart attacks than those who continued to eat at random.

Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the world, therefore recommendations for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases include an item on changing the diet to a healthier one. Doctors are convinced that the food affects the risk of disease in the same way as smoking and physical inactivity.

What is included in the food basket?

Vegetables. Among the great variety of green leafy salads and herbs, we should find cabbage and Chinese cabbage, as well as dill, parsley and green onions – these inexpensive, familiar vegetables will form the main part of our fresh salads. There are also tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, beets, peppers, zucchini, pumpkin and onions. Again, depending on the season, in the summer this set will come out very budget, and in the winter some of them will not be rich in vitamins. It is recommended buying avocados because of the healthy fats in the composition.

Fruit. Mango, papaya, dragon fruit and so on – this is certainly delicious, but apples are quite suitable as well. You may also take something from citrus: oranges, lemons, grapefruits.

Meat. Feel free to put the chicken into the basket. This is the cheapest animal protein found in every store. Let’s take a couple more trays of chicken breast. You can also buy turkey to get useful vitamins and supplements.

Eggs. These are a budget nutritious food for every day.

Fish. Better to take: pollock, hake, mackerel, pink salmon. Right there you can take calamars in carcasses.

Dairy products. Instead of the common colorful jars with cherries, we choose ordinary kefir, fermented baked milk and cottage cheese. You can also take a small piece of cheese, which is better in the composition.

Cereals. The set should include: rolled oats, unground buckwheat, peas. Slightly more expensive are: whole grain pasta, lentils, red rice, chickpeas. It is not recommended to save on cereals, very cheap ones come complete with garbage and taste disgusting. If you plan to make your own bread and cookies: whole grain flour, rye flour.

Groceries: unrefined vegetable oil and tomato paste (without additives). It’s also a good idea to buy dried nuts.

Let’s sum up and see how much on average every American with a healthy nutrition habit spends on such a food basket. For example, you will take the following products for a day per one person:

  • fresh turkey per pound – $0.99;
  • fresh chicken breast (no bones) per pound – $3.29;
  • eggs, grade A (per dozen) – $1.62
  • tomatoes, field grown, per lb. (453.6 gm) – $1.76;
  • broccoli, per lb. – $1.97;
  • potatoes, white, per lb. – $0.78;
  • processed cheese, per lb. (453.6 gm) – $4.14;
  • rice, white, long grain, uncooked, per lb. – $0.77;
  • oranges per lb. (453.6 gm) – $1.26;
  • beans, dried – $1.45;
  • pink salmon per pound – about $17.

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Sum up: $35,03.

Keep in mind that the diet should be diverse enough to supply your body with all significant nutrients and vitamins. It implies the next day, you have to visit a grocery shop again and spend money one more time. Besides, these prices are average, they may vary depending on the state and even a store you visit. You may also visit a farmer market where prices will be higher as all the products are eco-friendly.