Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian with Hy-Vee in Springfield, Ill, and a spokesperson for the Illinois Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com or follow her on Twitter @NutritionRD.
A new U.S. Department of Agriculture report concludes that following the dietary guidelines doesn't necessarily cost more. However, the report said consumers may need to reallocate their food budgets. The analysis identified six changes that could improve diet quality -- most actually saving money.
"Healthy food is not necessarily expensive," said Parke Wilde, associate professor at Tufts' Friedman School, who previously worked for the USDA's Economic Research Service that prepared the report. "It is true that some healthy food is high-priced, but many other healthy options are both tasty and affordable."
Here are the six changes, as reported in Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter.
-- Replace one fast-food meal.
-- Replace one table-service restaurant meal.
-- Eat the same on weekends as Monday-Thursday.
-- Increase share of daily calories from lunch by 10 percent.
-- Increase share of daily calories from breakfast by 10 percent.
-- Decrease share of daily calories from snacks by 10 percent.
Here's what to fill your grocery cart with: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seafood.
The greatest cost savings and dietary improvement came from substituting a table-service restaurant meal with one prepared at home, along with switching from fast-food to home cooking. That doesn't mean spending more time in the kitchen cooking from scratch -- use convenience products, such as frozen vegetables, canned beans and bottled sauces.
Skipping weekend splurges also can make a huge difference in spending.
The researchers also compared how most Americans spend their grocery dollars vs. food plans developed by the USDA that meet the dietary guidelines. By shifting the share of expenditures on fruits and vegetables from 26 to 40 percent, a family of four could buy the quantity and variety of produce needed, within the same budget. That adjustment would significantly expand the affordable options in the produce aisles, especially dark green and red-orange veggies -- from only 24 budget friendly choices to more than 100.
"Americans face a variety of challenges when trying to eat a healthy diet," the researchers said. "But the total amount consumers currently spend on food is not the primary barrier to healthy eating."
Q and A
Q: If I order vegetable-topped pizza, do a couple of slices count as a serving of vegetables?
A: Vegetable pizzas are a great choice, but most takeout or frozen pizzas don't supply a meal's worth of vegetables, even with tomato sauce. If you order a combination of several different veggie toppings, an entire 14-inch (large 8-slice) pizza might contain the equivalent of about a cup. To make pizza fit as part of a healthfully balanced meal, try adding extra veggies of your own. While waiting for pizza delivery, microwave, steam or sautee some vegetables like mushrooms, bell peppers or broccoli. Leafy greens work especially well as an add-on, because a good size portion cooks down to a size that can fit on each pizza slice. You can use fresh, pre-washed spinach or any leafy greens and microwave them right in the bag, or quickly thaw and heat some frozen spinach or kale for your pizza. Sautee these briefly with some garlic, or sprinkle with a dash of Parmesan for extra flavor as you add it to the pizza. Another option is to make pizza at home, starting with pre-made crust or whole-wheat dough to save time, if you like. Then you can load the pizza with lots of vegetables, making it healthier, tastier and more filling.
Yet another approach for pizza as part of a healthy meal is to have a side salad or a plate of antipasto to round out the meal, with raw vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, marinated mushrooms or artichoke hearts, leftover roasted vegetables and raw carrot sticks or pepper strips. These options provide the chance to get a reasonable portion of the two to three cups of vegetables daily that are recommended for us from age nine onward. Moreover, getting extra vegetables can help make a meal filling enough without the excess calories that can add up so quickly when satisfying hunger with pizza alone. -- American Institute for Cancer Research
RECIPE
Here's a healthier twist to the overnight breakfast casserole from Cooking Light magazine.
Sweet Potato and Sausage Strata
6 ounces Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 (8-ounce) sweet potato
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
6 ounces uncooked bulk chicken breakfast sausage
3 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
2 cups 2 percent reduced-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
5 large eggs
Cooking spray
1/4 cup maple syrup
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring once. Cool on pan 5 minutes. Pierce potato with a fork. Place potato on a microwave safe paper towel. Microwave at High 8 minutes or until done. Let stand 5 minutes. Peel potato, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage to pan; cook 6 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Place bread, sweet potato, half of sausage, and half of cheese in a large bowl. Combine milk and nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper and eggs in a bowl, stirring with a whisk; pour over bread mixture, and toss gently to combine. Let stand 20 minutes. Scoop mixture into an 8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining half of sausage and remaining half of cheese. Cover with foil lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake at 350 degrees an additional 20 minutes or until done. Let stand 5 minutes. Drizzle with maple syrup. Serves 6 (serving size: one-sixth of strata and 2 teaspoons syrup).
Per serving: 336 calories, 19 grams protein, 36 grams carbohydrate, 12.8 grams fat, 193 milligrams cholesterol, 2 grams fiber, 574 milligrams sodium.
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