With rising food prices, many people are looking for less expensive ways to feed their families. Sure, a fast-food hamburger or a box of prepared Mystery Helper is an inexpensive way to put calories into your family’s stomach. But how much actual nutrition are you delivering with that?
Here are six of my favorite inexpensive Superfoods to help feed your family cheaper — and better!
Feel your family cheaper
Nuts are rich in vitamin E and healthy monounsaturated fat. They are also good sources of magnesium, manganese, and calcium. A one-ounce handful has about six grams of protein, and costs less than 40 cents.
Beans are excellent sources of fiber, protein, and B-vitamins. Dark beans (kidney beans, black beans, etc) also have cancer-fighting antioxidants. A half-cup serving (cooked or canned) costs about 35 cents. You can rinse off canned beans before cooking to reduce the sodium content.
Oatmeal is high in iron and fiber, which reliably helps lower cholesterol. Nothing warms up a cold morning like a warm bowl of oatmeal (you should use the uncooked oats, like Old Fashioned Quaker Oats, not instant oatmeal or one-minute oats). Costco sells a nine-pound box of whole-grain oats for $7.32 — about 7 cents per serving! Cook old-fashioned oatmeal, not instant.
Mushrooms are a good source of vitamin D, selenium, and lots of cancer-fighting compounds called glycosaccharides. A 3-ounce portobello mushroom cap provides more potassium than a banana or an orange. Mushrooms can be used as a meat substitute too. A half-cup costs 25-50 cents, depending on which kind you buy.
Eggs are superior sources of protein, B-12, choline (for brain function), and eye-protecting carotenoids. I like to promote cage-free, hormone-and-antibiotic-free farming techniques because:
- Eggs farmed this way have much higher nutrient content.
- It’s better for the chickens.
- Organic farming techniques do not cause antibiotic resistance like mass-production techniques.
High-quality eggs cost 17-25 cents each. Mass-produced eggs cost about 15 cents each.
Red grapes make an excellent dessert. Loaded with antioxidants and vitamin K, grapes come in many types and colors. In general, the darker the color, the higher the nutrient content. A one-ounce handful of red grapes costs about 11 cents.