Dr. Nicole Avena – a Nutrition Expert- Shares Five Budget-Friendly Tips
to Achieve a Balanced & Nutritious Diet during National Nutrition Month
According to McKinsey, nearly half of US consumers reported cutting back on their spending in 2020, and are looking for economical ways to prepare nutritious meals for the family. National Nutrition Month is the perfect time to reevaluate one’s eating habits, especially as more people are eating at home and are spending more time with their family. Nicole Avena, Ph.D., nutrition expert and author of “What to Eat When You Want to Get Pregnant” provides recommendations on ways to obtain essential nutrients and offers budget-friendly tips to curate a balanced, nutritious diet to suit a variety of tastes.
“A lot of people are ensuring they are stocked up with foods that are shelf-stable. Although buying shelf-stable products like boxed pasta and canned foods can be affordable and efficient to make, it might not always provide the essential nutrients,” says Dr. Nicole Avena.
“Developing a healthy eating pattern is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor and it does not have to be hard on your wallets, but it does need some planning and creativity.”
Here’s Dr. Avena providing tips on snacking in this video.
Dr. Avena provides the following budget-friendly tips to obtain essential nutrients:
- Buy legumes in bulk. Legumes are a healthy, nutritious, and affordable option to make lower-calorie meals satiating for longer. Legumes are high in protein and a good source of fiber, iron, and potassium. Studies have shown that a high intake of legumes is linked to significantly lower risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. For an easier transition to incorporate more legumes within your budget, expand variety in meals by buying ingredients like lentils, dried beans, chickpeas, and seeds in bulk
- Cook more, eat out less. Ordering takeout comes with steep price markups, delivery fees, and tips whereas buying pre-packaged foods like frozen dinners and packaged pasta can add up when you calculate the cost per serving. Home-cooked meals can be prepared healthier and inexpensively. Source a few simple and healthy recipes your family enjoys and save takeout for special occasions.
- Shop for foods that are in season. During trips to the grocery store, look for vegetables and produce that are usually at their peak as you can get a large amount for much less than when they are out of season, which means the produce is cheaper and tastes better. Most produce can be kept in the freezer for months at a time so you can stretch your dollars and stockpile.
- Look into tasty alternatives. Consuming adequate levels of essential vitamins and nutrients daily is a great way to proactively support unique health needs. If there seems to be an inability to meet daily nutrient requirements or there is a confirmed deficiency, a supplement like Vitafusion MultiVites gummy vitamins can be an easy alternative to get a fusion of vitamin A, C, D, E, Biotin, B12, and B6 that you might be missing from diet alone. L’il Critters also makes a great and affordable daily multivitamin for kids.
- Expand your palate beyond salads. Eating similar meals day-in and day-out can be an effective strategy for maintaining long-term weight loss, except this type of diet may have nutritional gaps. Many associate a healthy diet with endless salads, but there are a variety of cuisines that are budget-friendly, flavorful, and nutritious. Mediterranean cuisine has high rates of monounsaturated fats (taken from olive oil and nuts), and Japanese cuisine tends to be rich in fish and fresh vegetables, making it a great option as well.
If you have questions about these tips or want to ask other nutritional questions, you can contact Dr. Avena via her website: http://www.drnicoleavena.com/
Follow Dr. Avena on these social channels:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrNicoleAvena/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrNicoleAvena
About Dr. Avena
Nicole Avena, Ph.D., is a research neuroscientist and a pioneer in the field of food and nutrition. Her ‘wellness series’ is for those wanting to improve eating behaviors & nutrition.
Thanks to Dr. Avena for her tips and suggestions to help you get a more balanced – and nutritious- diet. Not only are these super-smart tips, but they are easy to implement.
Stevie Wilson
LA-Story.com
Want to leave a comment or ask a question? Please send an email to stevie.wilson@LA-Story.com
________________________DEALS and STEALS(Affiliate Links)
I curate deals that offer bonuses, bargains, and great products –and some are very specifically for this site to feature to my audience because I want my audience to get amazing products from great brands!
Disclosure: some of the links on this post might have affiliate links! It costs you nothing. If you buy something, the brand pays me a small percentage.
If you purchase via my link, I make a very small percentage for that purchase. It does not add any additional cost to the product. The price you see is the retail price (depending on store or vendor) .
Sunscreens Are Essential in Summer: Try COOLA Full Spectrum 360 Sun Silk Drops SPF 30
COOLA’s breakthrough Sun Silk Drops— your daily Full Spectrum 360° protection from the sun, environmental toxins, and digital overexposure.
Their advanced organic formula is light-as-air yet protects against broad-spectrum UVA/UVB, IR (infrared), and HEV (high energy visible) Light, meaning they’ve got you covered from beach to board meeting. A fast-absorbing complex blend of plant stem cells and patented LightWaves Defense [JS+M] technology helps to prevent visible signs of aging from both indoor and outdoor daily aggressors. Finally, full-spectrum organic skincare that keeps up with your everyday modern lifestyle!
What else you need to know:
This product is formulated without oxybenzone. It is vegan, non-GMO, TSA-friendly, and cruelty-free.
Available at Sephora.com and Coola.com
Subscribe to RSS headline updates from: http://feeds.feedburner.com/la-story/Bpyd
Powered by FeedBurner
If you are going to feature content from LA-Story.com including images, podcasts, or videos including the accompanying text, please respect copyright provisions. We require a notation of content origination (meaning credit tag), a link- back to the specific page & please email the link to stevie.wilson@la-story.com before the piece goes live.
LA-Story.com, LA-Story Recessionista, Celebrity Stylescope, Celebrity Style Slam Trademark/Copyright: KBP Inc./TNBT Inc 2007-22
