How to live on 1000 rubles a week? A useful food basket from a nutritionist

“The question of how to save money on groceries is of interest to many people, and some even think about a specific figure. For example, is it possible to buy groceries for a whole week, spending only 1000 rubles? To give an exact answer to this question will not work: the fact is that the amount needed to form a food basket depends on many factors. This and the place of residence, and the need for calories in a certain person, and taste preferences. Therefore, if this option is possible, it is not possible for everyone. But you can be sure that you will definitely be able to save money and put together a healthy food set.

Is healthy eating expensive?

Marketing actively contributes to the formation of such an opinion. It is profitable for product manufacturers to endow ordinary goods with a large number of useful properties, contributing to their popularization and inflating their prices.

“Superfoods” is the term that is applied to such goods. Of course, if a person can easily afford the latest nutritional recommendations, regardless of the price, there is nothing wrong with purchasing these products. However, for those people who do not have this ability but are looking to improve their diet, it becomes a problem.

But even for the first group of people, there is not good news: all of these products are not unique at all. Marketing has made them so, and their properties are similar to their more affordable counterparts. Widely marketed products endorsed by popular brands or stars can make anyone question their usual choices. They, advertised as special, are simple whole foods that have been around for thousands of years. But are only now gaining popularity.

What can you replace expensive products with?

There are many substitutions for the trendy and more expensive foods that are now much talked about.

• Salmon includes not only protein, but also unsaturated fatty acids necessary for humans. Such properties are not only characterized by it. Therefore, more affordable sardines, herring, cod liver are suitable for replacement.
• Quinoa has a high content of vegetable protein and is a complex carbohydrate that satiates for a long time. You can replace this cereal with any other, because all types have these properties. And it is best to include in the diet different types of them: millet, brown rice, buckwheat groats, barley.

• Goji berries and blueberries include many vitamins, but are characterized by a high cost, especially when it is not the season of fruits and berries. But they are easy to find alternatives: strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, currants.
• Kale is not available everywhere, but other leafy greens will be easier to buy. Any dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, lettuce) would be a good substitute.

What should be in a healthy grocery basket?

In order to assemble a healthy grocery basket and save money, you should prioritize affordable items but with high nutritional value. These include:

• cereals. This can be any available types, as mentioned above. It is recommended to limit only the use of white rice that has been processed. In addition, it is worth paying attention to pasta of hard varieties;
• bread should choose the simplest: rye or whole-grain bread. It is he who is characterized by the best composition and affordable price;
• meat and poultry. Any red meat, meat by-products, affordable poultry bought in bulk, eggs will be good sources of protein. It is only worth remembering that it is necessary to choose less fatty types and remove visible fat during cooking;
• fish must necessarily be present in the diet, but there is no need to choose fresh. It can be and canned versions, without added oil;

• dairy products. Curd, milk of moderate fat content, cheese, butter – all these products are part of a healthy diet. They are familiar to us from childhood and are characterized by availability;
• fruits and vegetables. At first glance, they are expensive. In fact, you can buy any of them: cabbage, carrots, potatoes, beets, turnips, onions, pears, oranges, persimmons. And the most affordable are seasonal products, which is also worth paying attention to. If it is not possible to buy fresh, you can buy frozen. They retain more nutrients than canned varieties;
• nuts, oils. These are sources of essential fats for health. Any kind will do, but it is important that they are salt and sugar free. Among the oils you can buy sunflower, olive oil, flaxseed oil, peanut oil.

Thus, your grocery basket for the week can look like this:

• herring (1 pack, 245 g) – 80 rubles;
• buckwheat groats (1 pack, 800 g) – 90 rubles;
• millet (1 pack, 800 g) – 70 rubles;
• cabbage (1 kg) – RUB 18;
• hard pasta (1 pack, 450 g) – Br80;
• chicken fillet (1 pack, 450 g) – RUB 210;
• ground beef (1 pack, 400 g) – RUB 199;
• potatoes (1 kg) – RUB 24;
• beets (1 kg) – 33 rubles;
• walnuts (100 g) – RUB 67;
• frozen strawberries (300 g) – Br70;
• rye bread – 40 rubles.

The total amount is 981 rubles. All prices are from the online store for food and food delivery. However, it is worth considering that in retail outlets the cost may vary depending on the region.

What is the importance of a nutritious diet?

It is important to realize that for the same amount of money you can collect two different food baskets: a full-fledged one and a leaner but larger one.

In the first case, the body will receive all the necessary nutrients and there is no risk of vitamin deficiency. If we consider a diet consisting of more accessible carbohydrates, sweet, cooked and processed foods, the probability of protein and unsaturated fat deficiency will increase.

Giving up fresh fruits and vegetables will negatively affect the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Replacing complex carbohydrates with simple carbohydrates will lead to low satiety levels, which promotes overeating. Therefore, it is very important to find a balance between the quality of the diet and the amount of money available for all purchases.

Of course, it takes thought, preparation and time to make a diet healthy and affordable, from learning what’s in season on the shelves to proper food storage methods and bulk purchasing.

The image of healthy eating is priceless, regardless of budget. Therefore, you need to treat food as a way to stay healthy, not as an inconvenience. We need to try to move away from cheap processed foods to an economical approach based on eating whole and affordable foods.