6 ways to eat low-carb for less
By Dana
Dratch • Bankrate.com
Want to adopt a low-carb lifestyle that's also
financially friendly? No problem, according to Marie Almon, the dietician
who helped develop the popular South Beach diet.
The trick, she says, is "shopping around."
Almon did just that in several South Florida grocery stores and
here's her advice:
1. Use meat market smarts. Lean meats are a
staple of the South Beach menu. But you can reach for less-expensive
cuts of beef. A round steak over a tenderloin will save you 50 percent,
says Almon. Or substitute a pork loin for sirloin steak and slice
more than 60 percent of the cost.
2. Prep your own poultry. Buy chicken with
the skin and bone still on and do the knife work yourself. While
you pay per pound for the skin and bones, Almon finds dieters can
also cut more than 50 percent of the cost. Extra points: Get the
chicken in bulk at a discount store when the price is really low.
3. Investigate frozen or canned choices. Almon
found fresh green beans for $1.49 per pound. But she could have
picked up three cans of the same thing for $1 or a big bag of frozen
beans for $1.19. And both would have produced more servings than
a pound of the fresh variety, which tends to "cook down,"
she says.
4. Eat with the seasons. In the winter, imported
strawberries are expensive. But apples are plentiful and cheap.
So instead of that strawberry dessert, prepare the same dish with
apples.
5. Less processed often means lower priced.
One good example: oatmeal. Just because you're eating low carb,
doesn't mean you banish all the carbs from the table. Oatmeal is
loaded with fiber and costs "pennies per serving," making
it a smart choice for your body and your wallet, says Almon.
6. Look for substitutions that make sense. Don't
want to pay top dollar for bacon? Lean boiled ham is much less expensive
and fills the same purpose in many menus. And canola oil has the
same healthy fat benefits as olive oil for less than half the price.
-- Compiled by Dana Dratch
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