Should We Save on Food?

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Who doesn’t want to eat rationally, following all the rules of modern nutrition science? However, even understanding the composition of foods and their biological value remains abstract unless we connect it to crucial economic factors—cost and accessibility. Many believe that you can only eat rationally if your family has a substantial income. I assure you, that’s not entirely true. Take a look at these three lunch menus.

Comparison of Three Lunch Options

You don’t need to do any complicated calculations—it’s clear at first glance how significant the cost difference is among these three lunches. Yet, as you can see, their calorie content is similar, and the amount of animal protein is also comparable, along with some other characteristics.

When budgeting, we primarily think about how to fit food expenses into the family budget and how to balance them with other essential costs. Life constantly prompts us to ask: are we spending too little or, conversely, too much on food? Can we afford an extra expense, like hosting guests or buying early strawberries at the market? Or the opposite situation: can we cut back on food expenses if, for some reason, the family income decreases (due to the birth of a child or one parent going back to school)? And if cutting back is possible, how do we reconcile that with the common belief that “you can’t skimp on food”?

Typically, our perception of the value of food products is tied to their cost: this product is expensive, so it must be of higher quality, while this one is cheap, and therefore less valuable. For example, what can you buy for $5? A pound of ground beef, 3 pounds of pasta, or several pounds of cabbage. It creates the impression that while you gain in quantity, you clearly lose in quality.

But let’s ask ourselves a logical question, even if it’s not always the first that comes to mind: what exactly are we paying for? For the meat, for the cabbage? In reality, no. If you think about it, we’re paying for the set of nutrients that these foods, as unique containers, carry within them.

Take a look at the table below and analyze the data presented.

Amount of Nutrients and Calories in Various Products (per 10 lbs)

Mineral Content (per 10 lbs, in mg)

Vitamin Content (per 10 lbs, in mg)

How can you achieve the necessary calorie intake and essential nutrients? Today, for instance, you might do this by purchasing meat and various vegetables for lunch, which will cost you more, while tomorrow you could opt for cottage cheese, milk, and fish, which would be cheaper but nutritionally equivalent to an expensive meal. This way, you can decide whether to cut back on food expenses, and if so, how to do it wisely.

It’s unwise to compromise your health by degrading the biological quality of your family’s menu. However, managing food costs without sacrificing your well-being and that of your loved ones is entirely possible, as you’ve seen. The key is to make the most effective use of the resources you have.

You might ask: what about taste? Love, familiarity with certain dishes, and dislike for others?

People often think that by switching to rational eating principles, they must sacrifice the pleasure they derive from food and give up some of their habits.

But such sacrifices aren’t necessary, although there are habits that can be detrimental to one’s health. Nutrition science respects the emotions tied to food and the nuances of individual taste. Experience shows that taste can be cultivated and developed over time. I know many people who spent a significant part of their lives disliking fish or cottage cheese, but after realizing their health benefits, they trained themselves to enjoy these foods and now don’t struggle when they see them on their plates.

Try to create a rational family menu that considers not only the biological value of the products but also your family’s real economic capabilities.