Healthy food that costs you less

It seems that making healthy food choices is expensive - anything ‘organic', ‘natural' and ‘free range' always costs a couple of rand more, doesn't it?

But eating well need not cost the earth. And given that food is your first and best medicine, making an effort to eat good food daily will repay you with years of good health, fitness and energy. That sense of wellbeing is crucial if you want to succeed in your career and take care of your family.

You have made a wise choice securing your healthcare needs through GEMS, of course, which will be there for you in times of need, but a healthy diet full of vegetables and fruit will ensure those times are few and far between!

Grow your own
Even if you only have enough space for a few pot plants, you can limit the amount you spend by growing your own vegetables. And they will be organic and completely natural! Spinach (the plant called Swiss Chard) is so easy to grow, and it is happy in a window box or pot. Six or seven plants will be enough to last a small family through the season. With a bit more space - a couple of square metres of garden - you can get more adventurous. Green beans (French beans) produce huge crops with a little care. If you have a freezer, you can harvest beans, plunge them into boiling water for a few short minutes, put them in a plastic bag and freeze for later use.  Tomatoes also bear good crops with a healthy dose of compost and a stake to hold their long stems. If you have too many tomatoes ripening at once, you can harvest them all and make yummy tomato sauce with onions and garlic (all very nutritious!) divide into plastic containers and freeze. Gem squash, pumpkin and butternut are great choices where you have a big patch of land. They all love lots of compost.

Buy wise, eat wise
Most major cities have a fruit and vegetable market where retailers and hawkers go to buy their produce. Join forces with some of your neighbours so that one of you can regularly go and buy enough produce for all to share - this really brings your food bills down. Take advantage of seasonal low prices. When a vegetable is in season, prices really drop. If you buy in bulk at this time, you can freeze the vegetable for later. Cooked pumpkin, for example, freezes really well. (If you do not have enough freezer space, ask a neighbour if you can share hers.) Even fruit, like plums, can be preserved as a jam. Experiment with using less sugar than the recipe recommends - it is bound to be healthier and tastier than shop-bought jam!

Buy dry beans and lentils in bulk. Beans like chickpeas soaked overnight and cooked properly can be used to good effect to stretch meals - chickpeas, for example, taste delicious in a chicken stew, soup or stir-fry. Brown lentils make mince go further without changing the taste of favourite recipes. Beans and lentils add fibre to the diet, which is great for your digestive system; they also help to keep your cholesterol levels in check.

Take a few minutes to make your own lunch to take to work. A cheese-and-tomato sandwich made at home will always score more health points - and cost less - than the fast-food options available, from vetkoek to fried chicken to hamburgers and chips.

You really don't have to spend a fortune to eat for good health!