Dafna Tsadok-Hai’s notes for her episode: Eating Healthfully on a Budget.
Eating well doesn’t have to be about expensive smoothies and supplements highlight how our dancers who are living on a budget, or perhaps in a dorm room without blenders or extensive kitchen equipment can still eat well.
Every person needs a certain amount of nutrients (pro/fat/carbs/vit/min) to be in good health (therefor you don't need fancy juices, powders, etc.)
A dancer needs more (vit/min, as well as pro/fat/carbs), of course because of physical activity
but, most of the times you can cover those needs by ‘normal’ foods, such as veg, fruits, whole grains, beans, good proteins (plant based or not) nuts/seeds, oils/good fat components, and good proteins.
- Potential vit additions: vegans, vegetarians, when underlying issues in terms of fatigue/injuries, individual special requirements, etc.
Only vit D recommended in winter for everyone.
1. Talk to us about how to compose a versatile grocery list that is cost effective. If I peered into someone’s fridge and pantry, what should it look like in there?
First of all
- It’s always important to have your groceries done – so it should look full:
o This will give you the opportunity to always prep something nutritious will result into a high energy level(due to eating the right stuff, but also not having to think what to buy, where and what to make)
o Better recovery
o Prevent cravings in the evenings due to an inadequate food intake
o Save a lot of money
- Buy when in commercial
- Buy bigger amount packages
- Choose seasonal fruits/veg
What should be on that grocery list?
Enough options of all 5 meal components:
1. Veg
2. A protein
3. Carb
4. Fat
5. Seasonings
2. What are some staple ingredients you think dancers should always have in the pantry?
A pantry should be containing a number of long shelf life ingredients, e.g.:
o Oats / muesli
o Whole grains (such as rice, quinoa)
o Dried fruits / raisins
o Canned beans (carbs & porteins)
o Some countries canned fish
o Canned tomato’s
o Onion/garlic
o Nuts or seeds (seeds are mostly cheaper)
o Peanut butter, when nut butter is too expensive
o Cubes for broth or a pack with broth
o Seasoning: paprika, thyme, oregano, cumin, soy sauce, maybe a spicy paste, etc.
o Optionally protein powder
!!! Did you know that canned vegetables contain more or less the same amount of nutrients as fresh?
o After harvesting (in season!) they get cooked shortly - canned immediately. This is a great way of preserving, without loosing a lot of nutrients.
o When fruits/veg are lying long in shopes, or even when there is a long time between harvesting and reaching the shop - fresh fruits and veg will loose some vit & minerals too, where canned veg get immediately prepped and canned after harvesting, so nutrient loss sue to time doesn’t happen
Freezer:
o VEG: Frozen spinach/kale/cauli/green beans/carrot
o Frozen fruits
o PRO: fish/meat
o CARB: Frozen peas/corn
o CARB: Whole grain tortilla’s / pita’s
Fridge:
o PRO: Cottage cheese, eggs, chicken/fish, tofu/tempeh/etc., maybe feta, (high protein) yoghurt (kwark/greek/fromage blank)
o VEG: carrot, cucumber, (iceberg) lettuce, cabbages (?), where available the bigger vegetables – WHOLE VEG INSTEAD OF PRE-CUT
o FAT: avocado, hummus, feta (fits as fat component too)
o COOKED stuff: carbs (eg. Rice/quinoa) / eggs / meals!
Fresh fruit/rest outside the fridge:
o Banana
o Sweet/normal potatoes
3. What kinds of meals would I make out of these groceries?
Stews!!
o Sauteed veg + spices + some broth or a spash of water and a piece of broth cube + chickpeas + chicken/cottage cheese/hand of nuts OR carbs (in this case the chickpeas will be your protein source)
Ommelette
o Spinach, peas, corn + (feta) cheese/cottage cheese/avocado
SOUP
o + potato/lentils/beans/toast
o + beans/egg/cottage/fish
!!!Expensive blender hand blender way cheaper, mulit functional (soups, smoothies, smoothie bowls, protein-shakes, hummus/bean pastes, etc.)
- Simple pasta:
o Whole grain pasta + diced tomato + frozen spinach + (paprika/oregano/thyme) + lentils/mince
- Shakshuka:
o Diced tomatoes + a fresh veg + cumin + 2 eggs + pita bread with hummus
Part of the shakshuka sauce can be your next day’s pasta sauce or sauce for over your beans
- Pita/tortilla
o Beans, veg, avocado/hummus
- Poke:
o Rice + veg a few ways (defrosted green beans – sweet/sour cucumber – sautéed cabbage)
+ hand of peanuts / sautéed chicken or tofu/tempeh in soy sauce
+ soy/honey/white vinegar/chili powder
- Buddah bowl:
o sweet potato + black beans/soy tofu + sautéed broccoli/mixed veg + cumin/paprika
+ yoghurt/cottage cheese
4. What kind of non-perishable snacks would you recommend people have on hand.
- Dried fruit/raisins! Definitely my first recommendation
- Nuts/seeds – good to mix with the dried fruits – like a trail mix
- Crackers – best with (pea)nut butter – wont get soaked in your bag
- When time in weekends: make banana bread (+ proteins), granola (awesome to just snack out of a snack box), energy-balls from dates/nuts/protein powder
5. Comment from a dancer: when there’s a busy day and I don’t have time to make food, it’s hard to find something that’s truly affordable and actually healthy from a restaurant.
- Create your own salad bars/poke or buddah bowl bars
- Thai take away: stir fried veg + soy based sauce + a protein – served with rice of which you can add whatever you need and save the rest for tomorrow’smeal.
- Vegetarian pizza – no cheese, with parmesan on the side or with tuna (drink your proteins at home or have a yoghurt before bed)
- (Whole grain) pasta with tomato sauce / putanesca optionally warm up frozen spinach, kale or peas at home and mix it in – add your own grated cheese
- Soups – add whole grain toast & egg at home
- OR GO HOME:
o Avo-egg-pita/tortilla/toast
o Salad – mix in Tupperware: chickpeas + lettuce + hand of nuts + 1 tbsp pesto/avo/oil
o Mix: a can of lentils with a can of diced tomatoes, a few hands of spinach – some paprika, oregano, thyme, salt & pepper – bring to a boil = add cooked rice/quinoa/pasta – OR cook it with (add more water)
6. How can you navigate peer pressure from friends wanting to go out for expensive food all the time?
- Discuss your financial situation with 1 good friend of the group, what is he/she thinking? Maybe the same? Then you can stand up together (others probably have the same)
o You can save the money together by going for something less expensive and do something nice together at het end of the month/quarter
- If you really don’t feel like going, just don’t. You don’t have to. You are busy with …