4 Processed Foods You Can Make Better, Cheaper and a Whole Lot Yummier
Give up these processed foods once and for all, and learn to make them at home instead.
While it may seem like buying prepackaged processed foods is a good idea, they often end up being more expensive and less nutritious than making your own wholesome foods. Things like canned soups, beans, almond milk and other foods may seem like wholesome and nutritious, but buying them already prepared is possibly robbing you of valuable nutrients, exposing you to chemicals and is adding additional costs your grocery bill.
It is possible to both save money and add more nutrition to your diet by switching out those prepackaged and processed foods for whole foods. For example, according to The Bean Institute, canned beans cost four times as much as dried beans. And while that doesn’t seem like much, consider the impact across your whole grocery shopping order. It should also be noted that cans are lined with BPA, or similar chemicals, which is among a long list currently under review by the EPA. It’s also important to point out that buying in bulk can also make for less packaging waste, which is good for the environment.
4 Processed Foods You Should Make Yourself
1.��Vegetable Stock – Making stock is easy and homemade stock just tastes better that store-bought. Vegetable stock can simply be made with onion, carrots, celery, whatever other veggies you have on hand and some fresh herbs. A few hours of the stove top is all you need and there’s no worry about BPA-lined cans, MSG or excess salt.
2. Kefir – Homemade kefir is like a different food than the stuff you buy in stores. There are so many more probiotics in the homemade version, and homemade kefir is so much more nutritious, and the taste is tangier. You will need someone to share kefir grains with you or purchase some online. There is a bit of a learning curve, but the payoff is worth it.
3. Almond Milk – We don’t drink almond milk as a milk substitute in our home, but more as a treat. The homemade version is so much sweeter (even without added sweetener) and you can use the leftover almond meal for baking. Plus, there’s no added sugar or preservatives!
4. Bread – We don’t eat a lot of bread in our house, but when we do, it is homemade. Once you get the routine of breadmaking down, it is simple. A favorite is homemade focaccia, which is a super forgiving bread for beginners. Store-bought breads contain added sugar and even scarier ingredients!
Related on Organic Authority
6 Ways to Kick the Canned Food Habit for Good (A User’s Guide)
7 Home Canning Tips for Beginners
175 Toxic Chemicals in Food Packaging ‘Undesirable and Unexpected’, Study Finds
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