HEALTHY FOOD ON A BUDGET

Quality food isn’t always expensive – there are several nutritional superheroes that deliver the good stuff for less than the price of a can of the sweet fizzy stuff.

Nutritional options to add to your shopping list

OATS R2 a serving A 1kg box of Jungle Oats traditional large flakes costs R38,99.

For a substantial bowl of porridge, you need a quarter cup (25g) of oats, about a cup of water and a splash of milk. Just don’t counter your excellent choice of breakfast by adding sugar or syrup. If you feel it needs something, honey (pictured) is a better option, although a bit pricey. A sprinkling of cinnamon also works as it stabilises blood sugar levels.

WHY OATS ARE SO GREAT

‘Researchers suggest potential health effects ranging from improved immune health to reduced risk of obesity and chronic disease,’ says Irene Labuschagne of the University of Stellenbosch’s Nutrition Information Centre (Nicus).

We’ve mentioned this before but in case you missed it: researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School found that adding 30 grams of fibre a day to your diet should result in weight loss. ‘Oats are loaded with soluble dietary fibre, specifically betaglucan,’ Irene adds. Beta-glucan has a range of good effects which, according to the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, is down to its fermentability and ability to form a thick viscous solution in the gut. It lowers glucose and insulin responses, decreases cholesterol levels, and increases feelings of satiety.

An admittedly tiny study of 14 people with uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, published in the Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology and Diabetes journal, showed a remarkable result: after oatmeal was added to a diabetes-adapted diet, the patients needed about 40% less insulin to control their glucose levels. This effect lasted for four weeks, even after they’d reverted to a ‘normal’ diet.

The study is supported by a metaanalysis of studies on wholegrains from Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health, published last year in the journal Circulation. The meta-analysis was based on 12 studies and additional 40-year previously unpublished results from studies in the UK, the US and Scandinavia, taking in the health information of 786 076 people. The outcome: those who ate the most wholegrains (four servings a day) had a 22% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease or cancer than those who ate very few or no grains.

EGGS, R2, 86 each 15 large free-range eggs at R42,99 makes it R2,86 for one

What’s it going to be today? Smoked, pickled, fried, poached, scrambled, coddled, boiled, devilled… Or how about Spanish omelette, Scotch egg, egg fu yung, quiche, croque madame, frittata or menemen? The list of eggy recipes is as long as there are countries in the world. No wonder, given the surprising degree of nutritional value to be derived from within that relatively small but perfect oval.

WHY EGGS CRACK THE NUTRITION STAKES

First off, they’re categorised as a complete protein because they have enough of all nine of the essential amino acids we need. Also, according to the protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS), which is deemed the best way of determining protein quality, eggs and milk are tops. But what’s protein for, anyway? The online info service of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), MedlinePlus, explains that every cell in the body contains protein, a chain of amino acids, and we need protein to help our body repair cells and make new ones. No wonder those amino acids are called ‘essential’.

Next! Let’s take a look at lutein. The USDA, a scientific research agency, says low lutein intake is a risk factor in age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of sight loss. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that the lutein in eggs is more easily absorbed into the blood than from other sources, thanks to the lecithin present in the yolk. Lutein and its relative, another dietary carotenoid, zeaxanthin, also present in eggs, accumulate in the macula of the eye and help protect it.

Then, eggs are a rich source of choline, which is needed in our metabolic processes, from building cells to producing neurotransmitters in the brain. A Nutrition Reviews article says choline deficiency is implicated in liver disease, hardening and narrowing of the arteries, and even, perhaps, in neurological disorders. US studies estimate that less than 10% of the population gets more than the AI, or ‘adequate intake’. We’re guessing things are similar round here too, so we suggest you crack an egg a day.

What about the cholesterol issue? You’ve no doubt noticed the flip-flopping on that one. Well, eggs are high in dietary cholesterol but, with some exceptions – like people with familial hypercholesterolemia – this doesn’t automatically translate into high blood cholesterol. A small study published in the journal Metabolism showed that a high intake of dietary cholesterol (from eggs) results in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles in men and women. The Authority Nutrition website explains that a high level of LDL is linked to an increased risk of heart disease because it promotes the formation of fatty plaques in the arteries. But there’s more to it than that. LDL is comprised of small, dense particles and large ones. When you have mostly small dense ones, you have a higher risk of heart disease. ‘Even if