January 2, 2020

Gut Health on a Budget Guest Blog by Samantha Craig

I first became interested in healing my own gut after sitting in on several of Dr. Kelli’s Gut Health for Mental Wellness workshops. Each time, I gathered more information about how to begin the process of healing my gut and what it meant for my overall wellbeing. Despite having the necessary information of what I needed to heal my gut, as a graduate student, I was overwhelmed by it all with my busy schedule and limited funds. With patience and practice, I began to figure out small changes I could make to lower my spending, and how to navigate the grocery store with a budget in mind. Dr. Kelli and I started talking about ways to share this information to those that might not know where to start with their own gut health journey, especially on limited funds.

Healing your gut is not an easy process, and if you’re like me and restricted to a budget, it can be difficult trying to figure out what is manageable. There are lots of resources on ways to boost your microbiome and heal your gut, but not a lot of resources for how to do it on a budget. Luckily, I have had some time to figure out a few good tips for adding in gut-healing foods and probiotic foods without having to shell out tons of money at the store!

 It will certainly take some time to find what works for your body and your budget, but part of the fun is learning more about yourself as you do. The best advice I can provide, especially for those of us on a budget, is to start small; it can be a gradual process of learning. Even a small step means you are moving, and my goal is to make the process even the littlest bit easier.

What are some of the best things you can do for your gut? 1. cut back on the inflammatory foods, like alcohol, sugar, dairy, gluten, and anything artificial and/or processed and 2. add in gut healing foods: nutrient-dense foods, fermented foods, fibrous foods, bone broth/collagen, and of course, water!

So, how do we do that on a budget? Well, here are some of the things I have found helpful in keeping my grocery bill low and making sure I use all the food I buy.

Create a budget

The first step for me was to figure out what I could spend on a weekly basis. I recommend grocery shopping weekly for a few reasons: (1) its much less overwhelming buying food for 6-7 days than to try and find what will last you 2+ weeks, (2) you won’t waste as much food if you are utilizing everything that you buy, (3) you can create a weekly ritual of grocery shopping, and (4) you can rotate your fruits and vegetables more often. Creating a budget for groceries will also keep you from spending too much when it comes time to shop.

Frozen fruits and veggies

While they aren’t usually as tasty as fresh fruits and vegetables, buying frozen is often cheaper, and will last you much longer. Also, the flash freezing process maintains the nutrients, so frozen can be just as beneficial as fresh! Some of my favorites vegetables to buy frozen are cauliflower, broccoli, and brussel sprouts; I’ll also occasionally buy frozen kale or spinach to throw into smoothies! Frozen fruit is great for adding to smoothies, oatmeal, chia seed pudding, or just to enjoy by itself as a sweet treat! I usually buy a mix of frozen and fresh based on what I want to eat that week. I recently joined in on a subscription box, Misfits Market. Misfits Market is based out of Philadelphia and New Jersey and offers a subscription box of “ugly” and misshapen (but delicious) produce to you. The produce is certified organic and non-GMO and can be purchased for as low as $22 every two weeks.  The best part, in my opinion, is that the produce is always in season, and uses minimal packaging. Produce that is in season is able to ripen naturally, which increases both flavor and nutrition!  My Fall boxes have been full of grapefruits, kale, celery, sweet potatoes, apples, and much more. The Misfits Market has definitely been a great resource for me to get both regionally grown produce and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

Fermentation, Prebiotics, and Probiotics

Adding fermented foods to your diet is one of the best ways to get live probiotics! This could be sauerkraut, kimchi, or even kombucha (but keep an eye on the sugar in bottled kombucha). Prebiotic foods are fibrous food that help the growth of gut bacteria. Apple cider vinegar is an example of a prebiotic and increases the acidity in your stomach to help breakdown food! (Hint: if you find yourself taking antacids regularly, you may actually have low stomach acid; try to add in some ACV) Although, ACV can be damaging to the teeth/mouth by itself, as it is very acidic, so I find that diluting it with water is ideal.

You can of course find fermented foods in most grocery stores, but you can also make your own fermented/pickled veggies fairly easily, and it can be an easy way to use up leftover veggies! This is one of the cost-effective ways to use all of your veg and avoid the extra expense of store brand fermented foods.

Here’s a simple recipe for “quick pickling” your own veggies:

-       Pick a Veg: cabbage, asparagus, cucumber, green beans, red onion, radishes, okra, carrots, etc.

-       Herbs or Spices (optional add): dill, thyme, peppercorns, mustard seeds, rosemary, garlic, etc.

-       1 cup water (distilled or filtered – just no chlorine)

-       1 cup vinegar (white, apple cider, or rice)

-       1 tbsp good salt

-       1 tbsp sugar (optional)

Bring water to a boil and dissolve salt, then let cool. Cover your veggies with brine in a mason jar, seal and set in the fridge for 48 hours before enjoying.

Bone broth

Bone broth is one of the best things you can add to your diet. It is rich in collagen, healing the gut lining and supporting your joints and skin, and it promotes good inflammatory response and detoxification in the body. Frozen bone broths usually range from about $10-$15, while there are also powdered brands for less than $10. Of course, organic, grass-fed brands are your best bet… But when on a budget, I’ll say any bone broth is better than no bone broth.

If you have access to a crock pot, making your own bone broth can be much cheaper, doesn’t require too much preparation, and will usually yield much more broth than store bought brands. A bag of frozen bones is usually around $10 at the grocery store, but you can also buy meat with the bones in it and save/freeze the bones for when you’re ready to utilize them (especially good tip to remember around the holidays!)

What I have found is that rather than buying new veggies to make bone broth, you can save your veggie scraps throughout the week and throw it all in when you’re ready to make your broth. Scraps like the ends of celery, the ends of asparagus, carrot tops, and even apple cores! You can throw those in the crockpot with the bones, cover everything with filtered water, add a shot of ACV, and let it sit on high for up to 72 hours (it may lose water, so be sure to check it periodically and add accordingly).

Once you make your bone broth, let the fat on top congeal in the fridge before attempting to strain. This can be saved and used as fat for cooking (much cheaper than a jar of animal tallow from the store).

Plan your foods

Now, I don’t necessarily recommend meal-prepping, as it isn’t super manageable, and you may get tired of eating the same thing when it comes to day 3 or 4. I do recommend food prepping, or having some essentials ready in the fridge that you can mix and match: ex. Quinoa, sweet potatoes, spinach, onion, etc. This make it easier to create variety in your meals while also saving time on prep.

When it comes to grocery shopping, I recommend having a few different uses for the foods you are buying. For example, if I buy two sweet potatoes, I know that with one of them I can make my own sweet potato chips as a snack, and I can use the other as a topping to a grain bowl/salad. If I buy frozen berries, I know I can use them in my oatmeal, my chia seed pudding, or eat them when I am craving something sweet. I find that planning out a few different uses for your foods will reduce wasting any food and gives you options if you’re not feeling the same meal every day!

Don’t jump to supplements

Buying supplements is often more expensive than getting nutrients from real, whole foods. As well, your body will absorb the nutrients from food a lot better than it will from supplements. I recommend getting the bulk of your nutrients from your food and then supplementing where you need it.  

It IS possible

It may seem difficult to keep up with a healthy lifestyle when you don’t feel like you can afford it. And in all honesty, it is challenging… The trick is that once you begin, you start to learn what works for you: what to buy at the store, how to utilize all of your food, your own go-to recipes, foods that serve as fuel, foods that serve as medicine, and also foods that you don’t feel the need to include anymore. Healing your gut isn’t just about food though… It’s a journey to knowing more about yourself and how to fuel your body and mind for optimum function!

Curious about Gut Health? Want More Energy, Better Sleep & Deeper Mental Clarity? Watch This!