Not everyone has the means to go all-organic all the time. When you don’t have a bottomless bank balance, prioritizing your expenses becomes very important. Eating healthy doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive, but many of the health foods people rave about do tend to come with a high price tag. So how do you know what’s worth spending money on and which ones to skimp on? It really comes down to the basic economic concept of a cost-benefit analysis. How many health benefits are you getting for the money you spent? Here are six foods that have amazing health pay-offs which definitely justify their price.
1. Free-Range Eggs
Free-range eggs are significantly more expensive than regular ol’ eggs, but for a reason. Free-range organic eggs are laid by healthy chickens who aren’t cooped up into tiny cages. They aren’t injected with growth hormones and their food isn’t full of GMO grains. Instead, they’re allowed to wander around the yard and are fed a nutritious, natural diet. While free-range eggs are definitely the more ethical option, they’re also much healthier. Free-range chickens lay eggs that are actually higher in omega-3s and have higher quality protein. If you depend upon eggs as a major source of protein, switching to free-range will offer you a huge amount of benefits.
2. Avocados And Avocado Oil
Avocados are definitely having their moment in the sun, with every person being consumed by avocado-fever. If you’re a frugal clean-eater, you might be a little put-off by almost every recipe you stumble upon calling for avocados. Avocados are not the cheapest fruit on the shelf, so should you spend money on them? If you want heart-friendly fats and weight-loss magic, then yes. Avocados are one of the healthiest foods you can eat, despite being one of the costliest too. If you must spend on one health food, make it avocados. Avocado oil is extracted from avocado pulp and is just as high in health benefits. It might be more expensive than your regular oil, but we definitely recommend you make the switch.
3. Matcha Green Tea
Matcha green tea is made from a special Japanese process where green tea leaves are powdered. While regular green tea involves infusing tea leaves with hot water and discarding the leaves, with matcha tea, you directly drink the leaves. This means you get even more health benefits from matcha tea than you do from normal green tea. Matcha tea is a lot more expensive than regular green tea, but it will be money well spent. Drinking matcha tea often gives you much greater protection against cancer, keeps your skin looking radiant and can even help you lose weight. However, matcha tea is higher in caffeine than regular green tea, so if you have a low caffeine tolerance, drink it in moderation. Just one cup of matcha tea should be all you need to reap its many health benefits.
4. Natural Sourdough Bread
If you’ve been eating white store-bought bread all your life, then you might think that bread doesn’t really taste of anything. However, once you try organic, artisan bread, there’s no going back. These breads are packed with flavor and make your meals so much more wholesome. Sourdough bread is undoubtedly the king of organic breads. Made from fermented dough, sourdough has a unique flavor that will have you hooked. It’s also higher in nutrients, probiotics and fiber than regular white bread. Sourdough bread is more time-consuming and complex to make than normal bread, which is why it’s priced so high. But once you take a bite into its crusty goodness, you’ll know the price is totally justified. As an added bonus, if you have a sensitive gut that can’t handle processed white bread, you’ll find it much easier to digest sourdough. Slice up some sourdough bread, place fresh avocados over it and top it with a soft-boiled free-range egg for a fancy, but very healthy, breakfast.
5. Wild-Caught Fish
Fish is one of the best quality proteins you can find, but if you’re not eating wild-caught fish, you’re likely ingesting mercury along with it. As a general rule-of-thumb, animals living in their natural habitat are much healthier for you than commercially-raised ones are. This is true of everything from eggs, to beef to fish. Wild-caught fish have much lesser fat, better quality protein and higher omega-3 fatty acids than their farm-raised counterparts do. Wild-caught Alaskan salmon also has no mercury present in it, unlike farmed salmon which has dangerously high levels of this metal. Wild-caught fish is more expensive than farm-raised fish, but is without a doubt the safer and healthier version.
