You’ve heard it before and the words have probably left your mouth: it is expensive to eat food that is healthy.

Why has that happened though? Why is it more expensive to buy a bag of apples or a salad (surely all they have to do is chop it up?) than to buy a burger from a fast food chain that has been shipped in from god-knows-where, cooked, frozen, cooked, frozen, cooked over and over and stuffed with unpronounceable ingredients, culminating in a product that is 1% food and 99% stuff you’d rather not eat? WHY?

There are ways to get around it, though, so that you can enjoy your out-of-season berry smoothies all year round. You just have to know how to shop.

Take those deliciously sweet berries, for example. If you want a smoothie or fruit salad with raspberries (by the way, they are high Vitamin C and naturally have no fat, cholesterol or sodium) in December in South Africa, you’re in luck. You can get them at your local food market, or even go out to a farm and pick your own. Come the middle of winter, though, and you’re not going to find much. What you will find is imported berries, and they are going to cost a fortune.

The solution? Freeze the berries. They will keep for months in the freezer (try get out as much air as possible).

What makes healthy foods healthy is that they are not packed with preservatives, colourants, extra sodium, emulsifiers, added sugars, and as such they go off faster. They need to be refrigerated in shops properly, and a bit more care is taken between the farm and the shelves. To save yourself money and to not experience the guilt of throwing food away, plan you meals for the week before you go grocery shopping. That way you will buy what you need and take note of best before dates.

Sometimes it is simple, rather obvious things that will make all the difference.

There’s also a sneaky little thing called the price/calorie ratio. Let’s use a few apples and a can of soda to explain.

If you compare these two using the price/calorie ratio, the can of soda looks cheaper. Unfortunately, the can of soda has no nutrients. The apples are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. If you look at the price/nutrient ratio, the apple is actually much cheaper. Furthermore, because an apple contains a large amount of fiber, it keeps you full for a longer period of time than a can of soda. If you look at the price/satiety ratio, the apple wins again. Though a soda costs half as much as an apple, it does not come close to providing you with even half the benefits.

Basically, calories are cheap.

There you have it – spend a bit more money on your healthy foods and you will actually end up fuller for longer.

Alternatively, go eat at Osumo. That way you won’t be wasting any food and you will certainly be spending your money correctly with regards to the price/calorie ratio. Their food is healthy, low in carbs, sugar and dairy, and trust me on this one: it is delicious!

I popped in yesterday for lunch and had the Sunflower Power wrap (R46) and was full until dinner at 9pm.

The owner, Kerry, was on the Abstract Aimee show the other day – have a listen HERE about what she has to say about healthy foods.

Visit OSUMO to have a look at their menu.