Eat healthfully for a pittance: "Superfoods" that also are incredibly inexpensive

You might think that healthy eating has to be pricey eating. And it's true that eating away from home tends to be that way. Fast food is cheap and, for the most part, dreadfully unhealthy. At fine dining establishments, at least you can order fish and vegetables -- although I must add that those choices usually still come on plates glistening with oil and butter, packing on calories that we really don't need.
But whether you eat these foods at home or order them at health-oriented restaurants, here's a list from Eating Well magazine of foods that pack a nutritional wallop for pennies a serving.

1. Lentils (15c per one-cup serving)
2. Oats (10c per 1/3-cup uncooked oats)
3. Kale (60c per cup, cooked)
4. Almonds (60c per ounce)
5. Tea (price varies, but listed as 10c per tea bag)
6. Oranges (35c each, or more depending on variety)
7. Tuna (about 75c per three-ounce serving of canned tuna)
8. Peanut butter (depends on the kind you buy, but can be as low as 25c per 2-tablespoon serving)
9. Apples (listed as just 25c each, but the ones I get are closer to $1 each -- large, Honeycrisp yummies)
10. Eggs (20c or less per egg)
11. Carrots (25c per cup of cut-up carrots)
12. Cabbage (25c per cup of shredded cabbage, as for coleslaw)

Click here to read why each of these foods is so good for us.

Springtime's "Super Foods"

We don't have to wait until the summer or fall harvests to chow down on incredibly healthy, locally grown, in-season foods. Local asparagus (now available at Findlay Market and others) and strawberries (still a couple of weeks away, most likely) taste way better than anything from the supermarket, but there are several other great foods that are being harvested now and available at local farmers markets.

They include kale, fennel, spinach, leeks and artichokes -- all wonderful, yummy ingredients for savory dishes (or eat the spinach raw in salads and as a substitute for lettuce in sandwiches).
Click here to read an article about the NINE SUPERFOODS OF SPRING and why they are such nutritional powerhouses.