1. Cook More

This is perhaps the most important rule. The less you eat out, where you don’t know the ingredients or the quality of your food, the better your health and the happier your wallet.

2 . Grow Food

I live in an apartment that doesn’t get much light, so this particularly hard for me to manage, but I’ve grown sprouts and kefir grains in my kitchen, which are both considered cheap superfoods. Every little bit helps cut costs.

3. Avoid Packages

Not only are packages wasteful, but they tend to contain processed food with too many ingredients. The bulk aisle has some great stuff, if you want something nonperishable. I tend to get my snacks for the movies here, which saves me a ton.

4. Make Your Own Ingredients

Make your own stock. I like to make bone broth. I’ve been using the tallow from the bone broth as my cooking oil, and it’s been saving me money on coconut oil. I get cheese, yogurt, and vinegar from my kefir. I also make my own spice blends with the help of a coffee grinder. Ferment your own soda, and then add it to your own sorbet or ice cream, made with a high speed blender. The possibilities are endless for delicious food made from scratch.

5. Eat Less Animal Products

High quality grass-fed meats, eggs, and milk are expensive. Wild caught fish more so. I’m not saying go vegan, but vegan meals tend to be cheaper. That said, don’t overindulge on the cheap carbohydrates, your health will suffer. Instead, try to eat more vegetables and salads.

Source:
Image: http://education-portal.com/articles/Career_Outlook_Good_for_Green_Jobs.html

Blackstrap Molasses GI 55

Black strap molasses is all the nutrition that was taken away from refining table sugar. It’s full of minerals and antioxidants. Not the biggest fan, as the flavor can easily overpower a recipe.

Maple Syrup GI 54

I prefer Organic Grade B Maple syrup, which is darker and has more minerals. I love the flavor of maple syrup, and use it frequently as the sweetener in homemade hot chocolate, and to glaze carrots and pecans.

Honey GI 50

Contains antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, carbohydrates, and phytonutrients. Make sure it is raw and unprocessed, local if possible as quality can be an issue. I often use honey when baking paleo friendly desserts.

Cane Juice GI 43

It’s alkaline which is important for a lot of health reasons, and a good source of sugar and energy for athletes.

Barley Malt Syrup GI 42

I wasn’t going to include this because it contains gluten, but it is still considered a natural and healthy sweetener alternative. Made by soaking and sprouting barley to make malt, then combining it with more barley and cooking this mixture until the starch is turned into sugar. The mash is then strained and cooked down to syrup or dried into powder.

Dates (other forms are date paste, date sugar, and date syrup) GI 42

Date paste is just ground up dates. You can easily do this yourself if you only have whole dates available. This is another favorite of mine since it’s a whole food I can get at my farmer’s market. It’s naturally found in nature and still contains it’s fiber and antioxidants. Dates come in different varieties that offer different flavors profiles, however most dates taste very similar to caramel, which is great for anyone looking for a dairy free alternative caramel flavor.

Coconut Palm Sugar GI 35

Also called coconut nectar sugar or coconut sugar. It is made from the sap of coconut palms. A new favorite among health nuts, like myself, soon to replace agave in popularity. Agave has a low GI, but is high in fructose which can be harmful to your health. Coconut sugar tastes and looks similar to brown sugar. I usually use this when altering a recipe that calls for brown and/or white sugar.

Stevia Extract GI 0

This sweetener doesn’t feed candida or yeast. Recommended for The Body Ecology Diet, and another favorite among health nuts. Be careful of quality, some Stevia products have some unhealthy ingredients added to them. You can also try making your own extract with vodka and stevia leaves.

Source:
http://www.sugar-and-sweetener-guide.com/glycemic-index-for-sweeteners.html

http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm

Image: http://www.coconutworld.biz/

Download Chart Here:
http://whole9life.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/whole9-seasonal-produce-2012.pdf