Richardson - Simple, cheap and healthy cooking: 21 recipes from around the world

Every day there are billions of people in the world who eat for practically nothing. Unfortunately, in most cases, its because they have no choice. But there are also an increasing number of people who are choosing not to spend money unnecessarily on food and are rediscovering very cheap recipes which can often be healthy and nutritious.

More than 3 billion people live on less than $2.50 a day. Thats nearly half of the entire worlds population. Of those 3 billion people, more than 1.3 billion live on less than $1.25. And that money has to cover all their costs, not just food.

And many people who eat extremely cheap food have some of the longest life expectancies in the world.

On the other hand, in the USA two out of every three men are considered to be overweight or obese, and the statistics for women are even higher. These are the highest percentages in the world. Carrying excess weight gives rise to all sorts of health problems including certin cancers, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, strokes, etc etc and of course the health care costs associated with being out of shape are enormous, both to the Governement as well as to the individual.

For sure, life expectancy is not only a function of what you eat but your total lifestyle including physical activity, avoidance of bad habits such as smoking and excessive drinking, and also the quality and affordability of the health care system in your country. But why waste money making yourself sick, impairing your quality of life and shortening your lifespan just by eating the wrong and often over-priced foods.

In almost any meal you can think of, the most expensive thing on the plate is likely to be the meat, fish or poultry. And yet vegetarians and vegans have shown us time and again that its possible to eat healthily without consuming animal products.

This book isnt about becoming a vegetarian or vegan but theres a lot to be learnt from people who live in poverty and from those who choose to eat only a small amount of food derived from animals. And youll save a lot of money every month in the process.

Pantry staples

Obviously, to make a wide variety of dishes cheaply, you need to have a reasonably stocked pantry of staples so you dont need to keep running to the supermarket to buy extra ingredients. Back in the old days people understood this and always had things on hand or made do without. The whole idea is to keep the things you need frequently and that dont go off quickly so theyre always there waiting to be used and to save you tons of money.

Please see our article on stocking the pantry:

Simple Food Stocking the pantry

which gives you a great basic list of things to keep on hand and then you just adapt it to your needs as you go along.

And the great thing is that theres no exact recipe for any of these dishes. You really just throw in whatever you have.

All the recipes are designed for TWO people so just factor the ingredients up or down to suit your requirements. Weve included 21 great recipes from around the world that will really get you cooking and saving you money on every meal.

Good luck and enjoy!

Olivia Richardson

INDEX

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