Posted 15 months ago
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If you’re like me, then the merest glance southwards is sufficient to confirm that there are one or two (or ten) kilograms that could use shedding with a diet. With the weather warming up, the “winter coat” excuse is starting to lose its sheen. Meanwhile, the impending call of the beach adds urgency to the feeling we could do worse than trim a smidge off the waistline.
The bad news is that the holiday period is nigh. Whether you’re feasting on mince pies and fruit cake, noshing on jam doughnuts and latkes, or just generally downing heart-warming quantities of happy juice, the likelihood is that the next month or so is unlikely to be a period of gastronomic austerity.
The good news is that the culinary chaos of the festive season steps aside to allow a new year to take centre stage. With it enter the all-important resolutions. It may or may not come as a surprise to find that last year a whopping 29% of people in Australia nominated losing weight as their goal for the next lap of the sun. While we may be somewhat united in our desire for a healthier lifestyle, there is far sparser agreement on how to get there. Every month seems to bring a new fad diet that promises the answer to our prayers. We’re not dietitians, so it’s not for us to pontificate on the benefits or otherwise of any specific regimen. However, we do know a thing or three about money, which is why we thought we’d look at the financial impact of each diet to ascertain which will trim your figure, but not your wallet. Let’s take a look, shall we?
Vegan
You don’t have to stage a protest and stop peak hour traffic in the CBD to reap the benefits of a fully plant-based diet. The advantages to health, the environment and animal welfare are incredibly well documented, but how does veganism stack up on the bottom line? Well, it turns out that the answer is not quite as clear cut. If you are conscientious in the kitchen, you may find that this option is dirt cheap. Staples such as rice, beans, potatoes, lentils and many seasonal fruit and vegetables are among the cheapest items on your supermarket shelves. Conversely, if you sustain yourself on plant-based meat and dairy substitutes and packaged vegan junk food, you will find your bank balance rapidly dwindling.
Conclusion: Eat smart and going vegan can be arguably the cheapest way to eat. Take too many shortcuts, and your diet and budget will fly out the window.
Keto
A relative newcomer to the coterie of dietary trends, the Ketogenic way of eating is even less likely to leave you financially better off than it is to contribute to your health and wellbeing. The list of high-fat and/or low-carb recommended foods that includes avocado, shellfish, yoghurt, cheese, meat, nuts, seeds, berries is a who’s who of the most expensive items in the store. If you’ve seen the price of a punnet of raspberries or a microscopic tub of cottage cheese lately, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Given the price tag, many Keto enthusiasts end up defaulting to a predominantly meat-based regime. With meat at all-time high prices due to the drought and other factors, this is scarce relief from the financial impact.
Conclusion: Add bankruptcy to the list of side-effects that includes constipation, bad-breath, nutrient deficiency and clogged arteries, and there’s not much going for this one.
Intermittent Fasting
Fasting is recognised as being a perfectly healthy, simple and effective way to control weight. It doesn’t take an advanced mathematics degree to calculate that eliminating or drastically reducing the size of some meals from your schedule is going to save you money. Add in the fact that many proponents of fasting recommend it in conjunction with a Mediterranean diet based primarily on affordable foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes, and you’ve got yourself a great way of maintaining a healthy diet and budget.
Conclusion: With a bit of discipline to avoid post-fast pig-outs, this one has plenty going for it as a cheaper way to eat.
Atkins
The Atkins diet has seen a slump in popularity with the emergence of the Keto craze. Both are low carb regimes; however, Atkins is a staged program in which you gradually increase your carb intake. For that reason, Atkins has a slight edge over Keto on your personal balance sheet as it allows you to include more low-cost staples over time.
Conclusion: Whether it works or not, Atkins is probably less costly than Keto, but will likely set you back more than other options.
Nordic Diet
Jump in your Volvo, whack on a bit of ABBA and head down to Ikea because the Nordic Diet is coming to town. If this diet was displayed at everyone’s favourite oversized furniture store, it’s funky Swedish product name would probably be “Medelhavs” (Google it…), as it’s pretty much the Mediterranean diet for people who like snow. The same emphasis on plants, whole grains, legumes and healthy oils make it as beloved by dietitians as it will be by your accountant.
Conclusion: You don’t have to be blond, blue-eyed and into cross-country skiing to enjoy the health and fiscal benefits of the Nordic way of eating.
There you have it! Hopefully, this has helped you narrow down your options as you ponder which route to take come January. Of course, none of this will be much help if you overdo it on the holidays to such an extent that you blow all your cash! If that sounds like something the Magic 8-Ball may have in store for your future, at least you know that Speckle is here for you. With small cash loans that can be in your account within 48 hours but with half the fees of other financial products, we can help keep your pantry well-stocked, no matter what your diet!