How walnuts can be a smart purchase decision when cost of living bites.
Life is expensive right now: we’re all feeling it. And while pretty much no good or service has escaped a price rise in the last few years, when our groceries get more expensive, we really notice. Food isn’t really an optional extra…
So when money’s getting tight, expensive grocery items are, of course, the first to go. And, let’s be honest: all nuts are expensive, and our premium walnuts are more expensive again. We get it.
But we do think the value in those little nuts are worth the cost, so we’ve put together a list of the reasons why, in a cost-of-living crisis, you should still consider buying premium Tasmanian walnuts from the producer:
- Walnuts punch above their weight when it comes to nutritional value. If you’re considering different snack items, sure, crackers or chips compare pretty well in terms of unit cost (they are, after all, as cheap as chips). But they offer very little in the way of actual nutrition. When you eat walnuts, you are fuelling your body with omega-3 fats (‘good fats’), plant protein, fibre, magnesium, potassium, folate and antioxidants.
- Walnuts help you feel full. The protein, good fats and fibre in walnuts give you a feeling of fullness, but even more than that, studies have shown that eating walnuts may activate an area of the brain associated with appetite. So, snack on some walnuts to keep the hunger at bay and get maximum bang for buck.
- Advice from dieticians consistently shows that most of us eat more meat than we need. And meat is one of the most expensive items in our shopping trolley! So, it makes sense for both health and financial reasons to replace some meat-based meals with meat-free meals (we love the concept of ‘meat-free Mondays’). Walnuts are an ideal addition to a veggie meal to ensure it fills you up and you get a nice serve of plant-based protein. Plus, you get all the other nutritional benefits of walnuts too.
- Walnuts seem expensive compared to snack foods, but not so much when compared to nutritional supplements. While protein supplements vary in price, on average walnut flour is about the same price per gram of protein and it contains fewer additives (in fact, none!) and additional nutrients.
- Great nutrition = better immunity = better health. Better health means fewer sick days, and less spending on medication and trips to the doctor. If it sounds like a long bow, it’s actually not. There is so much research demonstrating the clear links between diet and tangible health outcomes, and walnuts in particular have been well studied in terms of their positive effects on preventing and improving many health conditions.
And lastly, a few comments on the power of choosing where your hard-earned dollars go.
The benefits of buying local, ethical products are hard to quantify and they relate to the whole community, rather than individuals. But by being intentional about where you spend your money you get to genuinely influence things that are important to you.
For example, by checking where your purchases originate, you have the power to decide if that money stays local, or goes overseas. You may even be able to keep it in your community.
You also get to decide what business practices you want to support, whether that’s sustainable agriculture, waste reduction/recycling, social inclusion or charitable support. In this way, an individual’s impact goes a lot further than just their own personal actions.
It’s food for thought.
