A healthy weight reducing diet does not have to ruin ones pocket.  Healthy food should be as natural and fresh as possible and therefore also not be expensive like highly processed foods.  A variety of high fiber, low Glycaemic, low fat foods should be eaten. Cheaper protein choices include legumes e.g. baked beans, lentils, chickpeas, and soya as well as eggs and diary products.  These can be used instead of expensive red meat choices.

Calories and kilojoules (kJ) are both used to measure energy.  In South Africa we use the term kilojoules and in countries like America they use the term calories.  1 Calorie = 4.2kJ.

Counting calories is not a bad thing to do if a person wants to loose weight, but should not prevent a person from following a healthy diet.  All food provides energy, but not all foods provide equal amounts of energy per gram.  1 gram of fat provides 38 kJ, whereas 1g of carbohydrates or 1g of protein provides only 17kJ.  Fat provides double the amount of kilojoules than carbohydrates and protein and therefore should be restricted when you want to loose weight.  Rather count the foods that contain a high percentage of fat, than counting calories alone.

The Glycaemic Index (GI) is a rating of foods, on a scale from 0 - 100, according to their actual effect on blood-glucose levels.
A low GI diet results in more even blood-glucose levels and does not cause a major insulin response.  There are a variety of books available with lists of the glycaemic index of carbohydrate foods.

Examples of low GI foods are:
Raw oat bran, brown rice, long grain rice, corn on the cob (green mealies), pasta (durum wheat/semolina), sweet potato, wheat rice/”Stampkoring”,  heavy dense bread e.g. seed loaf bread, Provita and popcorn.  Baked beans, butter beans, chick peas, haricot beans, kidney beans and lentils are also low GI foods.  Most vegetables are low GI except for carrots, green beans with potato, parsnips, turnips and yellow pumpkin. Most fruits are low or intermediate GI except watermelon. Apple juice and grapefruit juice are low GI juices.

Examples of high GI foods are:
Corn Flakes, instant oats, refined mealie meal, Jasmin rice, white rice especially  ”sticky” rice, mealie rice, 2 minute noodles, potatoes (mashed, boiled, baked, fried), most breads (white/brown), cream crackers, doughnuts, melba toast, Marie biscuits, pretzels, rice cakes, scones, snack bread, wafer biscuits, carrots, green beans with potato, parsnips, turnips, butternut, Hubbard squash, watermelon, dried fruit roll, boiled sweets, corn chips, jelly type sweets e.g. jelly beans and marshmallows, and sports drinks.

In conclusion: Rather than counting calories when dieting, check the fat content of the foods and eat low fat, low glycaemic foods.