Medical Questions » Diet Questions » Question No. 268
| Question: | I am elderly, and have a great deal of trouble making ends meet financially. Could I use good guality dog or cat food sometimes to stretch the budget? |
| Answer: | Pet foods are not manufactured or processed to the same standards as food for human consumption, nor do they have the same nutritional balance. Many of the better pet foods cost as much or more than appropriate human foods. I cannot recommend that you use pet food, but if you are on the pension, you should be able to feed yourself properly with appropriate budgeting.
A social worker at your nearest government health centre or hospital should be able to help you with your budgeting and lifestyle. Some people tend to buy inappropriate food that is expensive because it is over packaged, convenient (eg. TV dinners, take-away foods), preprocessed (eg. frozen pizzas) or advertised frequently. Buying cheaper meats (eg. mince), fresh vegetables and less processed foods may help you to eat well but still keep within your budget.
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