It's Too Expensive to Eat Healthy!?

THAAAT’s why we’re an obese nation. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the amount of food we eat… nothing. Don’t get me started on expensive produce and school lunches unless you want an ear-full. Yes, it can be more expensive to eat healthier, and its not fair, get over it and make it work. I can’t afford a brand new car, so cry about it.

Get ready, it’s a long one…

I’ve had all kinds of clients and patients; senators, doctors, lawyers, housekeepers, retirees on fixed income, wealthy retirees, single mothers, welfare recipients, commodity recipients, wealthy with a personal chef, and middle class soccer moms alike, we all need help eating better. Eating “healthy” is not dependant on social class. Every person needs more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, antioxidants, less saturated fat, less salt, less simple sugars and most definitely less calories (3rd world countries excluded from that last one). Like anything else, it may be easier for some, but absolutely not impossible for most.

My family is blessed. Even our hardest of economical times pales in comparison to what some have and are currently struggling with. I won’t pretend that we’re scraping bottom, because we’re not. BUT, we are on a ridiculous budget for the new-year to keep it that way. For many, putting your wife on a budget means cutting off the shoe fund, well, in the Dietitian’s home, it’s cutting off the food fund – grrrr. There are a couple of things I do to be sure that I’m within, and well below (because I’m an OCD over-achiever) the allotted food budget (understatement of the century BTW – how bout’ we nix ALL Starbucks budgets and see how THAT flies… I digress…).

Lets start with commodity and bulk items. Believe it or not, Twinkies, Little Debbies, Hostess Cakes and sodas are not essential food groups, yet they wind up on the most financially challenged menus. Rice, beans and a dozen eggs are all cheaper and healthier options. Water, in most of this nation, is clean, environmentally friendly when out of the tap and last time I checked, calorie free, affordable and (provided you can pay your water bill) it’s versatile too!

Peanut butter, a commodity food, imagine that. Peanut butter! A good fat. A great source of protein. Jelly’s help-mate in every way. Boring over time, yes, (well, not in our house hold) but perfectly nutritious for any snack, meal, garnish, cooking oil, or fat leavening. Use it, use it, use it and get creative. Natural peanut butter is probably not on the government’s give-away list, but most peanut butters still have redeemable qualities. Tis’ better to have PB and J every day of the week than a Happy-Meal any day of the week. And who says dinner has to be hot? Well, then throw it in the microwave. Ta dah!

Ingredient shop, don’t brand shop. Just because they’ve sprinkled oats on top, dyed it brown, called it whole grain and charged you an extra buck-50 does not mean it’s the better option. Many cheaper breads are considered excellent sources of whole grain. You’re looking for words like whole wheat, whole grain, rolled oats, oat flour vs. bleached, and enriched in the first 3-5 ingredients.

Feel free to buy store-brand, look for 2-for-1 deals, lowest price shop and/or find coupons on foods like unsalted nuts and/or natural peanut butter, 100% juices (if you MUST have juice), dried beans, frozen vegetables (just the vegetables- no “sauce mixes”), frozen fruit, canned tuna, low fat milk, toasted oats and other whole grain cereals, oatmeal, and lean meats (freeze).

Some brands I can’t find equivalents to, so, when it’s a great sale or a 2-for-1 deal, I buy it, whether we’re low or not. Such items include Kashi peanut peanut Bars, Barilla whole-wheat pasta, and Bertoli natural pasta sauce (I like the simple ingredients, tomato, herbs, sugar, olive oil) – to name a few.

Look at the price per unit or ounce instead of the over-all or ticketed price. This is shocking with cheese – it may require some additional grating on your part, if you can handle it ;), but it’s usually cheaper to buy a block of low fat cheese vs. a bag of the pre-shredded stuff. And, sometimes buying the largest size is not always the cheapest, compare, compare, compare.

Buy the ground beef that’s on sale and rinse it after browning for less saturated fat. Yes, this is true - it removes most of the fat. You can’t just drain, literally rinse the meat after you’ve browned it.

Find items you’re willing to sacrifice on quality for price, especially if it’s the end of the month and your budget is getting close (or if you’re simply trying to prove a point by staying WAY below the budget – me? No! ;) ). Such items include… dish soap, window cleaner and other house-hold cleaners, plastic baggies, trash bags, diapers (questionable) etc.

Go without everything but the essentials – we call it the “beans and rice” budget in our household for a reason. Because if it comes down to it, you know we’ve covered all nutrients with rice, beans/lentils, and value sized mixed veggies… watch me. You will thin the waste-line and the pocket book by simply simplifying! What do you already have in your freezer or pantry that can hold you over just one more week? Get creative.

Fast food is not part of a healthy diet, so don’t worry that the healthiest things on the menu are the most expensive, get an 89 cent burger and eat less fast food. 4 words… peanut butter and jelly.

This is obviously not an exhaustive list – I haven’t even TOUCHED on baby food - there are many more clever, money saving mammas out there – feel free to email me your tips and I’ll share my favorites here!

Happy spending… or not.

Control-Alt-Delete

It’s that time again – NEW YEAR CLEANING!! A control-alt-delete for the home if you will. The first week of January is the time when our family purges the house of the processed, sugary, fatty (oh so yummy) edible (debatable) junk that’s accumulated since Halloween. Search it out, cupboards, fridge, pantry, random candy bowls that look oh so festive with green and red M & M’s. Wasteful, yes. Necessary, absolutely! Your home, your work and for some perhaps your car, are where you spend the majority of your time. That time needs to be free of the munchies that add extra, empty calories to your day, fat to your mid-section and drive you CRAZY simply by being there. These are also the things that sabotage your efforts to eat better and for some, lose weight. If you were an alcoholic, would you keep booze in the house to drink-it in moderation? NO, because your track-record with booze is about like mine with chocolate chip cookies. There are some things we simply don’t eat in moderation! You can only ignore them for so long. The first bad day, busy week, emotional break down, hormonal moment, sleep-less night, “special occasion” and for many “cheat day,” weekend or “reward”, will cause you to go straight for them, over-eat them and then beat yourself up about it. If the junk is not there, you won’t eat it – funny how that works.

Now, there is the periodic “date night” which, as the home-body mother of a two year old and a 9 month old, typically consists of putting the boys to bed, throwing in a movie without loud, obnoxious cartoon characters or puppets bossing me around, while making and eating way too many chocolate chip cookies – or, who am I kidding, the dough! Hey, judge not, lest ye be judged! BUT, the remainder of the dough goes bye-bye that night or next morning! Or cooked and given to a neighbor or sick friend or whatever. NOT kept in the house. Don’t freeze it or hide it or tell yourself you won’t eat it or you’ll “eat it in moderation” – it won’t happen. Its not about lack of will-power or failure, its about knowing and accepting yourself and your limitations. I know that if there is chocolate chip cookie dough in the house, I will eat it. If its not there, I may resort to other stress relievers with long-term benefits like, reading my bible, meditation or praying, exercise or taking a walk, talking it out with someone (9 month olds are great listeners), or simply going to bed to name a few calorie, chemical, and sugar/bad-fat-free options. This may not be an issue for you – Awesome! I’m not talking to you. ;)