One of the biggest responses I hear when people want to know things about healthy eating is, "How much do you spend a month on food?" Or, "I'd like to eat healthier but it's too expensive." Well, I have a few thoughts on this I'd like to ramble about.
First, I could share how much we spend a month on food but I choose not to. At least not now, anyway. Because, to be honest, I'll bet we all spend around the same amount, give or take a little. No matter how you eat, food costs money. People are complaining about the cost of food nowadays with the economy being what it is and yes, I agree the cost of food has gone up to a degree. But we can control WHAT we buy, and who we choose to give our money to. There are things we buy that people would say, what?? And then other things I put my foot down and say, no, not doing it. So I simply say, if you think it costs too much, don't buy it. Don't complain about it, just don't buy it. I might spend 7 dollars for a bag of grapes and you'd think I was crazy. But you might spend that much for 2 boxes of crackers or 2 bags of chips and I'd say you were crazy too! So, much is in the eye of the beholder.
I think as Americans, we are used to things being cheap...we want cheap gas, food, clothing, the works. Many people in many other countries are not used to things being cheap. So, either buy what you want for what it costs and don't complain, or just choose not to buy it. Seriously, I and some others I know get a little ticked off by people talking about how expensive everything is. We all have a choice about what we spend our money on. We all can adapt our budgets a little to give room for some other things. OK, I'll get off my soapbox now.
So, as for food, here's my theory. FOOD is one of the most important, if not THE most important thing we buy. Why? Because we can do without a lot of stuff, like cable TV, getting our hair or nails done, cool electronics, new furniture or cars, or whatever. Even though that stuff is great, I love new clothes by the way and would spend lots of money on them if I had the money to spend, but we don't need them. FOOD, we do need. We NEED to take care of our bodies and food gives us the energy we need and sustains us. Remember back to elementary school where you talk about needs and wants? Food, water, shelter, and clothing (OH, there's my excuse for new clothes!) are our basic needs. So I choose to spend more money on food than other things because I choose to take care of my body in the way I think is best. My hope is that by feeding myself and my family well, we will be less worried about being sick now and later in life and can live an abundant life! What we eat affects our bodies and in turn, how we treat others and how we fulfill all that God has intended for us to be. I know when I eat junk (and I do on occasion), it affects my body entirely differently than when I eat the way God intended for us to eat. I then treat others differently when I don't feel well after I eat that stuff. I just feel yucky and don't have the energy to do what I need to do, whether it be clean the house, work to my full potential, play with my kids, etc...So maybe this is a totally new soapbox, I'm not sure! It's so much a part of how I think these days.
I'd love to have the time (maybe I will someday) to do an experiment and take a typical menu I make and buy the groceries. Then take a menu that uses a lot of pre-packaged food and buy the groceries. Then compare and see what happens. If you want to see what happened when someone else did it, read this article.
Eating the way I talk about does cost money. The ingredients I talked about before, and some other ones I haven't blogged about yet, are cheaper to make and have a longer shelf life than fresh foods which is why you might think they are more affordable. BUT, they are NOT good for you! If you're used to buying certain foods and you try to switch all at once, you will spend a crazy amount of money. But if you make slow, gradual changes like I've talked about, you won't feel it as much. Here are a few other ideas to try to save. But remember, I think food is the most important thing I buy! So think about how important it is to you? To your family?
Here are some tips that work for me:
1. Pre-plan your meals: When you go to the store, buy only what you need for the week or month or however you do your shopping. Take a list or else you'll just pull stuff off the shelves that sounds good.
2. Avoid processed food as much as possible: This stuff really adds up! Try homemade oatmeal (recipe below) or eggs for breakfast instead of expensive cereal.
3. Buy local: In season, local produce, is cheaper than shipped produce or out of season produce.
4. Pack lunch, make your own coffee, eat out minimally: This stuff really adds up to, eating out takes a whopping amount of your money. Add up what you spend in a month on all of it, you might be surprised? Treat yourself on occasion, but have a budget to do it.
5. If you have a freezer, stock up on things that are on sale or look into buying part of a cow from a local farmer (more in a later post). Freeze local produce when it's in season for the winter.
6. Drink water...juice, soda, tea, all that stuff adds up.
7. Avoid going to the "corner store" or gas station...those prices are much higher than a grocery store. Just a few items adds up quickly!
Here are 50 tips if you want more. Those are just a few I use.
Here's one more thought: everything in life has a cost to some degree. Not financial, but a different kind of cost. When we make choices, it costs us something. We move to a new town, take a new job, take a risk in a relationship, tell someone how we feel, etc...Sometimes the choices we make are worth the cost, sometimes, maybe not. Eating healthy adds a cost financially. To me, it's worth it. What about you?
Breakfast Porridge (taken from Sally Fallon...I'll post on her later)
1 cup steel cut oats (you can find these in bulk at most grocery stores, or in a can in your organic aisle)
2 TBSP. yoghurt, buttermilk or kefir
1 cup warm water
pinch of salt
1 cup of water
Mix yoghurt, buttermilk, or kefir in 1 cup warm water. Add oats and soak covered, 7-24 hours. Boil 1 cup water to a boil. Add oats mixture and simmer for 5-7 minutes. A quick, filling, and delicious breakfast! I add cream, butter, and a sweetener, usually rapadura or maple syrup. Choose what you want! YUMMY!
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