I'm no expert on this subject. Actually, just really trying to get started. But, that's why I'm writing this post, (it's gonna be a long one) in case you or anyone you know want to get started and don't know where to start.
Let me start with the healthy eating part.
About a year ago, some friends of ours began a healthy lifestyle/eating journey that was prompted by watching some eye opening documentaries on food. We watched them too. Scary stuff. Really, scary stuff.
Most of the food we consume in America today is processed to a point that it is almost not even food anymore. We are all busy, busy, busy. So, we buy food that is processed, prepackaged, frozen, powdered, and conveniently presented in individual portions. And, we buy this "food" because it is convenient to our busy lifestyle. Even those of us that stay at home to raise our families are busier than the generations before us. Who can imagine the life of your grandmother or great grandmother who likely got up before the sun and prepared breakfast from scratch and then went out to tend her garden or start the laundry (which was washed by hand), then lunch, dinner prep, and somewhere in there find time to do the dishes and clean the house and tend the kids and tend the livestock. She canned her own food. She made the soap they used. She sewed all their clothes. Some of us may have to reach back even a few more generations to find that kind of lifestyle, but you get the idea. Sounds unimaginable, right? Then think about us. We may not have the same list of daily tasks, but taking care of your family and home and then adding in a job, transporting kids to school, extra-curricular activities, grocery shopping, bill paying, and million other things is no easy feat. Who would have time to cook from scratch? And forget about trying to source real, whole, natural food easily. I mean, most of us don't have a farm out our back door.
Real, whole, natural food is expensive. An apple costs more than a candy bar. Food in its natural state costs more than food that is processed. It makes no sense. Fresh asparagus costs more than canned asparagus. Why?! I don't even like asparagus, but that is beside the point. There is a lot of information out there on why this is the case. I encourage you to research and make yourself educated on the subject.
When I go to the grocery store I look in other people's carts. No, I'm not a cart stalker. I just try to take notice of things. I see carts full of boxes of food. Plastic bags of food. Bottles and cans of high fructose corn syrup labeled as soda. I don't see much real food. I was guilty of this very practice of shopping for many years. I was too busy to prepare and cook real food. Most weeks you couldn't find any fresh food in our home. I'm ashamed. My kids grew up thinking frozen chicken strips with mac n cheese from a box was a good home cooked meal.
It's no wonder so many people are sick all the time. I don't remember seasonal illnesses being this bad when I was younger. Things like the flu, strep throat, and stomach bugs didn't seem to knock a whole town on their behinds the way they do now. I know lots of folks that get several bad sicknesses every year. Without fail. We have been blessed. We have had our share, trust me. But, we haven't had so many issues since we took the kids out of public school.
Back to our friends and their healthy eating journey. They began by juicing. They juiced fresh vegetables and fruit for two meals each day and had a vegan supper. They fed their bodies this way for many months. They lost weight. The husband was able to stop taking some of his prescription medications. Juicing is fabulous, but VERY expensive. After a while they slowed down on the juicing and were eating more meals, but still a mostly vegan diet. They have been flexible and eaten meals out and even went "off" their eating plan for a few weeks. But, they came back to it. Why? Because they feel better and they know it's better for their bodies.
We followed suit shortly after our friends began their journey. We bought a juicer and a whole mess of fresh veggies and fruit. We spent a ton of money. It lasted about a week. Juicing, while SO good for you, is a hassle, expensive, and messy. And, I was hungry. I needed something to chew. So we switched to a mostly vegan diet. We still used dairy products in our cooking. Mostly because as hard as we tried, we could not let go of cheese. We love cheese. We stayed on this "vegan" type lifestyle for approximately three months. My boys were begging for some meat. My mother complained about not having meat. I craved a hamburger nearly every day. The hubs was over the moon happy. He loved our meatless meals. Silly man.
I broke down and bought a package of hamburger meat for one of our meals one week. The boys whooped and high fived each other. I felt slightly bad that they had not had what their bodies were craving for so long. Don't get me wrong, I encourage anyone who wishes to go "meatless" to do it. I felt good and I knew I was healthier during this period. But, my body told me it wanted more than what I was giving it. I firmly believe that you can eat very healthily and still eat meat.
Okay, so you're not a vegan and don't want to be. But, you'd like to feed your family healthier food. Where do you start?
(1)Stop eating out. YIKES! I know. We do still eat out on occasion, but we try our best to stay away from fast food. If we eat in a restaurant, we try to choose they healthiest looking options on the menu. There are always exceptions, but we try to make this the rule.
(2)You MUST read labels! Learn what is in your food. If you cannot pronounce it or have never heard of it, you should probably stay away from it. Above reading labels, when buying produce, meat, and dairy, find out where it is produced and how it is handled. If your grocer can't answer your questions, that should make you leery of purchasing those items from them. It would me. Steer clear of anything that is treated with chemicals.
(3)Stay away from high fructose corn syrup. Period. I don't care what the commercials say. Do a little research. You will be shocked. The stuff is in everything. Even stuff that doesn't make sense.
(4)Stop buying food that comes in a box. If it is a processed or powdered version of a food that copies a from scratch dish, DON'T BUY IT! The more processed a food is, the more likely it is to be bad for your health.
(5) Don't be scared of fat. Natural fat. God gave us this food with the knowledge that we would consume it. He did not give us canola oil and margarine. He gave us cows, which give us milk.That rich milk produces butter (and many other glorious things). Without chemicals. Butter is actually okay to eat. The extra lean ground beef is tough and chewy. Buy the 80/20 instead. Without fat, meat is tough and dry.
(6)Buy more produce! Fresh food is always best. I know it's expensive. But, guess what? When you stop consuming so much sugar and salt in all that processed food, you're not going to be as hungry. Surprise! When your body gets the nutrients it needs, you don't feel the need to eat as much or snack all the time.
(7)Learn to cook from scratch. I was over 40 before I learned to make some simple sauces that eliminated the need for canned "cream of " soups in my recipes. But I learned. And, guess what? The food tastes better.
(8)Learn to bake bread. From scratch, not from a box. Do you know how many preservatives are in a loaf of bread? If you can't bake or you can't find the time, buy bread from a real bakery. Not from a grocery store or large supercenter. From a real, local, baker. The bread will be delicious and you will be supporting your community.
(9)Grow a garden. Seriously. If you don't already, you should. You can't beat nearly free food. Some seed, a little know how, and lots of elbow grease added with sunshine, dirt, and water and you will have a bountiful supply of vegetables and fruit that will keep you in fresh food for a good while. Plan well, and you may have enough to can and keep yourself in veggies and fruit year round without a single trip to the grocery store.
(10)Learn how to can. Canning food was a necessity for generations past. Even now, in some areas of the US, where fresh food is not readily available, people rely on canning to get them through the winter.
When you make the decision to start eating fresh, whole, natural foods, you will have to do a lot of research. Don't try to make a complete overhaul of your eating lifestyle right away. Take one small step at a time. It makes things a lot less overwhelming. But, DO the research! Research ALL of the food you consume. Meat, dairy, produce, sugar, wheat, etc. You should be looking for things that have had no or virtually no processing or refining. What you consume directly affects your health. Surely your health is high on your priority list. Find a farmers market and shop there. Get to know the vendors and don't be scared to ask questions about their farming practices. Since farmers markets are seasonal, you will need to source another place to purchase your food during the fall, winter, and early spring. Look up your local chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation and find a local farmer that might provide you with fresh produce, meat, milk, or eggs (or just get yourself some chickens). Outside of that, find a market that prides itself on providing organic, whole, and natural foods. One that doesn't mind sharing information with you, such as Whole Foods. But, just because a store like this carries an item, doesn't mean you should buy it. They still carry sodas, chips, and lots of packaged snacks. Are they better for you? Probably. But, these are things that you would consume very, very, very little of on a real, whole, natural food diet.
"How do you do all of this and stay on budget?", you ask. Sounds more difficult than it really is. I had scared myself away from shopping at a place like Whole Foods because it would be so much more expensive. I shopped for our groceries there just yesterday. I bought food for four dinners and several extras like some goat's milk soap and crusty bread and scones and.....probably a few other things that were not on my list. I spent $150. *GASP* Don't be shocked. I would have spent the same amount if I had bought the items at Walmart. I could have spent considerably less if I hadn't had the kids with me. Our normal grocery trip for 7 days worth of food is a minimum of $225. We feed 5 people and usually have quite a bit of leftover food. I'm trying to alter my cooking to end up with less leftovers unless planned.
Those figures may seem steep to you. That is what we are used to spending, and though we'd always like to spend less, we are okay working with that budget for now. Maybe you only have half that amount or even less to work with per week. You can still do it! I think the key to buying good, healthy food on a budget is to plan, plan, plan!
Here are some simple ways to help save money:
(1)ALWAYS have a menu plan for the week and stick to it. Plan every meal and plan for snacks.
(2)Check your receipts from recent grocery shopping trips. Have an idea of what you normally spend for the things you buy the most. Compare the prices of those items versus the whole/natural version you are trying to switch to. If the price difference is substantial, decide which items you are willing to spend more on and start there. Don't be discouraged if you can't switch everything else out at once.
(3)Comparison shop. Your local farmer may actually have much better pricing than your market or store. Or, maybe the opposite is true.
(4)Check the organic options at your regular grocery store. Most stores already do or are beginning to carry an organic line of some fruits, vegetables, meats, milk, etc.
(5)Check for sales and coupons from whatever store you choose to do your shopping with. The store's website should have sales posted and may have coupons to print directly from the website. There won't be many coupons for the types of food you will be shopping for, but there may be some.
(6)As mentioned above, plant a garden. No better way to save a TON of money on produce.
(7)Buy less meat. We are opting to eat a little less meat than normal. We may have "Meatless Monday", or simply prepare meals where meat is not the main focus. Meat as an ingredient in a casserole or other dish is a good way to reduce your consumption of meat. Meat is expensive whether it is organic/natural or not. Plan your meals carefully and purchase carefully. Don't buy more than is necessary, or buy much more than you need for the week. "Huh?!" A lot of stores discount the per pound price of meat in bulk packages. If you eat a lot of chicken, compare the per pound prices of the amount you need versus the large package that might give you enough chicken for 3 or 4 weeks. If the savings are good, buy the bulk pack, divide it up into separate packages for the appropriate number of meals and freeze the excess. No more buying chicken for the rest of the month.
(8)Don't "brand" shop. It doesn't matter what brand is on the package or label as long as the food is the healthiest version you can find. Often, the most recognized "brands" are owned by very large companies and may not have the best food handling/processing practices.
(9)Look for pre-bagged or packaged fruit and veggies sold at a per package price. Weigh your selection and purchase the heaviest one. Things like bags of oranges, apples, carrots, celery, lettuce, etc. are often priced as $$$ per bag, not per pound. If the item is a set price, by selecting the heaviest bag/package you can find, you could double the amount of produce you get without paying a single cent more!
(10)Cut out waste. Find ways to use everything up. Use leftover fruit (and maybe even veggie) scraps in smoothies. Don't throw away the empty butter wrapper. Use it to grease baking pans and casserole dishes. Use leftovers to your advantage and let them add to your family's next meal. If planned well, using leftovers could save quite a few dollars per week.
(11)Shop alone. I know quite a few people might disagree with me on this one, but this is the only way I can stick to a budget and my list. If I take the kids or even the hubs, I spend more. Every time. It may not be obvious while we are shopping, but it is painfully obvious at checkout. If they are not there, they cannot add things that they "have to have" to the cart and you don't come home with extras that you didn't plan for.
So, are you ready? If you are, I encourage you to scour the internet for good articles with sources for statistics, etc. given. Pinterest is a good place to start. If you have Netflix, watch Food, Inc. . You will learn a LOT about foods and how they are processed. By watching one food documentary on Netflix, tons of others will show up. Watch as many as you can handle. Try to digest as much information as you can, then do some research to try and back up what you watched. Make decisions about what changes you want to make in your eating lifestyle and then implement small changes. One step at a time.
If you have anything to add, I'd love to hear from you! I'd especially like to hear from anyone who may have shopping or money saving tips to add.
Blessings to you!
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