Healthy Eating
Eating Healthy on a Budget
We all know how easy it is to stop by a fast food restaurant on our way home from work or while running our kids back and forth to their sports – but we don’t really stop to think what that food is doing to our bodies and how much it really does cost to eat out rather than taking a detour to the grocery store and buy healthy meals and snacks. Most of us are trying to save money any way we can right now. As living on a budget becomes more important, it is helpful to look at how to stretch your food dollars and still eat a healthy diet. In these days of bank closures, foreclosures and greater than 10% unemployed, it is not easy to buy foods that are healthy for us. While eating healthier can cost more eating right will help keep us healthy.
It takes a little knowledge, time, and planning, but it is possible to enjoy healthy food on any budget. Overall, the more you focus on purchasing local, unprocessed food and preparing meals at home, the healthier it is and the more money you will save.
Foods that are listed as organic or have some healthy additive are usually priced two or more times higher than the same non-healthy items. University of Washington researchers found when they compared the prices of 370 foods sold at supermarkets in the Seattle area. Calorie for calorie, junk foods not only cost less than fruits and vegetables, but junk food prices also are less likely to rise as a result of inflation. The findings, reported in the May 25, 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, may help explain why the highest rates of obesity are seen among people in lower-income groups.
The paranoid in me wants to say that is the conspiracy – large quantities of cheap unhealthy food that debilitate us and make us sick so we can have expensive procedures in hospitals and buy massive amounts of drugs that don’t make us any better and sometimes sicker. There are many ways you can eat healthy and still not spend a lot of extra
We all know how easy it is to stop by a fast food restaurant on our way home from work or while running our kids back and forth to their sports – but we don’t really stop to think what that food is doing to our bodies and how much it really does cost to eat out rather than taking a detour to the grocery store and buy healthy meals and snacks. Most of us are trying to save money any way we can right now. As living on a budget becomes more important, it is helpful to look at how to stretch your food dollars and still eat a healthy diet. In these days of bank closures, foreclosures and greater than 10% unemployed, it is not easy to buy foods that are healthy for us. While eating healthier can cost more eating right will help keep us healthy.
It takes a little knowledge, time, and planning, but it is possible to enjoy healthy food on any budget. Overall, the more you focus on purchasing local, unprocessed food and preparing meals at home, the healthier it is and the more money you will save.
Foods that are listed as organic or have some healthy additive are usually priced two or more times higher than the same non-healthy items. University of Washington researchers found when they compared the prices of 370 foods sold at supermarkets in the Seattle area. Calorie for calorie, junk foods not only cost less than fruits and vegetables, but junk food prices also are less likely to rise as a result of inflation. The findings, reported in the May 25, 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, may help explain why the highest rates of obesity are seen among people in lower-income groups.
The paranoid in me wants to say that is the conspiracy – large quantities of cheap unhealthy food that debilitate us and make us sick so we can have expensive procedures in hospitals and buy massive amounts of drugs that don’t make us any better and sometimes sicker. There are many ways you can eat healthy and still not spend a lot of extra
References: Chatterjee, C. (1999). The Eyes Have It. Psychology Today, Mar/Apr 1999. Retrieved May 2010, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=pto-523.html&fromMod=popular_foodndiet Drewnowski, Adam, M.D. director of the center for public health nutrition at the University of Washington University of Washington, Retrieved May 2010 from http://www.wisebread.com/healthy-eating-itll-cost-you Herper, M. (2006). The Hidden Cost of Obesity. Forbes.com. Retrieved June 2010, from http://www.forbes.com/business/2006/07/19/obesity-fat-costs_cx_mh_0720obesity.html Hitti, M. (2008). Heart Disease Lurks in Obese Americans. WebMD Health News. Retrieved June 2010, from http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=89438 Katz, D.L. (2002). Diet in the Prevention and Control of Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Type II Diabetes. American College of Preventive Medicine Position Statement American College of Preventive Medicine. Retrieved May 2010, from http://www.acpm.org/2002-057(F).htm Reed, J. & Frazao, E. (2004). How Expensive Are Fruits and Vegetables Anyway? Retrieved May 2010, from http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/september04/Findings/FruitVeg.htm The Associated Press, Posted 7/14/2009 Retrieved May 2010, from http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2009-07-14-nutrition-food-costs_N.htm United States Department of Agriculture. Mypyramid.gov. Retrieved May 2010, from http://www.mypyramid.gov/ Willet, Walter M.D., Lifestyle theme by StudioPress, Retrieved June 2010, from http://www.fitnesstipsforlife.com/12-tips-for-healthier-eating.html