Eating
Healthy On A Budget
With all the recent talk about Medicare not being
around in the future it is becoming imperative that those age 50 and under
start taking better care of themselves.
This can be a challenge on many fronts, but two that come to mind are
exercise and diet. Exercising becomes
difficult for most because of the lack of will power and determination. It has been many times I have attempted to
get up in the morning to exercise only to roll back over and go back to
sleep. Another enemy of exercising is
time. With the busy world we live in it
is becoming more impossible to go to the gym or run around a track.
Now food is a different story all together because
majority of people can control what they put in their mouths. Instead of me eating that piece of pork bacon
I could choose turkey bacon or instead of that 200 calorie frappucino that I
love I could have a nice glass of calorie free water. People who try to eat healthy often do find
themselves fighting an uphill battle thanks to the inexpensive food and quick
service at fast food restaurants. I can
get a cheeseburger and 32oz Sweet Tea for $2 in less than a minute! Unfortunately sticking to this kind of diet will
have me at a hospital in the future fighting for my life. On the other hand it is a perception out
there that eating healthy can be expensive.
So how do you eat healthy on a budget? James
Davis, a reader of the blog recently shared with me a link to a blog about
eating healthy on a budget and it gave different foods to eat that are nutritious
and not expensive. The article pointed out that the best buys were bananas,
watermelons, broccoli, romaine lettuce, turkey and tuna. It also pointed to eggs, but I would leave
those out since eggs lead to high cholesterol.
There are other tips that will help you to eat healthier
food. One option is to buy local at
farmer markets where the food is fresh and always cheaper than the store. Buying local helps you give back to your
community as well. Another option is to
buy produce in season because this is when the food is at its lowest cost. You find yourself paying higher prices when
you crave strawberries, etc out of season.
Think about growing some of your own food in your yard if you have one. A garden is a great stress reliever or even a
fun project for the kids to help with.
Last, but not least have a meal plan when you go to the grocery store
because if you are able to save on other items you have the option to buy even
more nutritious items for your home! Let
me know how you save on the food that keeps you healthy. Now I must get back to my spaghetti made with
whole grain noodles, ground turkey, and turkey sausage!