Source: Radio One / Radio One
Time and time again you hear the excuse of cost being a reason to not eat healthier. This is grossly exaggerated. When you actually KNOW about nutrition, you will know this first hand. If you don’t know…here’s some help from Holly Haze.
“If you shop the periphery of a grocery store and stay away from the packaged food, junk and otherwise, you will be good to go.” The more something is taken from it’s natural state, the more unhealthy it gets. Any meal or sauce or mix that comes from a box is probably filled with chemicals and preservatives. She goes on to explain that the cost of a piece of fruit is under a dollar. A whole bunch of celery is under $2. This is a great opportunity to support your local farmers! Their produce (fruits, veggies, honey, syrups, jams, meats, cheeses, eggs) are all cheaper than the store and sooo much better and fresher.
Fast food menus are definitely cheap and obviously easier if you haven’t planned ahead, but again, don’t let lack of planning derail your health. Not only that, upsizing a regular combo meal at any given fast food chain(or as they call it, Supersizing) ADDS an additional 100 calories in a soda, 100 calories and 4 grams of fat for the fries, making the meal almost 1200 calories and almost 50 grams of fat. It is extremely discouraging and disgusting to see what is offered to children at these places. A Happy Meal has a meal with a 600 calorie soft drink and 20 grams of fat. Toddlers are eating these. Holly says she has an untouched Happy Meal that she used to use for health presentations that is now 12 years old and it is unchanged. It is so full of preservatives that mold won’t even eat it. (see photo)
Source: Holly Haze / Holly Haze
So sure it’s faster (thus the name) and easier (thus the name of convenience stores), but it is the unhealthiest choice you can make for you and/or your children.
If you really look at the basics and not the easy way out, your grocery cart and bill will look entirely different. The worst foods people buy are the most expensive. A fatty diet is more costly than a lean one (animal fat costs more than plants). Also, fun fact and good healthy tip: you cannot eat the QUANTITY of high-fiber, NUTRITIOUS foods you can when consuming calorie dense junk foods…you simply can’t or you would explode. Take rice or lentils for example. One bowl is roughly 17 grams of fiber. The more nutrient dense foods you eat, the less room you will have for garbage. It’s basic math for the scale and for the wallet.
Take away tip: Improve your diet and choices, and not only will you improve your health and quality of life, but you’ll save money on food.
