Is It Possible To Eat Healthy On A Budget?
Is It Possible To Eat Healthy on a Budget? - by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)
With the value of a dollar going down, and gas prices going up, the ability to make healthy food choices is getting more and more costly. Now that we are spending more money at the pump, we have less to spend at the grocery store, and many are resorting to just buying the cheapest food they can get their hands on. The trouble with that is…The cheapest food is most likely also going to be the least healthy food. And this isn’t just about the money, or the food. It’s about your life, and the life of your family.
It’s not just speculation anymore, we now know that poor eating habits and obesity, are directly related to serious health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Even more troubling is the rate at witch our children are becoming obese, and developing adult medical conditions in childhood. But, what can we do? Is it possible to eat healthy on a budget?
The answer is…Yes. It’s not always easy, but it is possible. Here are some links to women who are blogging about eating healthy on a budget.
Student Mum has a post on How To Feed Your Family For Less…
Feeding a family is done best by a family. Involve even the youngest members of your family in all aspects. They will feel they are appreciated and valued, and they will be learning valuable life skills at the same time. The phrase, “A family who play together stay together,” can be related to cooking and eating. Cooking a meal together can be great fun and eating together, especially in the evening, allows us all a chance to share our day, our thoughts, our ideas or our plans.
This is from MommyK at The Great Walls of Baltimore…
When a friend of mine went to her doctor in early January for her yearly physical, he had bad news for her. Her blood sugar was up, her cholesterol was in the high range, and she had gained ten pounds in the past year. He told her she needs to lose weight or face serious health risks. Frightened by the prospect of diabetes and heart disease, she immediately overhauled the way she cooks and eats. Since then, she’s lost that ten pounds she gained last year and she feels better than she has in years. In fact, there’s only one downside to the new eating plan. Buying healthy food has taken a big chunk out of her grocery budget.
Stacy from Parent Traps also has a post on Feeding Your Family For Less…
Choose generic or store brands of healthy groceries, such as whole-grain cereal and frozen vegetables. Look high and low for them—the most costly options are shelved at eye level. Buy fresh produce in season. Try local farmers’ markets for fresher, less expensive options. Frozen vegetables are healthy and even more affordable than fresh produce, and you can get out-of-season vegetables less expensively.
Amanda from Mrs. W’s Kitchen has a post on Food Budget Issues…
Build menu plans based on what’s on sale at local grocery stores. Check those sale flyers! I find it’s useful to spend that $1.50 for the Sunday newspaper (we don’t purchase regular paper delivery) for the flyers and coupons. Most big-chain grocery stores also publish sale flyers online.
A must read (and also print out)…
Alanna Kellogg wrote one of my all time favorite BlogHer CE posts - Family Finance: How To Save Money On Groceries
She also did a follow-up post - How To Save Time and Money at the Grocery Store
Also See:
Mommy Points - High Price For Healthy Food
Nina Smith — How To Eat on a Shoestring
Menus4Moms — Frugal Meal Planning
So, the bottom line is. It’s not easy, and it will take a little extra work…But, you can eat healthy on a budget. Do you have any tips, stories, links, or recipes? I would love for you to share them with us in comments.
BlogHer Health & Wellness Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan at The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog
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