Friday, July 29, 2011
Affordability
Twice in the past week I've been confronted with the comment that it's too expensive to eat healthy. I'd like to get some feedback on this from my readers. My suspicion is that those who think they cannot afford to eat healthy are comparing the lowest of low (fast food) to the highest of high (specialty organic foods) and not looking at the middle way - good, healthy beans, brown rice, frozen vegetables, and the like. I think it's much like a friend of mine who, many years ago commented that only the wealthy could afford to stay thin, which really puzzled me at first. And then I realized she was thinking that the then-popular "Beverly Hills Diet" was the only way to lose weight!
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4 comments:
I'm rather surprised at how much I can get at Whole Foods for less $ than I generally expect to pay, even to the extent that the check-out guy commented that I really know how to shop the store. Now, I know that not everyone has a Whole Foods they can shop at, but I use this as an example of what people perceive as the most expensive grocery store, hence their nickname: Whole Paycheck.
It's buying a bag of plain rice (and it doesn't have to be organic), not a box of Zatarains gumbo rice mix. It's buying real apples or whatever fruit is featured at the grocery store that week (heck, bananas are always super cheap), not Juicy Juice *now with real juice*
Since switching to grocery shopping once a month + buying the best that I can on a non-profit employee's salary, I'm actually spending less/ month on groceries. It's just a matter of really examining what you are buying, paying attention to store sales (I stock up if something we consume regularly is on sale) + being able to mainly cook from scratch.
My biggest splurge is really good $14/ lb coffee (which lasts me 2 months), but I drink one cup a day + savor it's flavor.
Another great post that got me roused up!
Shona, thanks for the insight and the tips. All it takes is a little education and planning to eat healthier and less expensively.
I think it has to do with the definition of healthy food. Organic is almost always more expensive, but not so much if you shop the seasonal produce. Also, if you make meats a side dish and vegetables and grains the main features, you really can't spend that much.
I suspect people use this an excuse to eat processed foods. Maybe someone (like you or me or one of your other readers) might want to do a little experiment to prove a point.
By the way, the spending freeze is going so well. I hardly notice I'm on it!
Happy weekend to you!
Adrienne
Adrienne, excellent idea about the experiment. Maybe for a future challenge. :)
Glad your spending freeze is going well. I find that as long as I avoid advertising and stores, I really don't need anything so don't feel deprived either.
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