At the supermarket today I was in the fresh food section deciding what to buy. I love raspberries. They were $8 which is a bit expensive for me, so I didn’t buy any. I then went on and selected some peaches, expensive too at $6 a kilo but more reasonable. As I left the produce section I saw the pears, $2 a kilo. The bananas and apples were fairly cheap too. However I did not purchase any of them as I didn’t feel like them. As you can see by my quick shop, when we select food so much comes to play such as cost, taste and convenience.
As a trainer I’m often asking clients about what they are eating. Most clients eat well. If they eat out it is pretty much always something healthy. My clients can afford personal training so you have to assume they can afford good food too. But then I do know people who are tighter with their money and will eat tin food for the sake of reducing their grocery bill. I know this isn’t simply due to convenience but because having some tin beans is cheaper than cooking some extra chicken for lunch. But I question whether cheap food is really more expensive in the long run. What do you think?
I do believe cooking fresh foods at home can be cheap and is simple. It will always come down to priorities. You can sit and watch tv or you can chop up some vegetable to make into a stew or bake. Cooking a batch of food to last you a few days requires effort. I know I have the time to do something like that at night and I know almost every one of my clients has the time. I know all my friends and family has the time. In my small circle more have the time than not. To say you don’t have time should be saved for just a small exception of people.
The problem is that we don’t think long term. We live in the now and for a short term fix. You can eat your $2 meal at maccas but do you really know what that is costing you?
We all know obesity is on the rise. Being obese is expensive. An obese person has eaten to much. If you want to talk costs, try eating less and you’ll save yourself money. When you eat when you are not hungry, it is greed. I’m guilty of it too. We must have too much money if we are eating too much.
What about all the health care costs associated with being over weight? All the medication, time off work and seeing specialists for the lifestyle diseases you now have will add up. Do you know 4 of the top 5 causes of death are lifestyle related? We are dieing due to our poor food choices.
Personal training, plastic surgery, gym memberships, we are forking out all this money on such services to balance out our over eating. Liposuction in the US is the number one form of cosmetic surgery. Any form of surgery comes with a high price tag.
Perhaps when we buy a burger at McDonald on the menu there should be a pay now and a pay later price tag. The total cost isn’t reflected in what you pay in the moment but is the accumulative cost of all your decisions over a life time.
If we move away from money there are non financial costs too. Your quality of life diminishes. Sore joints and headaches day to day cannot be a nice way to live. You cannot live life to it’s fullest if you are tired or suffer from depression brought on from poor lifestyle choices.
The biggest benefit of eating well now is not only do you feel good in the present but you are increasing your chances at a better life in the future.
Healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive. Here are some simple tips:
- Eat in season. Buy the raspberries today and you’ll pay $8. But buy the pears which are in season, $2 a kg.
- Shop in the outside isles of the supermarket. You don’t need to walk down the health food isle. All the real healthy stuff is fresh. The health food isle is pricey. Buy a protein bar and it will cost you $5. For $5 I can buy a dozen eggs to last a week of snacking.
- Eat less. Majority of us just eat too much. We eat too much at meal times and we snack too much . Ask yourself is it a habit or is it natural hunger? If you are genuinely hungry then eat, but don’t get in the habit of eating just because.
- Think about your food choices and research. If I go to my local supermarket I will pay more for fruit and vegetables than if I go to the markets. My supermarket is expensive, I pay for the convenience. You can buy a packet of stir fry vegetables already cut up for $5 a bag. For that same cost I can cut up double the amount of vegetables doing it myself. Research the different proteins. There are cheaper cuts and type of protein like kangaroo, liver or brains. Research and be willing to learn.
Healthy eating without spending a lot is possible. It just requires some effort. I’m trying to improve my ways with small changes. I would love to hear what you are doing to improve your weekly spending yet stay healthy.
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