I have many a day encountered questions (mainly from family members) about the cost of eating healthy. Most people know I am a stay at home mom and that my husband is the only income that we have. I have always been honest that we do receive food stamps, but it is definitely not enough to last a family of five for a full month.
I have always been a big proponent for couponing and spending this money responsibly. I do not believe in spending this money on candy, soda, or energy drinks (even when I did still drink or eat these things, I refused to use my card for those items). While I do not work now, I have and believe that many people work very hard to contribute to these taxes that help provide this money to help out our family. We are thankful for every dollar.
That being said, and being honest about it with everyone, people often ask how in the world I afford "organic" or "paleo" or "gluten free" items. I've talked about this in one of my recent videos called, "Who Says You Can't Eat Healthy on a Budget!?" Here's the revelation that I had this afternoon while trying to buy paleo.
Paleo Eating Is Only As Expensive as YOU Make It!!!
Here's the issues. As some of you might know (I guess I just assume you guys know everything.) our house was destroyed by a tornado and we have been home hoping and couch surfing for a while. It was fine until we had to move into a hotel that had no fridge and no microwave. I had to throw away almost a weeks worth of food. (Yes, I cried.)
Thankfully, we've since moved (again...Good grief I never want to move again!) and this hotel has a fridge that is so cold it freezes everything, and a small microwave. I felt human again getting to go to the store and buy food! I am to the point I HATE fast food. I get nauscious and a headache just thinking about it. Our Kroger has plenty of gluten free options, including in the freezer section. But, this is where I found my point. Frozen, gluten free, convenience food is terribly expensive. Now, I see why people think eating healthy is expensive. One thing I have learned over the years is that you pay (out the nose) for convenience. Even the prices of block cheese to shredded cheese is amazing for the same amount of cheese.
So with limited resources but desperately needing to get back to paleo (more like running, screaming, and flailing into the wonderful arms of paleo) I bit the bullet and bought these foods. We had already bought things for breakfast and fruit that didn't need refrigerated. I spent way too much money. This was a bit ridiculous. If I were able to cook properly, and had my beautiful kitchen (I will hug my kitchen when I get it there.) then I would be buying very little "processed" food. In all honesty, even if it is gluten (and dairy free for Mark) but is frozen or pre-made, it is still processed food. I am by no means a hardcore paleo, but the purpose of seeking a paleo lifestyle is to get away from the pre-prepared foods.
Is it hard? You bet! I'm about to have to figure out how to feed three kiddos at school paleo (including one kiddo that is super picky and wasn't raised on healthy food). But, that will be for another post.
Paleo is really easy if you take the time (and time management skills) to cook. Cook fresh vegetables that are in season (more abundant, therefore cheaper). Pick and choose which meats you are more likely to need organic. We eat more chicken than anything so I often try to buy it organic. We have developed a taste for better quality ground beef, so I buy Simple Truth All Natural or Organic Grass Fed. Look for great sales! I know some people may not be able to handle it, but Kroger does some great clearance on meat from time to time, including organic meats. If you have a freezer, stock up! I'm hoping in the future to have our own garden and learn more about canning to preserve fresh vegetables.
Another great value that Paleo tries to instill in people is to make relationships with local growers. When you build these relationships, you are more easily (and cheaply) able to obtain great products fresh from the farm. Even my kiddos love going to the farmer's market and learning about how they grow their products. I can't wait to get home so I can get out the local market and purchase some real fresh local grass fed organic meat.
So to conclude this long conversation about food (we're all hungry now right?), I want to tell you guys that this hasn't been the easiest journey. The best things to do are plan ahead, budget, and to make relationships with local growers. Paleo does not have to be outrageous if you avoid the prepared foods as much as possible. Take the time, use your time management skills and stick to the real stuff.
Sending you guys lots of love!
There have been a lot of tornadoes lately, and I'm sending extra love, peace, and hopefully a little hope that it'll get better. We're with you and love you. Stay positive and dream big! This is a clean slate.
No comments:
Post a Comment