Have we talked about the expense of eating clean

R

Rebecca11

Cathlete
Yup I just went to the grocery store, I spent somewhere in the ballpark of 130 bucks for three people. I calculated 45 of that was fresh fruits and veggies, $10 alone in raw nuts, almond and soy. I buy all free range so that adds another 10-15 dollars in total to those food items, it's truly insane. I started really thinking about this when the isopure dicussions came up and I saw the cost, it's getting a little scary. I have a friend that just brought up the point that it's cheaper to get a burger deal at MickyD's than one of their salads? Ah well at least they are offering salads, I suppose:-(
 
I know what you mean. Yesterday my cousin and I went to a store called "The Mustard Seed" - GREAT PLACE! The entire store is organics. I spent $126!!! Like you said, about $45 was for produce. It makes my toes curl when they tell me my final cost but I have to believe that eventually, these costs will go down. I think that when word gets out on how beneficial it is to eat unprocessed, no hormone foods, more people will start buying it and in turn the costs will go down. I hope at least. I'm not planning on going back to the "other" foods because quite frankly, my body can tell a difference. Its just a shame that it costs so much for farmers to market their good products, that should be illegal. It should cost them the same amount of $$ to put their stuff in the grocery stores. I hate the FDA.
Debbie in OH
 
I agree with you both. It's crazy how much a person can spend! I always wonder what people with many children (I have only one) do when they want to make good choices.I get angry that it costs sooo much to remain healthy & teach healthy ways to our families and there's not enough incentive to do so (other than our own determination). Yet there are plenty of influences convincing us that we need to fill our bodies with garbage, that we can pay less to do so, and we never really need to get out of our cars! Then when we're sick and tired and slowly killing ourselves, no one calls us on it. We're given a pile of meds (which we may get assistance with financially, if we're lucky) and then we fill our time up with doctor visits instead of living life!

Anyhow, I also hope that someday the food industry will clean things up and people will begin to understand...it's really a lack of knowledge. In the meantime, I do my best for my family and sometimes it's enough & sometimes it's not. I can't always afford what I want, so I pick and choose the best I can...and no Isopure for me! Too expensive :)

Sorry to vent so, but thanks for being here!
Ginny

BTW, have you ever noticed that when you take a healthful meal to work, someone always has a comment?!?...and it's often something like, "ew, what is that? You eat that? What kind of vegetable is that?"
 
Yes clean eating is more expensive. But, you have to look at the broad picture. I share this with my members all the time. Yes...eating good has a lot of up front expense...but if you ate all the bad high fat foods that are cheaper. For instance the Little Debbie snacks, donuts that are $.30 each, or a meal at a fast food restuarant for $3.29 often...those are cheap yes. But, they are so high in fat that if you ate like that for a good period of time....you will adventually have higher medical costs due to cholesterol, blood pressure checks and or other problems. That doesn't count for the medication you will have to take for the rest of your life because you have to keep that blood pressure under control or all the other medications to take care of whatever problems you have due to bad eating. A lot of people think that eating bad is more affordable...yes it is for NOW...but in the long run you will spend much more on medical costs or medications because of that bad eating. So, eating good and clean from the get go is better for you health and over all cost. I'll take the higher grocery bill if it keeps me healthier and off of maintainance medications for the rest of my life.

Just my 2 cents.
 
I just wanted to add that I buy only good for you food ! I feed a family of 5 of us . All boys !! Except me. I spend $800-900 a month feeding all of us . If they want Ice cream ,little Debbies etc ... They have to buy it themselves !!!!!My 16 year old complains all the time that all thats in the fridge is fruit and veggies ,and he would love it if I went back to My old ways and got stuff Like Corn dogs and Tator tots !!! LOL I will not !!!
 
That is an EXCELLENT 2 cents and I couldn't agree with you more. This has truly become my passion since I've become a stay at home mom (former lawyer). But WE need to get that word out and educate people who don't see that. I think it's so crucial and directly ties into our economy - but unfortunately it's also a cultural and socioeconomic issue. Often the people who are most genetically prone to these health issues are the same people who don't have this realization OR the money to eat clean and healthy.

We know the food industry isn't going to change anything ("hey, let's jump on whatever food trend is most popular and mass produce foods to that trend with all of the additives, artificial crap, and calories that will give us the most money") so how can WE make an impact? Sorry for rambling - but as I said this really has become my passion.
 
I know what you mean. DH and i decided to try the body for life way a few years ago, we were making SEVERAL trips to the grocery store each week. Even though the foods are clean, he is still a man and his "salads" arent' anything like my salads. He eats them in a bowl the size of the serving bowl!!!!

Just a question, what do you all serve picky kids who like canned soup and noodles and that's about it???? There are days where my nine year old won't eat if there is no ramen noodle soup or mac and cheese. It is frustrating!!!! He only eats veggies if they are in a sauce like chinese stir fry. My daughter is the opposite, and i did raise them with pretty good diets (although, yes we are guilty of the occasional tater tots and hot dogs LOL)

Just an FYI about the Isopure... our Vitamin Shoppe (sp??) the chain vitamin store that is similar to GNC, has an occasional sale. If you have their card, which is free, you get 40% off of everything.
I got a big jar of Isopure there for like $24 or something like that.
I won't buy it full price!!!
 
It costs me $66 a week to eat clean. On top of that, I buy my DH's not clean food.

For me, it was a savings. That's 5 meals a day I'm eating for $66 a week, including Sat and Sun. I used to spend $30 a week, just on eating lunch out 5 days a week.

That's a $1.88 a meal now, compared to $6 a meal just eating lunch out.
 
jtlane made an excellent point about the long-term costs of healthy eating.

Also, making your own clean food is cheaper than eating out at a non-fast-food restaurant.

The closer you get to starting with natural products, the cheaper it is (but the more time it takes--which adds into daily activity and makes you healthier!). For example, dried beans are cheap. Canned beans are more expensive. Makiing your own seitan from gluten flour costs less than buying a boxed seitan mix, and both cost less than buying ready-to-eat seitan.

Junk food and fast food seems less expensive, but if you were to break down the foods by nutrient content, you're actually paying a lot for ingredients with very little, or absolutely no nutritional value (artificial color, artificial flavor, white flour, high fructose corn sweetener, many unpronounceable and unrecognizable chemical ingredients), that are often detrimental to your health.
 
I really struggle with the issue of how to get my child to eat well also. Face it, if a kid is hungry, they'll eat what you give them. The thing is though, I think food should be a pleasure as well as fuel, and when you have a child that is learning along with you, that needs to be handled carefully. I don't want my daughter to hate what she has to eat. I try to compromise by serving some things that I wouldn't necessarily eat, but that I don't feel are too bad for her overall.

We've also had plenty of conversations about respecting our bodies & treating them kindly and what that really means. I try not to get preachy, but to approach the matter in a loving way..."I don't want you to struggle with some of the same issues I've had/have." If she wants a snack, I let her choose what she wants. If it's lower quality food, I ask her to have 1/2 of what she was planning and add a fruit, etc. She's been very open to this & it's gotten her thinking.

I'm still a work in progress and as my family sees me try new things, they become more interested. I've also tweaked many of my old standbys (chili, etc) and then confessed to my additions/changes after they've indicated "yum". ;-)

Ginny
 
I have just started working out and I am trying to eat better. Could you tell me what eating clean is and give me an example of what you would eat in a day? Are there any good books out there that I could get to educate myself? :)
 
I know there are people on this board who are much stricter than I am but my definition of cleaning eating is faily straight forward :). Clean eating means opting for foods with fewer preservatives and unnatural sugars. The ingredients for clean eating are the basics: fruits, vegetables, protein, whole grains, water, and vitamins.

A basic day for us is something like;

Oatmeal topped with soy nuts and a banana for breakfast

snack- an apple and some almonds or soy nuts, or string cheese.

lunch- today-black bean burro on a ww tortilla and 1/2 of a tomato and some baby carrots.

snack-orange

Dinner-ww spaghetti with tomato sauce, tossed romaine salad

Water, water and yes more water :D I will also add I eat no red meat or chicken, turkey, fish on occasion, I started this not has a health issue more a moral but I reap both benefits!

Something like that, I do eat a small amount of processed/canned foods but I try to be smart and go low salt and preservative I also like my Dreamery ice cream and a glass of wine too :). I also try to buy all organic it can be hard sometimes that's why I love my garden :+
 
I think after you shop this way for awhile you will find ways to make lower cost menus. I am more of a shop the perimeter of the grocery store kind of person. There is always a way a person can eat healthy on a low budget. Try eggs, peanut butter, skim milk, whole chicken, tomatoes, water packed tuna, oatmeal, and water is really cheap. These are lower cost foods that can be incorporated without a lot of money. A lot of people look for convenience in their food preparation and I think this is where cost really comes into play. Also I think companies take advantage of health trends. Even if you pay more you may pay less in health costs. Just my opinion on this.
Diane Sue
 
You really have to shop around and be creative with your preparation to lower the cost of food. It took me a while but I think I've got it.
What a nice way to celebrate my one hundreth post!!! YAY!!!:)
I get so interested in reading what people have to say that I don't post very often.;)
 
I'm interested in cleaning up my family's eating habits. I know what items are considered clean, yet I'm lost about how to prepare them. Is there a web site I could visit for recipes? TIA Phyllis
 
pwmatt - try the Body For Life site at www.bodyforlife.com There is also a book called "Eating for Life" that has great recipes. The BFL concept is that you eat 6 meals a day. Each has a portion of protein, carb and you eat at least 2 veggies a day w/the meals. A portion is the size of your fist. I have found it a really easy way to eat clean without having to think a whole lot. Also, it only works if you workout. You workout 6 days a week alternating cardio and lower or upper body.

Here's my typical day of eating on bfl

M1 - protein shake or yogurt + cott cheese or light swiss cheese
M2 - oatmeal w/cottage cheese (or 2 eggs)
M3 - Small salad w/ham and veggies + 1/2 small tuna or ham sand (or leftovers from the night before)
M4 - EAS Myoplex Lite bar (choc choc chip is my favorite!)
M5 - Eating For Life (lean hamburger w/brown rice, green onions, garlic, cabbage, brocolli slaw) I am making and eating this for the family tonight!
M6 - Apple, light string swiss cheese

My friend won the BFL contest a few years ago eating almost identical to what is above. She also ate at least 1 serving of whole wheat bread a day.
 
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