"Eating healthy is too expensive"

I run into this phrase everyday when talking to people about diet and exercise. A quick walk through the grocery store and immediately, "I can't afford that... brand, type or selection of food."

I've actually discovered this through my own personal process of changing my lifestyle and trying to make my best friend, my body, happy and healthy. It is more expensive to buy fresh fruits, vegetables and lean meats vs.hot dogs, ramen soup, chips and soda. This is true. What I did learn during the switch over is that "sweet is the first taste humans prefer from birth" according to Christine Gerbstadt M.D. RD, a dietitian and spokeswoman for The American Dietetic Association. The taste of sweet releases those feel good endorphin's that calm and relax us giving us that natural "high" and when we crash, we crave more.

On the simplest level our bodies get thirsty, hungry and tired. We require things like carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins & minerals, sleep and water to live & function.Our bodies do not crave soda when we are thirsty, we are conditioned but mostly crave the sugar in the soda. When our body does not get what is required the hunger, or cravings don't stop. The body say's "Hey, we need energy  to keep running or build muscle to take the load we are carrying or energy to fire those brain receptors to pass that big exam." We eat some chips that don't satisfy the muscle building demand our body is looking for. "NEXT" our digestive system says, and we eat more until it get's what it needs. Our brains just interpret "I'm hungry".  We never ask ourselves "what kind of hungry am I?" Next time look at the item you are consuming, wonder what purpose is serves. A soda. Am I thirsty, craving sweets or both? Try a glass of water and a piece of fruit.

Filling your grocery cart with unbalanced, empty  foods leads to unbalanced bodies. The more your body does not get what it is looking for the more it will be hungry, the more we buy, the more we eat. A plate that contains carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals will satisfy the average persons daily requirements. If your're still hungry after you eat, try looking at how much refined sugar you may be consuming. Sugar is HUGELY addictive. So not only are you not getting what your body needs but trying to satisfy an addiction too. See the vicious circle?

Bottom line:
When we eat a balance of nutrients, our bodies get what it requires to function. We eat A LOT less and  have more energy. Having more energy makes us feel better physically, mentally and emotionally fending off boredom eating, weight gain and depression.

FYI

• A $3.99 whole roasted chicken yields more sandwiches than a pound of $7.99 processed deli meat.
• A $2.49 pound of apples offers more energy, fiber and longer satisfaction than a $4.29 bag of chips.
• Water hydrates the body, smooths the skin, softens muscle fibers, carries nutrients, etc.
• Sugar is an inflammatory. 
• Everyday we find out new information on the damage processed foods, additives and artificial ingredients do to our bodies. Headaches, digestive problems, heartburn, high blood pressure, constipation, depression, hormone imbalances, etc. Add up not only how much you spend on large quantities of cheap foods and doctor visits but over the counter medications to treat things caused by cheap, unhealthy foods.

It really isn't worth saving .50 cents on an cup of yogurt that contains added sugars and processed ingredients that make you crave more and be tired. Technically all the fillers that go into most inexpensive food makes is more expensive per ounce when you remove the fillers. Most cheap foods contain cheap ingredients that get marked up to just below the healthy alternative making it look like a better deal while reaping HUGE profits then pouring those profits into more advertising. UGH!!! The healthy food industry is catching on with GMO's yielding more apples and fatter chickens. Read labels.

We are becoming more aware that just because you can upgrade to a 64oz. soda for .10 more it's not worth the extra 150 calories. More & bigger is not always better. What goes IN your body is far more important that anything you can put ON your body. Is it possible that the garbage we are eating along with marketing is fueling our "anit-aging" obsessed generation? Everything on the inside manifests on the outside eventually.

We may apparently get less food for our money buying healthy food but we eat less, are satisfied, have more energy,  are happier and make much fewer trips through the pharmacy department in the end. So eating real & healthy food is cheaper.