"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.

The 30 day NO High Fructose Corn Syrup Challenge!

So we've seen all the advertisements on tv basically pleading the public to see that "sugar is sugar, you're body can't tell the difference" while studies are being done and revealed that sugar is NOT sugar. As of 2010 the corn industry has petitioned the FDA to change the term "High Fructose Corn Syrup" to "Corn Sugar", but if sugar is sugar, why? Marketing....

According to Dr. Michael Rosin Phd. stated:

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a sweetener that is found in many processed foods, can strongly affect your brain's satiety center---in a bad way.

Here's how it works: When you eat calories from healthy sources, they turn off you desire to eat by inhibiting production of NPY (a chemical that decreases metabolism and increases appetite), or by producing more CART (a chemical that increases metabolism and reduces appetite). But high-fructose corn syrup, which sweetens our soft drinks and salad dressings, isn't seen by your brain as a regular food.

Because your brain doesn't see any of the thousands of HFCS-containing foods as excess calories or as NPY supressants, your body wants you to keep eating (which means that even low-fat foods can have extremely bad consequences, calorie-and appetite-wise). Author of "You on a Diet"

So January 1, 2012 I eliminated high fructose corn syrup from my diet. I did not however eliminate sugar like honey, raw sugar and fruit. The first week I was cranky and dieing for a soda but I kept going. The second week I felt the bloating going down, one because I stopped eating out which reduced sodium intake, HFCS and MSG they put in foods. The third week my cravings were still there but replaced them with fruit, cravings satisfied. By the fourth week my joints stopped hurting and I actually felt calmer & my sleep improved. The fifth week, I can now see habitual eating vs. the actual hunger eating. Everytime I get a craving I asked myself. "Am I actually hungry or is it just habit to munch?" As soon as I realized most was habit eating I focused on listening to my body to eat only when hungry. I feel AMAZING!

When I had HFCS in my diet I was hungry ALL THE TIME, so I ate. Now I have found I am no longer  hungry all the time and that a bowl of strawberries and honey satisfies the sweet craving wonderfully. I've lost weight so far doing nothing and the rest will keep coming off. My actual sugar intake after calculating with HFCS & sugar vs. NO HFCS & sugar dropped from 170mg to 50mg per day! That's huge because it's in everything on the grocery store shelf.

Now this all could be just a placebo effect that I'm feeling but no joint pain, not hungry all the time and loosing weight, Ill take it. So I ask everyone to try the no HFCS challenge (cause it's a challenge at first). You have nothing to loose but feeling like crap all the time. 

The only way you'll know your not healthy, is to feel healthy.  

What is your idea of Healthy Eating?

When I ask people this question I get alot of the same replies.

"Organic foods"

"Not eating chips, sodas and candy."

"No more hot dogs..."

"Wheat bread, juice vs. soda and organic milk"

"McDonalds salad and yougurt with a diet Coke"

I was at the grocery store the other day and the checker asked me if this particular bag of chips I was buying were good.

"They are very good" I said.

"Eating healthy is expensive. I wish I could do it." She replied.

Organic meats, farm fresh produce & dairy products can be expensive you're right, but what about the winter months or regions of the country where people don't have access to those things? What we are left with; the grocery store.

Companies are getting smarter about advertising because people are taking notice of the chemicals in their foods and are demanding healthier alternatives. With the ever expanding shelves at the grocery store, how do you know which peanut butter to buy? Wouldn't you think peanut butter was just, peanut butter? Who has time to read every label especially when you're not sure about what you're looking for. We are seeing labels pop up everywhere "Natural", "No MSG", "Whole grain", "Sugar Free", etc. Beware, most of the time these are just marketing flags to bring your attention to their product. The FDA has NO regulations on the term "Natural", yet. The only way we can know is to read the label and have a basic idea of what we're looking for.

Everytime I go to the store I read a few more labels. This is very time consuming if you read every label. Once you know which pasta sauce, yogurt and chips to buy you can move on to other products you might want to try or that you're wondering about. 

Start simple. Start with things like high fructose corn syrup and sugars. You'll be suprised to find it in everything, even things like refried beans, canned tomatoes and breading mix for your chicken breasts. And yes, it's in some big name peanut butters reading "Natural" in HUGE letters. If you must choose go for sugar vs. it's chemical alternative.

Then you can move on to things like MSG & all of its other names, colors and preservatives like BHT. The FDA and many people will claim that these things are safe, ok maybe they are, but what if they're not? The FDA has also approved many things that get ripped off shelves when a large enough population gets sick.

Get used to reading labels. You being healthy & feeling good is the most important thing on this planet! If you're unsure of what something is, look for an alternative with simple ingredients that you know. When in doubt eat simple foods like meat, vegetables, fruits and water. Food is medicine and should heal us, energize us and make us feel happy.

SUGAR - The bitter truth