Eating healthy is expensive. Is it?

by Oana

More than half of people think that eating healthy is expensive. Even more believe that healthy food is neither tasty nor filling. People actually don’t know what it means to eat healthy, which nullifies the presumption that eating healthy is expensive. Unknowingly, most choose to eat unhealthily which brings them a whole series of problems: overweight and obesity, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, neurological diseases… All in all, a life lived with pain, sick, with frequent visits to the doctor and a bedside table full of medicines.

What eating healthy does NOT mean

Eating healthy does not mean the same for everyone. The Mediterranean diet is considered the healthiest, but if you have an autoimmune disease it would be good to moderate the consumption of grains, however whole they may be. Spinach is very healthy, but if you have an irritable bowel, you should not overdo it. Eggs are healthy, but if you have an egg allergy, they are poison for you. The same goes for fish, no matter how healthy it is, if you’re allergic, you can’t eat it, and if you have histamine intolerance, you can only eat it very fresh, or frozen no more than 30 minutes after it was caught. Apples are healthy, but if you have gastritis they cause you pain.

All kinds of diets are promoted, vegan, vegetarian, no fat, no carb, no…, no… We focus too much on what that diet doesn’t contain instead of what it does contain.

On the other hand, hamburgers, biscuits, sausages and ice cream are advertised. Have you ever seen ads for millet seeds, goat cheese or chicken liver? At every street corner there is a fast food, pastry shop, pretzel shop or pharmacy. In the advertisements, you are promised that this medicine will get rid of bloating, nausea or other unpleasant effect of excess food, so both shawarma and the pharmacy are made available to you.

We believe that eating healthy means buying only products labeled organic or eating strawberries in December, kiwis and pineapples. To have maca powder in our morning smoothie, even though we’re dying for a cup of coffee. Or to eat salmon fillets 2 times a week for omega 3 intake.

We believe that eating healthy is not filling and not tasty, and we laugh at people who eat salads every day. We consider millet for parrots and chickpea puree a fad.

What does it mean to eat healthy?

Eating healthy means making it a sustainable lifestyle, both in terms of prices, preparation and shopping time, and for your current state of health. It means being able to adjust the way you eat as you get older or according to your level of physical and intellectual activity. It means that you can easily maintain a normal weight without excess abdominal fat.

It means having an open mind, being able to try foods, combinations, quantities, meal times. To get out of your familiar and family bubble, to set aside time to inform yourself, to go to shops or farmer markets, to research online food sites.

It means buying food in its natural state, as little processed as possible. If a food needs a label, read that label. If it has more than 3 ingredients, it is too processed.

To add fresh vegetables and leafy greens to as many meals as possible. You make them salads or eat them plain, cut smaller or larger, it doesn’t matter. It is important to have a handful or two of leaves next to your favorite food. The leaves are well tolerated by almost anyone, so… feel free to eat leaves.

To try new tastes. Keeping what you like and giving a food another chance, even if you didn’t like it the first time. You can try another way of preparation. Sometimes a small compromise can make a food more appealing: an extra teaspoon of sugar, sauteed in the pan if you don’t like it in the oven, or the promise of a cookie after eating a bitter food.

Yes, it also means making compromises. Which sometimes hurt. To give up something you like, but is not good for you. To give up the shawarma eaten on the run during the meal break, replacing it with a lunch box prepared at home in the evening. To give up the second glass of wine, cigarette after meal, deep frying, macaroni with eggs, cheese and a lot of sugar…

It means slowly and consciously reducing the amounts of added sugar and salt in your food. And it means reducing the amount of food in general.

It means eating consciously. To stop your hand reaching for another pretzell or candy. Understand that that pretzel or candy is still food and adds to the quantity and quality of food ingested.

So… is it expensive to eat healthy?

I won’t list expensive or cheap foods here, as I said, everyone’s diet is personal and customized. But you can eat healthy and affordably if:

-You buy vegetables, fruits, leaves and other perishable foods from the farmer’s market and in season. Buy a few strawberries once in December if you feel like it, but don’t make a habit of it. They are waiting for their season to come. They are quite expensive even then, but don’t get frustrated, take 1kg a week, you don’t need more. In winter, the market is full of apples, pears, lettuce, dill and parsley at affordable prices.

-Look for offers on sites for non-perishable foods: seeds, nuts, flours, dried fruits, spices, oils. Discounts and bonuses are offered for repeat or larger purchases.

-Always keep your fridge and pantry organized so you don’t throw away food.

-Give up completely unhealthy foods and habits: smoking, chips, beer, pretzels, pâtés and other pastries bought on the go, roasted peanuts, roasted sunflower seeds with salt (you can buy unroasted seeds from the market in bulk and make them at home without salt, unburnt and fresh), super-processed single-serving sweets and generally any commercial sweets. All of these are very expensive, and the money you save there can be redistributed to healthier foods.

-Reconsider the portions and the proportion of food on the plate: three quarters vegetables, one quarter animal or veggie protein.

– Give up the “I can’t afford to eat healthy” mentality. Most people don’t even want to eat salmon, quinoa and chia, but complain that they are too expensive. You might as well eat mackerel, chickpeas and kidney beans, they are just as healthy and tasty. The healthiest food you can eat is bone broth, and bones cost a few bucks, but how many of those who complain that it’s expensive to eat healthy make bone broth frequently? Think about it: people who are in the habit of eating healthy don’t think it’s expensive. Only those who eat unhealthy think it’s expensive (I didn’t make that up, there are studies).

-You make yourself, your needs, your health and your soul a priority. For this, clearly define what is good for you and what is not. Eliminate as much as possible of what and who is not beneficial to you and thus you will have more time and more resources for yourself. Pleasing others, even though it hurts you, is a source of frustration, which makes you more intolerant, envious, and incompetent in all areas. And less healthy.

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