The True Cost of a Whole Foods Diet
A whole foods diet* has become accepted as the cornerstone of most healthy eating plans, offering a wide variety of benefits ranging from weight loss to better blood sugar control. The movement towards whole foods hasn't happened overnight; rather it has taken a few decades of irrefutable research findings as well as the increased availability, particularly of "healthier" animal products and organic produce, to help folks make the switch. But there are barriers to healthier eating, none more formidable than the issue of cost: For many, whole foods are just too expensive.
* Whole foods diet is one that is based on healthier lean meats (antibiotic-free, free-range), organic dairy products including organic milk, yogurt, and free-range eggs, whole grains, nuts and seeds, beans, and fresh fruits and veggies.
3 Ways You Can Change the "Cost" of Whole Foods
Where expense is a significant concern, these three strategies can help reduce the cost of healthier foods: 1) Change the value placed on the payoffs that result from eating a whole foods diet, thereby changing the perception of expense, 2) Modify the food budget and eliminate wasteful food expenditures, and 3) Use actual cost cutting measures.
Excerpt from "The Best Natural Foods on the Market Today"
Imagine saving thousands of dollars of out-of-pocket expense by avoiding the need for medications or medical procedures.
What Is Good Health Worth?
Your health today and tomorrow depends on the quality of foods that you choose to eat consistently. The costs incurred later in life are not just financial. Costs are measured in terms of suffering, pain, and loss of functioning. Many people maintain excellent health, save thousands of dollars each year, and avoid the need for costly medications just by choosing a healthy diet.
Consider Your Mental Well-Being
How much is your mood and mental well-being worth to you? A study of 3,500 people published in the British Journal of Psychiatry in 2009 found a significantly lower risk of depression among those eating a whole foods diet over the course of 5 years. After controlling for confounding variables, those who ate a mainly processed food diet, such as sweetened desserts, fried food, processed meat, refined grains and high-fat dairy products had a 58% higher risk of depression than those who ate very few processed foods. Ironically, junk food is often eaten for comfort and to cope with feeling depressed.
Consider Your Digestive System
Imagine never needing to buy Tums or Metamucil again. One of the benefits of a higher fiber whole foods diet is increased regularity and better overall digestion. It is hard to believe that we spend approximately $15 billion on antacids and laxatives each year and yet a whole foods diet is proven to solve these problems! Studies show that about 97% of people following an American-style eating plan are not getting enough fiber each day – a key component of a healthy digestive tract – because they lack the regular intake of high fiber cereals, veggies, fruits, whole grains, and beans.
Once it sinks in that your health is worth the extra expense, you have made a major shift in your life and you may be convinced that a whole foods approach is for you. Eating whole foods doesn't mean you have to blow your savings; rather, there are strategies for helping you curtail the real cost of eating healthier. First, however, you'll need to take a closer look at your food budget.
Weekly Food Budget: Taking A Closer Look
There is no question that shopping at Whole Foods Market can be a major expense, hence the common reference to the shopping experience as "Whole Paycheck". But many processed foods are expensive as well, especially those that are mostly empty calories. How much are you spending right now on refined breakfast cereals, chips, pop tarts, frozen dinners, soft drinks, and other packaged foods each week? If you eliminated these food items (or 95% of them) and replaced with whole foods, could you effectively get more nutrition for less money?
Paying A Premium For Convenience
Have you considered your food expenditures away from home and how much more you are paying for convenience? For instance, when you buy a $7 sandwich at a deli, how much deli meat and whole grain bread could you buy at a natural foods store? How about a soft drink at a gas station? Do you drink a Starbucks type of beverage each day of the work week? Consider the cost of a drink and popcorn at the movies or a beer at a bar - how many of these food purchases are you making that could be spent directly at a store or farmer's market?
How much money are you spending each week at fast-food chains, take-out, or at sit-down restaurants? If you're not sure of the breakdown of your food purchases, spend a week writing down all of the food and drink purchases you make and categorize as: a) whole food versus processed food and b) items purchased at a market versus those purchased in a convenience setting.
Strategies for Making Whole Foods Less Expensive
Here are five ways to cut your current food bill in the coming year:
- 1. Buy certain food items in bulk, including whole grains, beans, nuts, whole flours, and . If you have access to a food co-op or food buying club, you can save even more when buying in quantity and sharing with others.
- 2. Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) group. There you will pay a onetime seasonal fee and receive a package of food each week or month that is typically far less expensive than buying from a natural foods store. These two websites can help you locate a CSA in your area: www.localharvest.org and www.eatwild.com.
- 3. Add dried beans to your current diet; dried beans are the best value of any food today when you consider protein, fiber, magnesium, and folate.
- 4. Bake your own bread and freeze the extra loaves. You can save big by making your own whole grain breads.
- 5. Buy seasonal fruits, such as berries, from local farmer's markets or pick your own, and freeze them for the winter.
The 20% Transition
If you are still confronted by the expense, then replace 20% of your food expenditures made away from home with purchases of whole foods at natural food stores or farmer's markets. Once you have made this change, then focus on the next 20% of your budget, and before you know it, you'll be eating a mostly whole foods diet.
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