Kids Cuisine

Q: I can’t afford healthy food, what do I do?
A: The ability to “afford healthy food” is a matter of priority. We all have a choice as to how we spend our income. If you are serious about living healthy and you doubt your capability to pay for healthy food, it is important for you to learn how “healthy” your finances are first. Where does healthy food rank in your monthly budget? Do you have a budget? Do you know where every dollar of your income is spent?
Before you settle into the belief that you truly cannot afford high-quality, healthy food, track all your expenses for 4 weeks, be sure to include everything you spend money on (bills, gas, drinks, movies, insurance, eating out, cigarettes, etc.). At the end of 4 weeks, if you see a large portion of your money funneling toward the Eating Out column, you have an opportunity to dine out less while re-directing some funds into purchasing healthy foods. Perhaps you see a lot of your money being spent on a pricey cable TV bill. This is another area where your money can be invested in improving your health by purchasing better quality foods. Be creative – think of ways to eat better that will not cost you additional money. Invite your friends over, ask them to bring a healthy food item to share at your party, and watch a DVD together.
Let’s face it, we can do without nice-to-haves, but we cannot survive without food. Don’t you deserve to nourish your body with the best quality foods available?
Not everyone will commit to tracking their expenses for 4 weeks. This may prove to be an uncomfortable step in the process of living healthy, but it is a necessary step, especially if you made the statement about not being able to afford healthy foods. After I completed this exercise, I discovered our family of 3 was spending in excess of $1,000 per month in groceries and eating out. That was a hard realization for me, and at the same time, an opportunity for us to reign in our grocery and dining out expenses.
Before . . .
Below is what our monthly food spending once looked liked (frequent coffee shop visits and multiple trips to the grocery store for snack items added up quickly):

TOTAL SPENT $1,098.62

The convenience mindset of dining out was an excuse. It became my crutch for not wanting to take the time to create high-quality meals for myself and my family. The real attraction for me to eat out frequently was the convenience of not having to cook. When we talked about where we dined out and what the quality of the food was, our memories were peppered with, “… well, I had to send the food back because it was cold… the dinner was too salty… it tasted okay, but it wasn’t really that good.” It was at this point in time we made a transition from eating out in places that really didn’t offer great tasting meals to dining more at home.
After . . .
As a family, we decided to trim back on the $1,000+ we were spending each month on “okay” tasting food and instead invest a portion of the $1,000 into high quality groceries to create meals cooked at home. I almost always have leftovers, which ultimately translates into less cooking time for me. We acquired an appreciation of our income and as a result, have an extra $500+ per month by having created a healthier habit of not wasting our income foolishly. When we invest our money in food, we expect a favorable return on our investment, which means we expect the food and experience to be excellent. We reserve a small portion of the money to eat out, in addition to redirecting extra funds towards savings accounts, horse riding lessons, for our daughter, vacations, etc.
Below is a typical month illustrating our new and improved food investment plan (Curious what the $.73 item is? A pretzel purchased at BJ’s Warehouse):

TOTAL SPENT $576.38

Create Healthy Food Investment Plan
INGREDIENTS:
Interest - A true interest to invest in high quality groceries that will result in nutritious meals for yourself and family
Commitment - Commit to introducing at least one new healthy meal created at home per week
1 – 2 Servings Fresh fruit and veggies every day, increase servings as you start enjoying the food more
Journal - Log your healthy food experiences in your journal
Share - As you fine tune your culinary skills, share your healthy dishes with friends and family
Once you realize how much money you actually can contribute toward a healthy food investment plan, do not run to the grocery store and buy a cartful of foods that are completely foreign to you. I made this mistake, which resulted in most of the food spoiling before I could figure out how to prepare it. Introduce healthier foods slowly to your grocery list. Some easy items to incorporate are fresh fruits and veggies, breads that have Stone Ground Wheat as the first item on the ingredients list, leaner cuts of meat, etc.

Don’t create excuses for not being able to afford living healthy, create solutions. You are worth it!

Warmly,
Doreen