Big Pet peeve of mine-Diet and nutrition related

I hear you. Something you are so strap for time you wish they could have a fast food joint with healthy food that is affordable.

Not wanting to start a fuss or anything but I buy healthy food at Wal-Mart each week because I read the labels and buy the veggies and fruit. Do I eat perfect every day, heck no but it's not Wal-Mart's fault, it's my fault.

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We're on a very tight budget (lots of student loans to pay off), and find it very difficult. I'd love to eat all organics, for example, but there is no way we can afford that. I do find I can make it on our budget, but when I go to walmart I don't find produce I can even eat because it's rotten, so I have to go to a more expensive store to get good produce. It adds another trip to my errand running, but I do it because I want the produce. I'd spend more on it if I had more money though, that's for sure!

I think that's a load of crap. I spend less money now on healthier choices than I did each week buying pizza and chips or eating out. Forget organics first off, organic food isn't any healthier than non-organic. Organic foods are still sprayed with pesticides it's just those pesticides are less harmful to the environment and it's more about carbon foot prints than anything. You don't need to buy organic to eat better nor do you have to break the bank. All you need to do is watch more carefully what goes in your mouth. Just simply be more aware of what you're buying. READ the labels!

I completely agree that you can eat healthy for cheaper. You just have to take the extra time to plan your trip to the grocery store, base your meals around what is on sale, etc.

I agree there's a lot of cheap options out there. I've seen frozen meals, 2 for $1.50, or things like that. I've made stews that have lasted 8 meals. I bought all the ingredients for well under $10. Not to mention, I usually don't use all of the ingredients I bought, such as potatoes and carrots, so I have them for another meal. Even better if you buy a roasting chicken (they are usually on sale for around $1.99 a pound). You can have roast chicken for a couple days, save the stock you make from it, and use the rest for a homemade chicken noodle stew.

Fruit is a tough one depending on where you live, same with vegetables. But they will usually be on sale at some point. This time of the year is great for oranges and clementines.

I have tons of student debt as well. The one thing I absolutely refuse to do is purchase processed, chemical-induced foods. You say the produce is rotten at Wal-Mart, but could you buy a bag of frozen vegetables instead? What about staples such as brown rice, whole grain pasta, oatmeal, etc. You do not need to eat organic to eat healthy. I only buy organic when I know the alternative is packed with preservatives and chemicals.

It's not difficult to eat healthy on a budget, it's just a little more challenging and requires some more work. But it's so worth it.

L.

All of those great "food" prices at Wal mart do come with a higher cost, it seems.

OMG, I don't EVER buy food from Wally World!!! :noway:

Wal-Mart produce and "fresh" meat sections are no where near "fresh" by my standards...and they don't even HAVE most of what is on my list.

I only go there on special occasions...you know, when I buy some boxed, pre-packaged "cheat" meal.

If you do some looking around in your area, wherever that my be (and this is not directed at anyone in particular) I am sure you will find some better choices to buy food from that won't break the bank.

I was shocked and pleasantly surprised that when I changed grocery stores to one near me known for freshness of produce and variety of lean meats (fresh seafood, not frozen...for example) my grocery bill did not go up at all. When you shop for the correct portions of what you need to eat, and not get overloaded with 2 boxes of this or 3 cans of that, you spend less money. It takes practice, I suppose, and a little time with your food scale at home, but it can be done.

I also wish whole, fresh, natural foods were available at a cheaper price. Who doesn't? The bottom line is that it's cheaper, easier, faster, more streamlined to MAKE somehting than to grow it. Growing is risky, costly, requires more manpower and yields less than making does. That is why things that are made are so cheap. It's not WalMart's fault, nor is it the fault of the makers of the processed foods. They are allowed to make money from their work, just like everyone else is. It's the pure fact that Americans yearn for cheap and easy, which is what got us into this mess in the first place. It actually all started with our grandparents as it was their generation in the 50s that started the whole thing with TV dinners and the like. They saw processed foods as a luxury, an easy out on those nights you just don't feel like making another meatloaf.

I agree with a previous poster that it is all about where your priorities lie. We shop at cheaper stores for clothing and shoes and other supplies so that I can shop at organic, natural markets for our food. My grocery bill for 2 adults and 2 kids under 2 is over $500 a month, but I see it as worth every penny. I hope that one day, natural and organic foods will once again become the norm and be cheaper than mac n cheese or even a diet frozen dinner. That's just not the case right now, so we do what we have to do to provide healthy foods for our families.

Honestly I think it is more about convenience than price. If you take the time you can cook nutritious meals for low costs, but it takes time to cook and buy groceries, etc..everyone goes for the quick take and go option which is really not that cheap!

It also takes a certain amount of knowledge that fewer and fewer people have. A lot of people simply don't know how to cook from scratch nor have the wherewithal to learn.

I completely agree that you can eat healthy for cheaper. You just have to take the extra time to plan your trip to the grocery store, base your meals around what is on sale, etc.

I agree there's a lot of cheap options out there. I've seen frozen meals, 2 for $1.50, or things like that. I've made stews that have lasted 8 meals. I bought all the ingredients for well under $10. Not to mention, I usually don't use all of the ingredients I bought, such as potatoes and carrots, so I have them for another meal. Even better if you buy a roasting chicken (they are usually on sale for around $1.99 a pound). You can have roast chicken for a couple days, save the stock you make from it, and use the rest for a homemade chicken noodle stew.

Fruit is a tough one depending on where you live, same with vegetables. But they will usually be on sale at some point. This time of the year is great for oranges and clementines.

I have tons of student debt as well. The one thing I absolutely refuse to do is purchase processed, chemical-induced foods. You say the produce is rotten at Wal-Mart, but could you buy a bag of frozen vegetables instead? What about staples such as brown rice, whole grain pasta, oatmeal, etc. You do not need to eat organic to eat healthy. I only buy organic when I know the alternative is packed with preservatives and chemicals.

It's not difficult to eat healthy on a budget, it's just a little more challenging and requires some more work. But it's so worth it.

L.

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I'm assuming this was a reply to me? I certainly do get by with the frozens and taking the extra trip to get produce elsewhere, I was just bringing up the point of inconvenience. Something I'm totally willing to do, as I have been for years, just pointing it out, as it applied to this thread.

I do buy healthy food! I was just trying to make a point, and I think others took that as me buying bad food. I don't. Let me just make that clear. I USED to, but now I don't. Just saying, it costs me more now.

And yes I plan every meal (even when I ate unhealthy) in advance every week. As for someone who said I could shop somewhere else, I'd love to hand over my bank account and have you show me. I shopped the other grocery stores before we had super walmart and I had to put it all on credit card, and am now paying that off, because we couldn't afford it, but had to have it (with NO other splurges, no eating out, no coffees, etc, just essentials and bills). Also, I don't eat meat and I have a lot of food allergies, so in order to eat healthy and within my restrictions, it takes more money.

Also, some things I do to save and be more healthy, is to make things from scratch, like bread. I'm trying my hand at making pita bread too! It takes more time, but you don't get all the preservatives and it is actually a lot cheaper, most of the time. I also cook dinner from scratch every night. Just takes a bit of planning with a busy schedule.

Oh no, don't get me wrong, I wasn't trying to single you out. I was just making a general statement about how it's easy to go for something quick and simple (and usually unhealthy) at places such as Wal-Mart. Last time I was there, I saw rows and rows of frozen foods that were drastically marked down, and it surprised me.

Sorry, I didn't mean to single you out in any way, I just know how tough it is trying to live with loads and loads of student debt, and trying to eat healthy. I would love to hear how your homemade pita recipe turns out, I've always wanted to try making those!

L.

One reason why "junk" food is so cheap is that it all has corn/corn by product in it--just take a look at most things in the grocery store I'm sure you will find corn syrup/starch in it even in things you wouldn't think would have them. Corn is subsidized by the government and is used as a filler. This allows the foods to be made cheaply and sold at lower costs.

I try to eat healthier as often as I can and have been making slow changes over the last 6 months. I think its really hard and expensive to go cold turkey but find it easier to do it slowly over time. I rarely buy food items that have modified corn starch/syrup in them for myself--my husband still wants it and refuses to eat somethings when its with out (cereal as an example). I have switched to natural peanut butter that is just peanut and maybe salt-nothing else. I buy jams from my farmers market when I can and when I don't I buy the natural ones from the stores. My husabnd has complained that the bill has gone up but I always say yes it has and it would go down a lot too if I didn't have to by his "junk" food in addition to the healthier foods!! I also believe that is about portion controll to --the more you eat in one sitting the more the food is going to cost, my husband can easily eat 2-3 servings of something, but when I give him a healthy portion for his size he says its only a snack.

I want to start making my own jams/canned goods this coming year. I had a very successfull garden this past year and saved $$ on vegetables there. It takes a lot more time to make your own foods but its also very rewarding. I know this isn't for everyone and even I struggle and go through phases myself. Reading labels and knowing what you are buying are also key to eating healthy.

I was in line at the grocery store last night. My total? $89. I bought a lot of fruits, veggies, cheeses, lean proteins, wheat bagels, and a couple of Amy's frozen burritos for those days when I'm running late. The woman behind me was piling her groceries onto the belt as I was paying. What was she buying? Boxes. Boxes and boxes of processed foods. Not a single fresh item in the whole cart. I really REALLY wanted to hang around and see how much money she was about to pay for all of that crap.

It struck me very hard how differently people can think about what foods they need to provide for their families and what they can manage as far as time and effort are concerned. Did she have a full time job and kids? Probably. Are there still ways to put together meals made with real foods? Of course. If my parents could cook dinner most nights while working 3rd shifts and crazy schedules, then anyone can if they really want to.

My problem is that I am from a small town where Wal-Mart is one of the only places to shop besides a Food World and a Piggly Wiggly. To go to a different store I would have to drive 45 minutes to an hour just for groceries when these are a 5 minute drive. I try my best at Wal-Mart and that will just have to work for the time being. I will say that I do not buy meat from Wal-Mart, the Piggly Wiggly has fresher meat and I know the people that work in the meat department.