Eating REAL Food

 

This year, after embarking on a minimal grocery spending budget challenge.  I have made a pledge to myself to improve on the foods I choose to eat.  So many times I’ve heard that it is “too expensive to eat healthy on a budget” and I know that is complete and utter nonsense.  It is simply an excuse some people use to not eat healthier.  The truth of the matter is, it is quite the opposite.

 

With the current state of inflation everything has gone up in price, some more than others.  I’ve noticed a dramatic price increase in items at the grocery store, such as soda, chips, crackers, cereals and heavily processed foods that I simply do not need to purchase.  Instead I buy REAL food and thereby I eat REAL food.

 

As I am creating my shopping list for the month of February I have a long list of fresh and frozen produce and a couple dairy items.  Nothing processed, nothing pre-made.  Nothing containing chemicals, additives, preservatives, fillers, dyes, emulsifiers, trans fats, synthetics or lies.  One of the biggest lies we purchase is often the label placed right on the front of most packaging.

 

Think zero sugar is a good option?  Think again!

Take coffee creamer, for instance.  They sell a product that states “Zero Sugar”, which is true, there is no white sugar, but the second ingredient on the list is corn syrup which is every bit a type of sugar.  So say, for a diabetic thinking they’ve found the answer to a sugar free option for creamer, it isn’t and if they do not read the label and know that they could be in trouble with their blood sugars.  To me, that is grossly irresponsible and they should be ashamed of themselves.  Not to mention there isn’t a single food related item in that product.  It is pure chemicals.  And there are a lot of items sold to us that are this way.

 

The ingredient list on "zero" sugar coffee creamer - Very misleading!
This is a lab created "food" product, someone's science project!

I will be focusing heavily on fresh produce, some full fat dairy items (low fat products contain added sugars and chemical emulsifiers), frozen fruits and vegetables with only that item on the ingredient list, fresh beef, pork and poultry as well as a little fish and seafood here and there.  For the most part I will be shopping the perimeter of the grocery store.  Some items I will buy from the interi0r aisles, but there will be a lot of label reading going on when I do and those purchases will be few by comparison.

 

Additionally, I will buy healthy fats such as butter, olive oil and avocado oil.  Nuts too.  A handful of clean ingredient condiments may make it into my shopping cart from time to time.  For the most part, I’ll be making my own dressings and sauces from scratch so I avoid chemicals, preservatives and unhealthy oils.  I want to eat as cleanly as possible.

 

I don’t eat a lot of starches, but when I do I tend to choose single ingredient starches.  Primarily that is potatoes, oats, rice and dry legumes.  Potatoes contain a lot of good nutrients, especially if you include the skins.  Oats are a good fiber and nutrient source.  Rice is a good carbohydrate choice as well as it contains a lot of potassium, but I find a half-size portion is more than adequate for me.  Legumes are filled with a variety of nutrients, protein and quite a bit of fiber making them more often than not my first choice.  Pastas and breads tend to be overly processed requiring added enrichments in order to be more nutritional so they are my last choice when it comes to starches and I tend to only eat half-size servings of those too when I do indulge.

 

Sugar is not my friend and I know that, but I do enjoy a sweet treat every now and then.  My plan is to make my own treats from wholesome ingredients.  I prefer to use stevia and monkfruit sweeteners in my recipes when I bake and a little goes a long way so I don’t need much to sweeten things.  I will not be purchasing anything premade, even if it says Keto on the front of the box.  I find, quite often, even premade low carb and Keto options are just not that clean.  I know I can do much better if I simply make my own.

 

REAL food is affordable, but more importantly it is so much better for us.  I think we all need to realize that and eat better so we can be better.  No excuses.