November 20, 2008

Food Prices & Weight Gain

I had promised myself I was going to stay away from any topics that revolved around our falling economy. However, after watching the news this morning I had to give in. The particular segment I was watching blamed the economy and high food prices as a reason for the increased sales at the fast food chains. (Dollar menu sales are up).

Come on you got to be kidding me, anyone with half a brain knows you could eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all week cheaper than eating fast food even on the dollar menu.

It appears to me no one wants to take responsibility for the problems we have as a society. People may be hitting the dollar menus more often because it is cheaper than a sit down restaurant but certainly not because it is cheaper than whole food.

Let’s talk about some of the real reasons people use take out, it’s convenient, they don’t want to pack a lunch, better high fat high calorie options, it tastes better and just too lazy to grocery shop.

Not only are you going to save money if you stay home for breakfast and pack your lunch, you are going to be a 100% healthier and lose weight. What more could you ask for?

Don’t let yourself fall prey to the news scams out there, continue to eat healthy and get rid of the high priced processed foods instead.

I have included a list of a few things you can do to cut down on your grocery bills:

Read the sales fliers before you buy your meat. Meat is always on sale somewhere. Buy it in bulk for the month and freeze it.
Instead of high priced sugary juice switch to water. Buy a bottle of lemon juice (add a couple drops) if you need some flavoring.
Stick to your shopping list and cut down on the impulse buys.
And lastly, try to use the store brand whenever possible.

It is obvious as a society we like our food. As a matter of fact our lives are generally centered around food. It’s OK to get take out once in a while and it’s even OK to not want to grocery shop here and there. However, I don’t think it is OK to make excuses about why we are using fast food instead of home cooked healthy meals.

Sit down and think about your eating habits, why do you have them, are they healthy, can you change them?

Stay Motivated,

Karen