http://strive4health.net/
"...eating healthy isn't all avoiding boxes and the freezer. It all comes down to being conscious and knowledgeable of what you plan on burning in the machine that is your digestive tract..."
A major epidemic that seems to hit all of my friends at one point or another is the decision of what you will eat. You want to save money, but you're not experienced enough to know what to stray from or to embrace. So you stick to boxed dinners, frozen meals, and for most people that's comfortable and enough. They are being fed, enjoy what they are eating, and the prices seem quite reasonable.
Going from Hamburger Helper and french bread to orange-ginger talapia and roasted beet, orange, and fennel salad is quite a change, and it will take time to adapt. Sometimes those "old" comfort foods can be a nice treat and can be made with a few tweaks once you understand what healthier options you have to make the meal easier on the ol' body.
My advice is just to always check out recipes online if you're ever unsure. Find some good communities and sites and constantly browse whenever you start to feel like choosing out a meal. Get it prepared, don't rush yourself. Always make a list of the things you'll need, and don't be afraid to try something new.
 |
| Sometimes it doesn't always work out... but you will never know what will work unless you keep trying |
I'm lucky in that I am naturally quite gifted with cooking, so it's really easy for me to try something new or adapt a recipe. I cannot create from scratch well, but so long as a recipe is written well I shouldn't have a problem making almost anything, which has led me to come up with some great things.
Pick out a primary ingredient and see what you can do with that. When I first really got the "health" kick and started properly adapting my shopping list, one of my first focuses was bell peppers. I love bell peppers. I haven't done much to explore with them aside from some fajitas or hash browns in the morning. I went home, and came across a recipe for stuffed bell peppers. That was one of my first real "healthy" meals where everything on my list I was confident in, and knew was fresh and not some manufactured crap.
From there I found different sources, and I would read through, see something that caught my eye and run over to Whole Foods. Now, this definitely (especially at first) can be a venture that is not so easy on the wallet. I live on quite a controlled budget, but I'm increasingly willing to work harder to make things work to avoid sacrificing quality over cost.
You can start combining many different skills at this point. Seeking out different stores for different items, checking store sales' flyers ,coupons, all sorts of stuff. You'll slowly start to learn what is seasonal and what you can work around. What you can find that's frozen that's just as good as the fresh thing, but cheaper. Eating healthy isn't all avoiding boxes and the freezer. It all comes down to being conscious and knowledgeable of what you plan on burning in the machine that is your digestive tract. It directly influences how much you can do, how you feel.
Some communities share great information and viewpoitns, and I'll do my best to share my examples. You can find a support base for probably anything on Reddit, here's a Reddit frugal subreddit that has all sorts of great tips and information.
Diet is the #1 thing I think that someone can change to improve their life. I've wasted a lot of time before getting rightfully dedicated to a pursuit of health. I think with a little knowledge (it's hard, a lot of nutrition subjects are controversial) a lot of people would be apalled at what they shove down their throat and expect to power the miraculous function of your body living and performing for 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 a year for 60+ years.
 |
| We may not know exactly who to follow, but you should never be a prisoner to your diet |
Through this blog, I'll hope to use it as an outlet to express my growth in this dilemma and my solutions. I will share my meal ideas, successes, failures, and hope to show from a first person perspective how anyone can do more for themselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment