Simple and Inexpensive Ways to Eat Clean!

Do you ever wonder why we constantly see information to eat healthy whole foods, but then go to the store and can’t imagine doing that because of the cost?! I am right there with you! Another reason we may look to unhealthy foods is because of the in-store placement of the unhealthy foods versus healthy foods (Sirgudsson, Larsen, & Gunnarsson, 2013). When we already don’t know what type of healthy foods to buy, and then we have difficulty locating them, it makes it easy to purchase what is most convenient. I’m here to provide a few tips to help navigate the shopping aisles as well as planning ahead to stay within a budget!

Tips:

1. Plan your meals weekly. Write what you’re having for each meal and create a list of items needed. This will prevent you from aimlessly walking through the grocery trying to put meals together on the go, and likely spending more than what you budgeted for.
2. Eat before heading to the grocery store. You’ll be less likely to purchase with your stomach than your list!
3. Shop the perimeter. Items in the outside perimeter are fresh, and many foods in the center aisles are highly processed foods with lots of additives (Shopping the grocery perimeter – Mayo Clinic Health System).
4. Utilize pick-up or delivery services. If you are tempted to wander through the aisles or shop with your eyes, using pick-up or delivery services will help you stick to your list. You won’t be tempted by those sugary or sodium-filled snacks!
5. Use coupons! Most grocery stores mail out coupons or have an app you can download with digital coupons. They don’t always have a ton of coupons for healthy options but saving a little is better than saving nothing!

It may seem expensive, but you will feel better, be physically healthier, and prevent diseases such as cardiovascular and hypertension. Studies have shown that happiness can reduce inflammatory, cardiovascular, and neuroendocrine problems. Often Negative emotions generate increased cardiovascular activity and redistribute blood flow to specific skeletal muscles (Diener & Tay, p. 93, 2017). When determining whether to spend the money on healthy food, complete a cost/benefit analysis. Does the cost of spending money on healthy food now out weight the cost of possible medications, doctor visits, and health issues in the future?

References:

Diener, E. & Tay, L. (2017). Happiness: Transforming the development landscape. The Centre for BhutanStudies and GNH.

Sigurdsson, V., Larsen, N.M., & Gunnarsson, D. (2014). Healthy food products at the point of purchase: an in-store experimental analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 47(1), 151-154.https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.91

Shopping the grocery perimeter – Mayo Clinic Health System (2018).