It's too expensive to eat healthy??...here's how to learn to make it affordable & GREAT

Alright, so there's a fascinating article from the Denver Post (Spoiled system: Eating healthier comes with a price for families) and its pretty straight forward in discussing "what" the problem is...I want to help you figure out "HOW" to solve the problem...but before we do that, lets summarize "what" the problem is:

• "We've made the unhealthy choice the rational choice," said Merrick Weaver, who, as executive director of Partnership for Healthy Communities, works to improve nutrition among lower-income families in Commerce City....In short, "You can buy more calories for your dollar if you buy bad foods," Weaver said.

• Between 1995 and 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture handed out $245 billion in subsidies to farmers...the payments come through a variety of programs that insure against catastrophic weather, set price floors and offer incentives for growing certain crops — and not growing others....And the fruit and vegetable growers?..."They don't get direct subsidies," said David DeGennaro, legislative and policy analyst for the Environmental Working Group...."It's always been that way, ever since the subsidies structure took shape in the '30s and '40s," DeGennaro said.

• ...fruit- and vegetable-growers — who are eligible for some, but not all, USDA programs — haven't so much missed out as they haven't asked to participate....Fruit and vegetable producers aren't unified the way corn growers are, and some even view other produce growers as competition, DeGennaro said.

• If all 309 million Americans suddenly decided to live by [USDA nutritional recommendations], we'd quickly run out of fruits and vegetables..."the U.S. food system supplies 24 percent fewer servings per person than the five daily vegetable servings recommended for a standard 2,000 calorie diet."

• If Americans suddenly started gobbling twice as many fruits and vegetables, "growers wouldn't ignore that. They'd plow up what they have and plant more tomatoes, and spinach, etc.", however; if growers of wheat or corn who get subsidies suddenly switched to zucchini or lettuce, they would face financial penalty, under current subsidy rules.

So if that's the problem, the "answer" to be healthy is to be creative and savvy with your food budgets:

• Have a plan to use fruits FIRST vs. buying fruits and then figuring out what to do with them when you get home. Have a plan and places like Costco can save you money when you buy in bulk (i.e. purchasing 8 pints of strawberries for $6 in Costco vs. $3 to $4/pint!!!)
• Purchase fruits and vegetables on sale in your local markets and cook them immediately / package them as soon as you get home for use the next day.
• Vegetables that freeze well for me are dense vegetables, such as Broccoli, Cauliflower, and diced Bell Peppers, Carrots. Or, purchasing frozen vegetables can be a cost savings alternative, such as peas, corn, broccoli. NOTE: Fresh is better than Frozen, but if Fresh is too expensive, go for it with the frozen.
• Strawberries, blueberries, and pineapple freeze very well. Besides, they make great snacks on a hot day or are perfect fillers for smoothies (strawberry, blueberry, soy milk and vanilla protein powder of your choice - INSTANT BREAKFAST!)
• Grocery stores now sell packages of spinach which can go a long way to adding healthy nutrients instantly (Trader Joe's sells a package $2.00 that has 8 servings of spinach). Spinach is more versatile than lettuce because you can eat them raw in a salad, or add them to a saute' dish at the last minute for vibrant color and vitamins.
• Zucchini is a very versatile dish and works great in Italian and French and Greek dishes. A great dish is to cut zucchini into "penne shapes" and saute with dried organo and olive oil and penne pasta is a hearty dish that goes a very long way while getting your serving of vegetables - a 10 inch by 1 inch diameter zucchini is equal to 2 servings of vegetables. Asian markets sell a package of 6 for about $2.00 and Trader Joes sells a package of 4 to 5 organic zucchini for about $2.50.
  
• Melons are great ways to purchase value sized fruits. If you seed and peel the melons yourself, one large melon can provide up to 12 servings of fruits. Purchase your melons at Costco or your favorite market - get the most dense melon for its size.
  
• And if you can get to a farmer's market, you money can go a long way when you purchase fruits and vegetables that are in season (purchase 3 extra large leeks for $4 vs. 2 small leeks for $2 in the stores). Know what fruits and vegetables are in season in your area and plan your meals around that produce to get the most bang for your dollar!

Being creative and savvy means being determined to find a solution to find ways to infuse more health into your diet without paying unnecessary premiums for fruits and vegetables. If you can make a difference with government policies, by all means, please pursue them to make positive change. But if you can't make an impact on prices for fruits and vegetables, learn produce seasonality, make a plan to prepare meals with fruits and vegetables, and continue make fruits and vegetables apart of your diet.

Aren't we forgetting something???...Learn how to cook!

So when i talk to people about their health and nutrition, almost everyone knows:

1. I need to be healthy
2. I need to eat healthier foods
3. I need to lose weight

But the real issue is the inevitable statement that comes next:

"...HOW do I become healthy, HOW do I eat healthier foods; HOW do I eat and have a meal plan to lose weight..."

And looking at this article, "30 Ways in 30 Days to Stretch your Fruit & Vegetable Budget", from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), it's the "How" that is really missing... Lets take a look at the Top 5 of this list:

1. Calculate an appropriate Healthy Food Budget for your family...this step indicates "What" and fortunately, provides a website to show us "How"
2. Cook enough for several meals and freeze leftovers...How????
3. Create a meal plan for the week that uses similar fruits and vegetables prepared in different ways...How????
4. Buy fruits and vegetables in season at farmers markets...What fruits & vegetable are in season???
5. Grow your own vegetables. Invest a little in seeds to get a lot of vegetables in return...The CDC provides a link on "growing vegetables" but it doesn't provide "practical applications" of growing vegetables...How do I grow vegetables in an apartment???...Which vegetables are easy to grow???

What's my point???...We have almost every "healthy authority" telling us we need to be healthy; we need to eat healthy; we need to get fresh foods; we need to do better with our food. And they even provide recipes for those who do not know what to eat. But there are very few resources from these healthy authorities on "HOW" to eat healthy or in more plain terms "How to cook"...and that's the problem...almost everyone I talk looks at cooking as novelty, or a special skill, or a gift, when it really is about making an attempt to prepare foods we like and practicing those attempts until we get the flavor we want while providing the health and nutrition we already know we need...so in my opinion, the first rule to better stretch our budgets and incorporate more fruits and vegetables into our lives:

"...Take a beginning cooking class, read beginner cookbooks, learn from people who do know how to cook, watch Food Network or the Cooking Channel..."

After you've made the initial effort to learn How to Cook, allow me to offer my help on "HOW" to be healthy with the CDC Guide to "30 Ways in 30 Days to Stretch your Fruit & Vegetable Budget":

1. 5 ways to develop a meal plan from the Iowa State University Extension (ISUE): http://www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsavings/mealplanning/thriftyweeklymenus.htm
2. If you're single, prepare meals for 2 servings...most recipes are made for 4 servings, so simply cut the recipe in half and reduce the times for cooking by 25% (i.e. instead of 10 minutes, cook for 7 1/2 minutes)
3. Here's a link/pdf for a 5-day meal planner from ISUE: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/NR/rdonlyres/A5F9EC88-4D97-4964-89F6-D9C0EF59D601/0/fivedayplanningworksheet.pdf
4. This is a great resource to learn about fruits and vegetable seasonality charts: http://www.cuesa.org/seasonality/
5. And here's one website for indoor gardening for possible rosemary, thyme, & tomatoes for indoor growing: http://www.ehow.com/way_5167248_tips-indoor-gardening.html
   

Make an investment in your health by learning how to cook...take a class, pick up a bargain cook book at your nearest bookstore (by the way, my best cook books were reduced priced / bargain priced), and grab some of your friends who also want to cook and make it into a party...whatever you do, start cooking, and then go and do the other things you need to do be healthy and have a GREAT life!