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Health & Fitness

Are you eating yourself to health?

You can eat healthy on any budget. Cook your way to health

By Healthy Palate

In the United States, there are over 150 million people – including millions of children – who suffer from obesity, diabetes and a myriad of chronic illness.  The problem is growing, but the majority of cases can be cured or limited by simply taking on your kitchen. A healthy lifestyle begins at home. I know when you have a family, it can become difficult to find the time to cook whole, healthy meals. But since our home is the foundation of our health, I think it is prudent to spend a few minutes thinking about how we can shape our whole life through our kitchen.

As a nutritionist, I am asked daily a seemingly easy question, “How do I keep my family healthy while balancing a busy work and life schedule?” And, this is immediately followed up with, “I know you’re going to tell me to eat more vegetables, right?” Well, yes and no.

I will tell you that eating more whole, real live foods – cooking them at home and sitting down together as a family – will help to improve the health of you and your family. But plain and simple, most of us don’t food shop properly. We allow our taste buds and bodies to be hijacked by the over consumption of salt, chemicals and other preservatives used to make food “shelf stable”. I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want to put something in my body that can last on my local grocers’ shelf for months, if not years! And, processed foods, especially sugar, can be as addictive as many illicit drugs!

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So, how do we rid our food addictions? Refocusing our energy on eating real food and not feeling guilty is a good place to start. The closer to nature we eat, the easier it is for our body to absorb nutrients to keep our “engine” running smoothly. Much like any other piece of equipment, we need to make sure that we are giving our body the right fuel for us to operate properly. And that starts with making smart choices, asking tough questions and prioritizing our health. Even though our lives are hectic and crazy, cooking at home (without a microwave!), is truly the best decision we can make to live healthy.

So how do you do it? Get the entire family involved! Make preparing dinner a family event by having everyone in the kitchen washing, peeling and chopping. The more involved your family is, the more excited they will be to eat what they helped create. And remember, we eat with our senses first. So, food that smells and looks good will most likely taste good. To achieve this, try cutting down on salt by adding fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice, spices and fresh herbs to your food for a more intense aroma and flavor. 

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In the end, it all comes down to perception and prioritization. I often hear, “It costs too much, and it takes too much time to eat healthy.” Well, the truth is that you can eat healthy on any budget. Recently, I had a client whose family was eating fast food during the week, and then eating high sugar, highly processed packaged food the rest of the time. On average, they were spending $350.00 per week on food. She told me, “We have no time to eat healthy.” However, we discovered that the family spent 2-3 hours per day surfing the web and playing games on their smart phones (we are all guilty of it!).  We began to concentrate on getting the family to spend time in the kitchen and at the table. Now, they are
a family, spending quality time together most evenings, and saving approximately $120 per week! 

So when you ask me, “How do I keep my family healthy?, I will gladly replay, “What could you do with an extra $460 per month?”

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