Are you struggling with a healthy eating plan? Do find it difficult to focus on eating healthy all of the time? Perhaps you're thinking that eating healthy foods costs too much money? I am going to address all of these issues and more in this article.
Firstly let me say that I am prone to slipping into a diet that you might call unhealthy, I am faced with the same temptations as everyone else reading this - chocolate, ice cream, cans of soft drinks and convenience foods such as pizza. We are all battling against these temptations every day of our lives and it takes a lot of self-discipline to avoid and take control of our eating habits and in this article I am going to explain how I am able to do just that.
You see what I have found is that if I plan what I am going to eat for each meal for one week ahead and I only purchase those foods, then I am much more likely to stick with what I have purchased. I don't want to then go back and shop later in the week and risk wasting my hard-earned money - just as the rest of us don't, so I almost always stick with my menu.
And that raises a point that I would like to make, most or at least a lot of folks shop on a daily basis for the dinner that night. Well, what does this kind of shopping pattern reveal? What I see are stressed out parents, pulling their hungry children down the aisles of supermarkets which doesn't leave much time for the cooking. Welcome to convenience food shopping because that is what normally happens. They - the parents - choose convenience food, which means it will be quick and easy to cook when they get home. Doing this not only saves time but they get the kids fed quicker, right?
But what is this doing to not only the health of their children, but also to themselves? Convenience food is rarely a healthy option. It contains additives, preservatives and many other chemicals added to food. When you look around you, are the people whe eat convenience foods healthy? Do they look vibrant and full of energy?
Also, shopping for convenience food can add more cost onto credit cards studies show. Impulsive buying behaviors increase in various ways, from buying comfort foods to products that satisfy urges in the moment, but that may not even be necessary.
You can avoid all of this with a few minutes of planning each week. You can plan out what you are going to eat for each meal, make a list, and only purchase what's on your list. Also if you compare the cost of fast food or convenience food to healthy all natural alternatives like home-cooked beans and rice, or low fat home-cooked caseroles, peanut butter and jelly, and home-made mac and cheese, your kids will not only be healthier, but you will save a lot of money whenever you cook from scratch.
Food prep is fun and creative and it doesn't have to take a long time either. It's easier to have all your days planned out when the kids get home from school and not have to rush off to the latest fast food dive to bail you out when their stomachs are growling. Most home-cooked meals can be made on a budget and can be done in 30 minutes or less. If you are at work all day and don't have time to cook, crock pots can come in handy where you can set and forget it, but still come home to a home-made meal that is less costly and much healthier.
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