I’d like to share with you some of the interesting articles and websites I’ve come across in the past week. Transitioning to a more healthful way of eating for both weight loss and better health and finding ways to eat healthfully on a budget seem to be common themes in the news. What I have found to be encouraging is that fad diets are losing their appeal. Awesome!
That’s not to say making the transition to low calorie nutritious foods is any easier than going on a fad diet (Lose 37 pounds in just 4 weeks on the “fill in the blank” diet!). However, as you become more accustomed to eating better and as you begin to look better and feel better it gets easier to stay the course. That means taking the time to choose meals and snacks appealing to YOU rather than going with a structured plan. For some words of encouragement to take this path you may want to read a helpful blog post by The “LeanGreenMama” on
Baby-Step Your Way to Healthy Eating and Happy Living.
My next recommendation for you is to take a look at some of the many articles and other resources that have become available recently on what you can do to keep your food budget under control and still eat healthfully. If budget constraints make it necessary for you to shop carefully, I’m sure you’ll find some worthwhile tips. And hey, if you are not experiencing a financial pinch unlike many Americans, you might still find ways to save on your food expenditures and put those savings to better use elsewhere.
An article that appeared recently in Reader’s Digest online magazine is a good place to start. With “Healthy Grocery Store Choices: Learn to Efficiently Shop for Healthy Foods” you might discover some basic tips for reigning in your food budget yet still eat well. I can’t say that I agree with all of the recommendations but most are good. I’ll share my own list sometime.
Another resource I have to share with respect to eating inexpensively yet healthfully is the blog of one determined North Carolina woman who set out to share how she was able to eat a nutritious diet on only $1.00 a day for a month. She actually succeeded and lost 8 pounds as well! I’ve only begun to explore her experiences as shared on her blog. I find it hard to believe that she managed this feat without sacrificing her health but she seems to have done fairly well.
Eating Healthy on One Dollar a Day
Less is Enough (The blog where the North Carolina woman chronicles her experiences.)
Finally, I would encourage you to take a peak at the blog of a resourceful young woman in New York City who shares her adventures with healthy inexpensive meals and snacks. She shares recipes, photos, and a complete nutrition breakdown along with the cost per serving for the yummy looking food she prepares. Very nice!
As an example you might want to start out by taking a look at her recipe for Guacamole-Bean Dip made with cannellini beans and half a ripe avocado. This delicious looking recipe (haven’t tried it yet) has only 60 calories per serving at a cost of only 20 cents (per serving) and that’s in New York City!
To wrap up today’s post I’d like to share some fun comments I came across on Twitter. Are you familiar with twitter? Twitter is a social networking service that provides you with a way to share short thoughts with others. Each post can have no more than 140 characters. (If you’d like to follow me on Twitter my twitter name is lpirog (http://twitter.com/lpirog)
“Overheard” on twitter:
A woman talking about a restaurant she used to frequent before learning that her son needed to be on a special diet…”Now they have a gluton free menu. We will be back.” I’d love to see THAT menu!!! (I’m sure she meant to type in gluten-free!)
Another person commenting about her new healthy habits: “Eating healthy makes me feel awesome!”
And yet another with a different perspective: “Eating salad at the office…. healthful stuff…. i hate the taste of it…”
That last comment is a shame. Healthful eating doesn’t need to be a punishment. I’ve found lots of meals and snacks and yes, salads that I think are awesome! I have so many good recipes. I need to be sharing them more often…
Speaking of twitter, I just now received a message that I have a new follower; someone who calls herself the Coupon Princess. I took a look at her site to see what she has to offer. Seems like there might be some worthwhile tips and coupons to save money at the grocery store. I’ll keep you posted if I think it is something you may want to follow up on.
Till next time, be mindful of your food purchases, watch those calories, and most importantly eat healthy food!
