But Healthy food is too expensive!
It is interesting to me when I hear people complain about how healthy eating is just too expensive. Yet, many of these very same people will be among the first in line to grab the delectable offerings Starbuck’s has to offer like the Unicorn Frappuccino (debuting Mid-April 2017). A venti Unicorn Frappuccino, or any other Frappuccino for that matter, will cost you about $6 monetarily, and far more physically.
Consider that this Unicorn Frappuccino in venti size has 500 calories of the worst kind, liquid sugar that is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream wreaking complete havoc on blood sugar control. Furthermore, almost 80g carbs, ~59 of them from sugar. Quick math shows 4g sugar = 1 tsp, so this is 14 tsps of sugar!
Imagine yourself sitting at the table spooning sugar into your mouth (I think some of us did this at one time or another as children) 14 times! How about 2 packs of sour patch kids? Or perhaps 4 packages of gummy bears (my favorite are Haribo!)? Would you sit and eat any of these in the span of 20 minutes? Lastly, we get 18 grams of fat.
Now, I am not on the low-fat band wagon by any means, some days my fat content is over 40% of my daily calories, but this is the worst kind of fat you can consume. This fat will be, at best, incorporated into every cell wall in your body; at worst, it will be left undigested and rot in your gut to feed all those bad bacteria eagerly awaiting their next meal. We are PAYING good money for this experience. These days there is a Starbucks on nearly every major intersection. Guys, we “treat” our young children to this, and our growing teens, who need good nutrition the most. If you think there is a diabetes/obesity epidemic now, watch out. It is truly terrifying.
Back to money, the issue with healthy eating is not about money as evidenced by the list below. It is about something more. We are addicted to our hyper palatable modern foods. These foods are like drugs. They are designed that way, to make you want more and more. We use them to ease our pain and to mask our emotions. The thing is though, that these foods come at a much higher price than dollars.
My friend who is pre-diabetic and has hormonal issues “can’t afford good food” but ends up with a complete hysterectomy, which solved none of her issues, in fact it made her WORSE and she lives in daily pain. Another friend who has obvious digestive issues and severe blood sugar imbalance who “just can’t change” her diet because she has “no money” is now dealing with numerous ER visits and needs to see a specialist because she has severe intestinal issues. A family member who just “wants her food to taste good” is severely diabetic and has been in the hospital with heart attacks and strokes numerous times in the last few months. Seven medications have been added to her regimen. And yet another friend who thinks healthy eating is too restricting has had to have her thyroid removed and the consequential hormonal upheaval has resulted in a dissolved marriage. This is serious business.
Your $6 Unicorn Frappuccino is costing you FAR far more than $6. Why is it you don’t want to eat well? Be real with yourself. Perhaps, it isn’t about the money.
Delicious + healthy foods that cost less than a Frappuccino:
Handful of cashews ($2) + pack strawberries (~$2)
Organic honey crisp apple (~$2) + 2-3 tbsps raw organic almond butter (~$.50)
Cucumbers (~$1) and hummus (~$1)
Carrots (~$1) and homemade ranch (~$1)
An Epic bar (~$2)
An awesome smoothie at any quality juice bar (~$5) packed with real fruit + good protein
A pound of grass-fed ground beef or pastured pork ($6)
Pastured bacon ($4 pack) sautéed with pretty much any veggie ($1)
Organic plain yogurt ($2) + drizzle of raw honey or maple syrup ($.25) + blueberries ($1)
Kombucha ($3)
A dozen pastured eggs (~$4)
A package of einkorn pasta ($5) and some raw milk cheese ($1) and real butter ($.50)
A huge and delicious salad of almost any kind drizzled with olive oil and vinegar (~$5)
A fillet of wild caught salmon (~$5)
An organic baked potato ($1) + cultured butter ($1) and chives (cents)
A steamed lobster tail (~$7-9)
The list goes on and on and on. These foods fill your tummy AND nourish your body. They are sustainable energy that get you off of the blood sugar roller coaster and they do not break the bank. These foods, however, will not feed your sugar addiction nor numb your pain, which is the very problem here in America. This is the reason we don’t eat well. It isn’t $. The idea that healthy food is expensive is a lie. It cannot be your excuse. What is expensive is a $6 Frappuccino habit leading to drugs, surgery and depleted energy and vitality. Don’t be a slave to your taste buds.
