How To Allocate The Same Resources To Buy Healthier Foods

[Anonymous]

Taking a look at this Fresh Thyme ad, I see that Hass Avocados are 4 for $1. That's about 25 cents apiece. At Walmart yesterday, I can find an ear of corn for about the same value. The cucumbers on the ad are about 50 cents apiece. At my local Fresh Thyme store, I can find cucumbers at about 33 cents a piece (3 for $1). Some of the vegetables are not really on sale, but compared to the Dollar Menu at a fast food restaurant, they are considerably more economical, because a bunch of spinach, when washed in water, can expand and look pretty large.

So, for example, you buy 4 Hass Avocados, 2 pounds of Green Beans, and 1 Bunch Spinach. That is equivalent to buying 1 McChicken, 1 Side Salad, and 1 Soft Drink. The Dollar Menu meal is only for one individual for one mealtime. Meanwhile, the Green Beans and Bunch Spinach can be stir-fried, and they can last one individual for a few mealtimes. To increase the apparent quantity of food, Green Beans and Spinach may be placed in a pot of water to make Bean-Spinach Soup. A raw avocado can be eaten on the side for dessert or as a snack. Because the avocado is so fatty, you are probably getting most of your calories from the avocado. That's okay. At least the avocado and bean-spinach soup are more nutrient-dense than the empty-calorie meal at McDonalds.

At a fast food restaurant, you have to wait in line. It doesn't matter whether you have to stand in line inside the restaurant or sit in your car in the drive-thru. You still have to wait before the cashier takes your order. At a supermarket or grocery store, there is no line. You just grab, weigh the proper amount, and go to the check-out line. At home, you do a quick stir-fry or bring water to a boil to make soup. If you can afford to wait 10-20 minutes in line at a fast food restaurant, then you can definitely wait 10-20 minutes for the home-cooked foods to be ready.

Conclusion

If the time and money spent on empty-calorie food choices is allocated to nutrient-dense food choices, then your body will thank you, because it will receive more usable nutrients for roughly the same amount of calories.

This does not mean you should never go to a fast food restaurant. It just means that you don't have to go there so frequently as your main source of nutrition. Sometimes, you want to take someone on a date. You know fast food tends to be on the expensive side, so buying expensive fast food will be a real treat for your date. Let your date choose whatever he or she wants on the menu, and to show off, you buy the most expensive meal deal on the menu. Buying expensive food lets your date know how wealthy you are.

[Anonymous]

This is great advice.