Budgeting for Healthy Eating, Part Two

The second posting in our Budgeting for Healthy Eating series is written by another friend of EF, Rachel. A mommy of two and one of the sweetest, most organized people I know, Rachel has some fantastic tips for shopping with a healthy, happy family in mind.

------------------------------------------------------------

Stick to your shopping list - for the most part! - by not giving into impulse purchases, but do leave a little wiggle room for sales you may come across of items that you use frequently. (Because next week, when you might actually need them, they won’t be on sale anymore!) For example, if you know that you use whole almonds for snacking and in recipes, then by all means, stock up when they go on sale! The other day I was going to pick up a rotisserie chicken, and happened to see that they had cold rotisserie chickens on sale. Instead of paying $6.99 for a hot one, I got the exact same thing (just cold!) for $3.99! So, I got several so that I could debone and freeze it for future recipes. The point is, keep your eyes open for sales. And by shopping smart (and comparing price per unit, verses total price), you can save a lot of money in the long run. 

Buy in season. Yes, you may love fresh strawberries and blueberries, but if they are not in season, you may end up paying a ridiculous amount for them. In those cases, you can do one of two things: 1) Opt to buy frozen ones instead. They are just as healthy as fresh ones (they were frozen when they were at their peak of freshness), but can be a lot cheaper. Or 2) Try something new. Don't be afraid to branch out and try out something that is in season! Who knows, you may discover a new favorite fruit or vegetable! 

Reduce waste. Everyone knows that throwing away food that has gone bad is like throwing your money in the trash can. So dig through that fridge and make sure that you know what is in there! Since you might be eating a lot more fresh produce during this Clean Eating Challenge (good for you!), make sure you store those items properly, and consume them before the week is out. 

Planning out your meals wisely and ahead of time will help to reduce waste. A good tip to remember is to order your weekly meals by eating those groceries that will perish faster earlier in the week. For example, if your menu includes beef stew on one day, and lettuce wraps on another, cook the lettuce wraps first. The carrots and other root vegetables for the stew will last a lot longer than the fragile lettuce for the wraps. Don’t wait until the end of the week to make them, only to discover your lettuce has wilted or browned. 

Another tip is to prep those fruits and veggies as soon as you bring them home, so that they are less likely to mold or spoil. One thing you will want to have in your pantry is white or apple cider vinegar. Soak/wash your produce in a diluted solution of vinegar and water (i.e., fill your sink half full of water, and then pour about a 1/2 cup of vinegar in it). The vinegar is a natural way to clean produce, and the acidity will not only kill any “bad stuff” on the food, but will also help prevent mold from growing on things like strawberries, grapes, oranges, etc. (And don’t worry about the vinegar smell/taste - just pat items dry and the smell should evaporate, leaving no lingering vinegar taste.) 

Freezer 

I hope you realize how valuable your freezer can be! If not, then here are some tips to help you utilize it so that you can keep your clean eating on a budget! 

Double up: Double up recipes (hopefully from extra sale items) and make 2 of everything. That way, it's ready and "fast" and you'll be less likely to spend money on "dirty" fast food in a pinch. And, it doesn’t have to be a “casserole.” It can be soup, stews, breakfast casseroles, pre-made waffles, or just cut and prepped fruits and vegetables. 

Buy in season: Buy things like fresh veggies and fruit when they are in season, and prep and freeze them so that you have some tucked away when those items go back up in price (not in season anymore). 

Leftovers: Portion out leftovers in quart-sized freezer safe ziplocks, so that they are ready to grab and go when you are in a hurry, or need to pack something for lunches. This will save you money on eating out, and ensure that your lunches are “clean.” Also, we all know that leftovers can get tiresome, so instead of eating a meal’s leftovers all week long, go ahead and freeze some of it the next day. That way, you won’t be tired of eating it, and it won’t sit in your fridge all week and end up spoiling! 

Ice cube trays. Think outside the box. There are a lot of things you may be tempted to throw away - like the tiny bit of unused tomato paste leftover from a recipe (happens to everyone!) - but you can quickly freeze these kinds of things in ice cube trays (and then store cubes in a freezer-safe bag,) and then the next time a recipe calls for 1 or 2 Tablespoons of tomato paste, you will have it. Here is a brief list of things you can freeze in small portions that will save you money:

Tomato paste

Pizza sauce (I make a whole batch, and then freeze it all in trays. Then, when I make a pizza, I only have to grab a few cubes per pizza, instead of making the sauce each and every time. Saves time and money!) 

Pesto

Smoothie mix (You can pre-make baggies full of smoothie ingredients, or save even more space and time by blending them all together at once, and then freezing the mix in trays. When you need a smoothie, simply blend a handful of cubes with your favorite (clean!) liquid. (Almond milk, regular milk, soy milk, coconut milk, juice, coconut water, etc.) 

Yogurt (To add to smoothies. Also good for making healthy “popsicles” with the yogurt you need to eat up before it goes bad.)

Applesauce (handy for tossing into hot oatmeal that you need to cool down fast!) 

Broth

 Coffee (Use to make your own iced coffee drinks, so you don’t have to spend money on fancy coffee drinks!)

Waste not, want not: Make sure you are not throwing your (invested) money away by keeping your food safe from freezer burn, and make sure to eat them from the oldest dated item to the newest. This will ensure that nothing goes to waste. I won’t go into detail about the specifics on how to freeze properly and what can and cannot be frozen. There are a lot of great articles and resources out there that cover those tips in better detail than I can here. However, here are a few links to help get you started if you need it!

Freezing produce
Freezer Tips
Saving time by freezing ahead

---------------

Rachel Maddox is a wife and mother of two very busy little bees. She is a master planner (I am amazed 

by her weekly meal list posted on a white board in her kitchen), and overall great gal. Her favorite form of exercise is hiking and her healthy meal of choice is homemade veggie pizza...with a freshly-ground, whole wheat crust, of course.

Budgeting for Healthy Eating, Part One

This first posting in our Budgeting for Healthy Eating series comes from a dear friend and overall amazing gal, Astrid. She is happy to join Team Elevated Fitness to share her years of experience with family finances and budgets. Thanks, Astrid!

------

Budgeting for fresh, non-processed foods can sometimes be a challenge, especially for the "newly converted". Here are some tips that will keep you within your grocery budget and eating healthfully.  

Budget and Plan:  For an average family, 15% of your total monthly budget should be going towards food (yes this includes eating out!).  Once you have this guideline, make a list that fits your budget.  Stick to the list and avoid impulse buys.  The most expensive food is ALWAYS the food that gets thrown away!!!  Additionally, have flexibility in your list and weekly menus for sale items.

Shop the perimeter:  Produce, dairy, meat are primarily located on the outside of the store;   processed, convenience foods tend to be located in the inner isles.  When eating a healthful, clean diet, most of your grocery budget will come from the perimeter.  

Coupons are not always your friends:  Coupons are great…when you can cash them in for products you actually use.  Many times, coupons entice a customer to buy a product they normally don’t use.  Check to see if the coupon makes sense to use.  

BOGO and warehouse deals may cost you more:  Make sure you are checking unit prices on items.  Often the larger quantity is the better deal.  However, retailers are getting tricky and upping the price on larger items in the hopes the consumer is not savvy to the price versus quantity difference.

They have an app for that!:  There are several excellent apps that make shopping on a budget easier.  Several I like are:

     Shopping list – a simple to use, straightforward app which allows you to create multiple lists.  Remembers frequent purchases.  Can sync with several users.

     Grocery Genius – This app helps determine which stores have sales on items on your list.  Will plan your shopping trip to maximize savings.

     ShopWell – Created by dieticians, ShopWell has a barcode scanner that allows you to scan foods to determine if the ingredients are a good fit for your personal diet/nutrition guidelines.  This app also makes suggestions based on your scans.

     eMEals.com - (click on the eMeals link on the right hand side of the blog) This site has a variety of dinner-based meal plans to fit your family's dietary needs, all for a few dollars a month. Clean Eating, Paleo, and Slow Cooker, are just a few examples. Meal plans even come with corresponding shopping lists. If you download the free eMeals app, you can take your shopping list(s) with you; deleting recipes that you'd rather not shop for. 

Good health is always worth the investment: An investment today in healthy, clean food, is much cheaper than a lifetime of healthcare related costs.  The question really is:  can you afford NOT to eat healthy?

---------

Astrid Lutter is an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC) and holds a Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA). 
Her counseling specializes in the unique needs of military members and their families. 

Her favorite form of exercise is Spinning and her healthy food of choice is any kind of roasted green veggie. 

It's not so simple...

Just last week I was contacted by a public affairs journalist at Cannon Air Force Base. She was interested in writing an article about New Years resolutions and wanted to reference a personal trainer on the issue. I was happy to oblige.

The three questions she asked were not out of the ordinary, but for some reason, I had a hard time answering them simply. So I didn’t...but I digress.

The following questions were posed:

What is the most appropriate exercise for men and women to maintain good health long term, how frequently should it be performed, and what is the 12 month realistic expectation? 

What is the most appropriate exercise for men and women to build muscle mass, how frequently should it be performed, and what is the 12 month realistic expectation? 

What is the most appropriate exercise for men and women to lose weight, how frequently should it be performed, and what is the 12 month realistic expectation?

The final question asked if there were any other points that I would like to elaborate on that were not already covered.

---Before I dive in, I want to be explicitly clear on one point: I am not, in any way, badmouthing these questions.---

Unfortunately, the answers to these questions are not so simple. So many factors affect weight-loss or -gain, the building of muscle or endurance and improvement general fitness / wellness. And if it were as simple as a few sentences, I would either be out of business or a millionaire for discovering the holy grail. So, aside from a very brief comment to question #3 regarding diet as the most appropriate exercise for weight loss, I did not respond. Instead, I wrote a few paragraphs regarding these simple questions. see below

Here’s the meat: Everyone is different. It doesn’t matter if we are talking exercise or diet. What may work for one may not work for all. I have learned this not only through nearly a decade of personal training, but 20+ years of living with a chronic disease (remember when I talked about my UC?). Yes, it is frustrating and yes, it takes time, but most of us have to find a special recipe of stress reduction, good nutrition, physical and brain exercise and sleep to truly reach our goals.

Here is my official response:

It is nearly impossible to answer these questions effectively with no knowledge of the client’s history. If I were to say, “If you do one exercise in 2014, it should be deadlifts,” there would be folks that would perform only deadlifts as a mode to build strength. Or, for example, if I were to advise clients that running is the best mode of cardio, I would be doing them a disservice. Both situations encourage not only imbalance but a little bit of craziness. After all, how likely would you be to stick with a program that repeated the same exercises day after day after day? 

For the general public and professional athletes alike, balance is extremely important. Do you want to run faster or bike farther? Start lifting 2-3 times weekly. Do you want to improve your lifts? Start with some basic yoga. Too often we see people trying to improve their PT run by running more. Sure, there is something to be said about the law of specificity, but there is a also a point of diminishing returns. Logging junk miles or junk lifts get you nowhere. Your workouts must have direction.

Although we all react differently to diet and exercise, one thing is certain: using exercise to reach your goals is a waste of time without proper eating habits to supplement your hard work. I cannot stress this enough. Just as there is not one “best-fit” single exercise or exercise program, there is not one dietary regimen that works for all. However, for most folks, eating “clean” is a wonderful starting point.  Everyone would benefit from eating less processed foods and sugars, more vegetables, a moderate amount of fruit, consuming higher quality proteins and fats and reducing their intake of supplements in the form of drinks, shakes and bars. Eat real food. 

My best general advice to those looking to improve their health in 2014 is to 1) Find an activity that you enjoy. 2) Find balance in your regimen. 3) Eat clean. 4) Find someone that will help keep you accountable. 

Regarding a “realistic 12 month expectation”, it doesn’t exist. Factors affecting weight loss include starting weight and body composition, stress, amount of restful sleep, rotating work schedules, family obligations, commitment to diet, etc. Work hard, eat well and find balance in your fitness pursuits. Rushing the process can often lead to disappointment and, in turn, giving up on your goals. 

After I hit “send”, it occurred to me that I should have answered each question with one simple word: accountability. If you want to succeed, you need to find a friend, family member, coach or other professional that will help keep you accountable to not only your goals, but the process behind achieving those goals. 

So by now, there are many of you that are probably very disappointed because I didn’t reveal to you the magical 30 second workout that will shed fat and build muscle. Or the lemon juice and cayenne cleanse that will solve all of your indigestion while at the same time giving you hours of energy and, oh yeah, did you know that you’ll learn how to speak Greek in less than a week? Give me a break.

So I will throw you a bone. Despite my attempt to be moderately PC and keep most people somewhat happy, I am about to list a few things that might tick you off…

But you’ll have to come back tomorrow to find out.  :)