Daily Archive

Efficient menu by andreasmarx

(Rant warning) It’s not that I don’t understand. I have a larger-than-average family to feed. Of the seven of us, three are teenagers that seem to eat their weight in whatever they can lay hands on daily. We’ve also been self-employed for the past 18 months since being laid off; working six-day weeks to scrape by on freelance assignments paid hourly, just making the mortgage, doing without health insurance, cutting back further and further on what we once considered necessities. Our income dropped by 2/3 in 2008 and here, at the end of 2009, is still running 1/3 less than we made just two years ago.

When I say our food budget is a full fourth of our income (that’s 25%, compared to the 9-11% the average American spends) it’s not because we’re eating expensive food, it’s because I have mindfully and carefully chosen the food my growing children eat to be one of my top priorities regardless of the insufficiency of our income. We keep a roof over our heads and health-supporting food on our table. If we wear last decade’s clothes with a few mended holes, we can deal with that because clothes are for covering and warmth here. Shoes provide protection from the elements in our house, they aren’t fashion statements. Our car is a servant that provides transportation from point A to B, it is not a commentary on our political or sociological views. We all make choices and these are some of mine.

Everyone has to make their own choices, of course. But assuming healthy food is out of your economic reach without actually doing the math or choosing not to make informed choices is selling yourself short.

So when I read that the economy has “forced” families to choose less healthy options at the grocery store, I get a little riled. There are so many better ways to eat inexpensively besides going for the lunch of chips and Coke. From the above article:

Mintel, the market research firm, is tracking double-digit sales gains for salty snacks as well as popcorn and cheese snacks this year. Potato chip sales are up 22 percent this year compared with 2007 while tortilla chips sales are rising 18 percent.

To me, these increases mean that more Americans are turning to Frito Lay as the basis for a meal. Lunch becomes the chip and soda as the more expensive sandwich and and less filling soup fall to the wayside. Junk food Snack food companies are reporting record years.

There is a better way.

If you, or someone whose health is important to you, is challenged financially, take heart. There are some great options for less expensive food that is still nourishing. Here are some examples:

• Jenny, over at Nourished Kitchen, just finished feeding her family on whole, fresh, nourishing foods for an entire month. She spent less than $227 for the whole month. Her menus, recipes and notes are inspiring.
• Kelly the Kitchen Kop corralled help for someone overwhelmed with the cost of real food from her readers. Lots of great tips here.
• While you’re there, go visit Kelly’s article about Anne Sergeant and download the “Eating Healthy Shouldn’t Cost an Arm and a Leg” PDF.
• There are some yummy $5 meals at Organic and Thrifty
• Kimi serves up nourishing but frugal dishes and shares her recipes with us at Nourished Gourmet
• Food Renegade’s food savings category has some terrific tips and challenging logic

In short, there are just too many great options to fall into the frozen pizza/chips/kool aid trap. Nourishing your body is something you have to do. You can’t just “turn off service” like you would a phone or TV to save a few bucks. There are long-term consequences to feeding yourself poorly for an extended period of time. Children’s bodies suffer most: with lack of concentration, poor growth and bad habits formed that will be hard to break. Some deficiencies can cause problems for several generations beyond our own. Let’s not spend fifteen minutes chatting with our spouses about tonight’s TV schedule then open a can of soup because we don’t have time to chop a vegetable or two and add it to homemade broth. (Rant over, thank you for your patience.)

This post is part of Fight Back Friday, hosted by the ever rebellious but rarely ranting Food Renegade.