Hello friends….it’s been awhile. I hope you all don’t think I’ve abandoned this blog. As I mentioned a couple posts ago, there has been a lot going on lately. I’m nearing the end of grad school; in fact, I will graduate six weeks from yesterday. I’m busy at my (unpaid) internship, and I’ve been in physical therapy for my back. I’m spending most of my “free time” scouring the internet for jobs and perusing research articles for my upcoming poster conference and final project. My husband and I got away for a few days to visit NYC while he was there doing some work, so we got to enjoy a new city and relax for a bit. But perhaps one of the most notable things that’s occurred has been some education that we’ve received in the last week or so in the form of several documentaries.
I’m not sure why, but we have taken an interest in documentaries since watching Food, Inc. I saw it a couple months ago but my husband finally got around to watching it earlier this week. He’s been sick the last few days and so we’ve been laying low, watching movies online via instant Netflix. In the last 48-72 hours, we’ve also watched Capitalism: A Love Story, Super Size Me, and Walmart: The High Cost of a Low Price. All interesting, all eye-opening, all appalling. Now I’m the first to realize and admit that these film makers are trying to tell their side of the story and that every one of them is biased. However…facts are facts, folks, and I’ve come away from watching all these films utterly disgusted at how large corporations are running, and ruining, this country.
It might seem like this rant is a tangent not related to the title of this post, but I beg you to consider the truth of the subtitle “the high cost of a low price”. Whether it is the unethical treatment of factory workers and store associates that allows Walmart to offer “Always Low Prices”, or Big Food driving down the cost of junk food made with HFCS and fillers and driving family farmers out of business…this is wrong. And I won’t support it.
People often ask me why I shop at Whole Foods…or scoff when I tell them I do…or comment on how expensive it is. In fact, I found out a family friend refers to the store as “Whole Paycheck”. I could write a short novel on all the reasons and all the circumstances, but I will boil it down to these few points:
-they sell foods that are part of my anti-inflammation diet and are difficult to find
-they sell wholesome, local products and natural, non-toxic personal care and cleansing products
-I support their business model, values, and I know they treat their employees well
-they give back to the community and care about the environment
-there is a store 3 blocks from my house
-believe or not, their prices are reasonable
I know some people are going to read that last one and laugh or simply not believe me. But the truth of the matter is that with planning and wise choices, shopping for good, wholesome foods is financially feasible. And it doesn’t have to be at Whole Foods, there are most definitely other places to buy healthy foods…but I wanted to use Whole Foods as an example because there is a misconception that it costs an arm and a leg to shop there. Since being at this internship, which required leaving my job, we’ve had to be more conscious of our money and have a tight budget. And we’ve sacrificed some things…a Starbucks habit…eating out for lunch…even cable TV. These things are not essentials, but healthy, whole foods that are building blocks to good health and decreasing the risk for some diseases, are essential. Eating well on a budget takes time and energy, but it’s possible and it’s worth it.
Let me give you an idea of my weekly routine. On the weekend I plan dinners for the week, and sometimes I will stop by the store on Saturday and see what sales are going on so I can plan for meals that include sale ingredients. When I cook dinner, leftovers usually serve as our lunches. Sunday afternoon or evening, we go to the store then I come home and make dinner. I don’t typically cook again until Wednesday nights because I’m at my internship in the evenings Monday and Tuesday, so on Wednesday I cook again and we’ll have leftovers for the next couple days.
I just got back from the grocery store with this week’s food. What’s on the menu this week?
-chicken and veggie stir fry
-lemon & white wine quinoa (modified from this WF recipe)
-tacos
Notice that these are healthy meals prepared with whole, mostly unprocessed ingredients. Some of the veggies I got are organic, some are not. I try to shop based on the Environmental Working Group’s Shopping Guide to Pesticides. We had a few of these ingredients at home, but I did have to buy most of them. Lots of fresh veggies, some grass fed ground beef and free range chicken breasts, a few canned items and some brown rice. The total bill for this week’s groceries? $41.42. And I even got myself a bottle of iced tea.
Consider that the next time you think eating well and buying from a socially responsible company is too expensive.
