Food is Medicine, EAT IT!!

Food has turned into the enemy of our society; the stories we hear in the media as well as the stories we tell ourselves… “Eat less to weigh less” “healthy food costs too much” “will power protects you from resisting temptation...”

Today, one of the people who I meet with regularly for wellness coaching raised an interesting observation: every major street has a fast food restaurant. Okay, I know what you are thinking, “who cares? We already knew that.” Well, on the same street, you will find at least one pharmacy. Essentially, we eat ourselves to death and try to recover through pills and then complain that they cost too much.

“Don’t boil the devil out of vegetables. Use only enough water, cook them until just tender. Why waste precious vitamins, and then buy them back in pill form?” – Ducan Hines

Food IS our medicine, we need to EAT it! I tried using the story, “Kelley, healthy food is too expensive.” But, I arrived at an exciting epiphany: HEALTHY FOOD IS CHEAP!!! You think I am crazy? Check this out!

One bag of frozen blueberries, 2 pounds of oatmeal, and 1 pound of nuts (almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds) cost: $14. This will last 2 people 7 days equaling= $1/day per person! How is something unhealthy cheaper??

• Dunkin Donuts donut?? Okay, you are right…we could probably grab a donut for .76 cents, but we can’t forget that the monthly cost of blood pressure medication is $10-$300 per MONTH!! (consumerreports/health.org) Not to mention, in 2010, high blood pressure will cost the U.S. 76.6 BILLION in healthcare!!!! Still think the donut is cheaper??

Okay, it’s not all about donuts either. Half the food we think is healthy is filled with preservatives, sodium, and sugar. This weekend, I was checking out oatmeal available at Hannaford, “WEIGHT CONTROL” “HEART HEALTH” oats…I checked out the ingredient list, and here’s the deal, if they have money to advertise their health claims, they are LYING! They are tricking you into believe their product is healthy. True farmers don’t have the $$ to advertise. Quaker Oats are safe, indulge!

Why did I choose oatmeal to shoot for oatmeal, blueberries and nuts for breakfast? Well, first off, this is the cheapest healthy breakfast I could design. Plus, all five foods are super! Combined this breakfast contains valuable soluble fibers, vitamin C, antioxidants, protein, and numerous vitamins and minerals.

We don’t need to eat less, resist temptation, or tell ourselves that health food is too expensive. Food is MEDICINE! We need to love our food and think about how we can feed our body the most nutritious foods at every opportunity. Healthy food is CHEAP when you think of the alternative. Food is our medicine, eat up!!