I think you should spend more on food. For a better life, it's as simple as that. Simple, but not easy.
 As someone raised to always buy things on sale, I wince when I see ads like this. The half gallon of organic milk in my fridge cost $4.59.
Fruit and vegetables that are free of pesticides, and meat, eggs and cheese from animals treated humanely and not pumped full of hormones and antibiotics aren't cheap.
Why?
Since switching to mostly organic, humanely raised food I feel healthier, happier, and am closer to the weight that feels right for me. I've changed what food we buy and where we buy it, and it's made all the difference.
I'd like to convince you to give this a try, but how can I talk about it without sounding insufferably holier-than-thou?
I'll try to stick to facts as I know them.
The organic and/or local food we now buy contains far fewer nasty chemicals (pesticides, growth hormones, etc.) than standard grocery store fare. You can argue about how much healthier organic food is, but there's no doubt that fewer chemicals are better.
Most of the meat we eat is humanely raised on small farms, not industrial feedlots. No added hormones or antibiotics. Our eggs are not just "cage-free," they're from chickens who actually roam around pastures and peck at bugs.
Partly to save money, and partly due to preference, we're eating less meat and more vegetables. Hard to quarrel with the benefits of that. I routinely use half the amount of meat called for in any recipe where it's not the main dish.
Better
Fewer chemicals and less processing mean better food. Better for our bodies, better for the planet, better for the local economy.
And let's not be selfish: it's also better for the people who raise, pick and process the food. If you're healthier not having pesticides in your food, imagine how much better it is for the workers to not be around those chemicals all day every day.
And better for the animals. I'm not opposed to killing animals so we can eat, but I'd like their lives to be decent and their deaths humane. If you've seen any of the many books, articles or movies about industrial-scale feedlots you know that problems abound.
If you share any of these concerns, why not change your approach to what you eat?
How to start
We all want to be healthier, right? Maybe happier? Maybe thinner? Two things made a big difference for me, and they might for you too.
1) I needed a reason to change life-long habits, and mine came in the form of Michael Pollan's entertaining and eye-opening Omnivore's Dilemma. This fascinating story of how supermarket food is produced, and why it's not good for you, made me stop and think about why I chose food based on price and not quality (and how to do better).
2) I had to find a place to buy better food. Fortunately in Cleveland we have good choices: CSAs and farmer's markets, including a few that operate year 'round.
For me the best solution was to join Fresh Fork Market, a local foods subscription service that works with 100 local farmers to provide fruit, vegetable, meat, eggs, cheese, beans, flour, and much more. They have pick-up locations all over the city.
Baby steps
Change is hard, so start small. This is an experiment, not a punishment. Try one of these small steps:
Learn about food vs. food-like substances in this WebMD article, MIchael Pollan's 7 Rules for Eating.
Cut back on processed food. One of Pollan's rules is: "Avoid food products containing ingredients that are:
a) unfamiliar
b) unpronounceable
c) more than five in number, or that
d) include high-fructose corn syrup"
Take something you use a lot and switch to organic/local. Milk and eggs are a good example.
Buy pasture-raised meat and offset the extra cost by using less of it. Your heart will thank you for this change too.
Go to a local farmer's market and buy your favorite fruits and veggies. While you're there, try something new. Ask how it was grown and how to cook it.
Eat less. I used to feel stuffed when I left the table, especially at a restaurant. Stuffed and a little guilty. Now I stop eating while still a little hungry and save what's left for tomorrow's lunch. At home I often take seconds but rarely thirds.
And above all, don't obsess over the cost, even if in your head you hear your Slovak parents' voices scolding you. Spending more on food protects your health and may make you happier. It's a way better investment than what you're paying for cable or cell phone service.
I'd love to hear what steps you start with, big or small, and where they take you. Drop me a line sometime.
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