Why Healthy Eating is Not Expensive

Since our most recent bout of illness here, I've been reinspired to get back to healthy eating. Seven years ago I got fed up with my family being sick, and we switched from our standard American diet to a whole foods, vegan, proper food combining diet. Our first meal on the new diet was homemade hummus on whole wheat bread with broccoli sprouts. Sullen took one look at it and said What. on. earth. is. this? and from that day forward hummus has been known in this family as 'mucous' thanks to his charming description...

Due to a variety of circumstances we fell off the ultra-health wagon after about a year, and since then it's been kind of hit-or-miss around here as to how healthy I can keep things. I've also grown and changed a bit in my opinions of what would be healthy eating. While I'd say our diet is probably considered quite healthy by others, it's nowhere near what I consider truly healthy, and it's obviously not healthy enough to keep me and my family from being sick every time we turn around.

It takes a lot of energy to do the super-healthy thing. I can definitely do it if I put it on the front burner. I've got most of the right equipment, and most of the knowledge needed to make a variety of good-tasting healthy foods. The main problem is that I have about two front burners in my brain, and typically have 10-20 items that could potentially be on one or the other of those. I can do the healthy, but something else won't be getting very much attention.

Right now health feels very important to me, and I've decided to take some "baby steps" during this pay period toward getting us eating healthier.

Today I went to a little Amish store near here that sells bulk foods and got stocked up on nuts and seeds and honey and so forth that I need for lots of our healthy recipes. Since I've returned home I've made some wonderful healthy treats (they are so good that you would not think they are healthy) and have some items going in the dehydrator and soaking on the counter. I may only be able to keep healthy eating on the burner for a day or two or three, but it's better than nothing.

While at the Amish store I bought a small package of whole wheat raspberry cookies. They are sort of like fig newtons, but a little bigger. And healthier.

In the car I handed out a cookie to each child that I had along with me. They ate them without comment.

Just a few moments ago I went into the kitchen to check on my three youngest boys. I noticed that I had 3 of these healthy cookies left in the bag.

ME: Who wants a cookie?!

THEM: ME!!!!!!!!!
(they come running over)

I then put forth one cookie and they all freeze in their tracks and look at it with mild skepticism.

THEM: What's that?

Me: A cookie?

Them: No thanks.

See? See?? Healthy eating can be cheap!!! A bargain! And no mess! No fuss! It's revolutionary!