The Cost of Eating Well

I want to go see the movie Food Inc. I've heard it's going to make me never want to eat again which might be tough (but will sure help with the diet :). I watched a preview for it last night, and I think the basic concept is how the Food Industry has become really powerful and is dangerously unregulated, that the American public is eating things that could be harming our health over time. Overuse of hormones, inhumane treatment of animals, overprocessing- all of which has led to food that has less nutrients than it should and our bodies are not getting what they need. The "solution" seemed to be to "fight back" against the food industry by supporting local farmers and shopping at Farmers Markets rather than the large grocery chains.
It's an interesting concept & I definitely want to see the movie. I'm all for supporting local foods- but to be honest, price, selection & convenience also are a factor in where I shop. I'll keep you posted if I change my tune once I see the movie!
Speaking of price- this morning as I was eating breakfast I was thinking about how one of the common arguments against eating healthy is that it's "too expensive". And I agree- it can be. But there are definitely ways around that. For example- my breakfast this morning was an Egg White McMuffin with cheese & scallions. At McDonalds- the same Egg McMuffin would cost between $3-4 and have 300 calories (still not bad- I actually reccomend this if you're going to have a fast food breakfast). I calculated the cost on mine and it went like this:
Light Thomas Brand English Muffins (8) $3.49 +Carton Egg Whites 15 servings $2.99 +Bag pre-shredded lucerne reduced fat cheddar cheese (8 servings but I only used half a serving) $3.99+
Scallions 99cents (used about 1/6 of stock) =
Total cost for my Egg White McMuffin was $1.23 and only 185 calories. Oh and did I mention it was delicious and filling? Serve with a side of fruit and you've got a great start to the day.
Even my usual breakfast- a bowl of Kashi Go Lean Crunch comes in at 200 calories- 240 with milk and at $4.29 a box(and that's not even a sale price) divided by 16 servings comes out to 27 cents a day! Wow- I tend to be a little obsessive about deals when it comes to shopping for clothes- I don't want to get too hooked on this food thing... Next thing you know I'll be updating Chris daily on how much $$ I saved by eating healthy that day! He got an email yesterday detailing how much money I'd saved at Old Navy (is everyone aware of their 50% off all outerware sale??) Ok- Stopping calculations now :) but seriously- no more cost excuses for not eating healthy!
XO
Chel