Eating Healthy is NOT Expensive

Before I changed my lifestyle, I like many other people thought that it would be too expensive. You see with it only being me(in my family) making these changes, I knew that I would have to continue to cook the things for my family that they like. Just because I made these changes did not mean that I could totally pull all the things out of the house that I was not eating. Truthfully it would have been awesome to be able to do that. I would have loved to be able to make a total transformation in my kitchen. And honestly, it would probably be much easier on me to make these changes and lose weight if I was not the only one making these changes. And this is something that held me back for a long time.

But I have to say that my family has made gradual changes to be healthier- and here are some examples of that: my husband gave up Dr. Pepper - long before I was able to give up soda's. My son is not drinking soda's any where near as much as he used to and he drinks more water. Yes - he is 18 and drinks actual water. In this day and age, that in its self amazing. I know women much old than him who do not drink water at all - coffee when they wake up and diet coke the rest of the time - the only saving grace is that they drink it with some ice. But what is so sad is that they do not realize that because they do not get enough water - they are dehydrated and when you are dehydrated - you do not think very well and you are tired. There are many other draw backs to being dehydrated -that was just to list a couple for you.

Anyway so in September when I went to this seminar and watched the "Forks Over Knives" movie - I realized that even if I were the only one in the family doing it - I had to do it. God had shown me truth and even if it was going against the grain - I had to do it. I was still worried about being able to afford to to it. But I have been amazed.

In order to eat a plant based diet - does not mean that everything has to be organic. You can spend some really big bucks if you want to by buying everything organic. And if you would like you can do it that way- but it is not necessary.

You will be surprised at how much money you save on things like sodas. I would keep sodas here for each of us - each of us had our favorites and I would keep a 24 pack for the week for each of us. And then of course, I LOVED Fastaco and Chicken Expresses Sweet Tea. And many times we went to one of these places at least once a week for a Large Sweet Tea. And then when I would go grocery shopping I would buy a can of Coke - $.75 a pop. And then when I was at work -sometimes I would buy one there as well. This money adds up - it really does. Because since September - I no longer buy soda's when I am out shopping. Now I take a 20 oz. water bottle with me anytime I leave the house. And no I don't buy water - it might be healthier but we can not afford that. I keep my bottle and refill it any time I need it. It is a good way to keep track of how much water I am drinking. I drink out of it all the time even here at home. The main reason I drink out of it here at home - is I have a cat that loves to get into what ever I am drinking and he will stick his paw into the glass and get water and continue to do this and sometimes he knocks the glass over trying to get a drink.

Now sometimes when we are out and about, I really miss my large sweet tea. It had the crushed ice which I loved. But I am so thankful for the changes that I have made and I am thankful that it does not cost a lot to eat healthier. You would be surprised at how much cheaper eating fruits and veggies, whole grains and nuts are for you to eat. Many of the processed foods and meat are the things that really add a lot of cost to your food budget. Well I am not lucky enough to be able to go without buying those things but I am watching and trying to get the best deals possible on those things. And another great thing is that things like fresh fruits and veggies and dried beans and canned bean and such are nontaxable - which save a lot of money as well. I have been so surprised at the fact that I can eat good for not a lot of money.

I am glad that I finally decided that I was worth taking care of and worth making the changes even if no one else in the house made these changes. There will be times in our lives that we have to stand up for what is right - even when our families do not make the same decisions that we make. When God speaks to our hearts - we need to obey God.

"But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men." Acts 5:29