The cost of eating healthier

Spring cleaning comes early in the Shelton home this year.  After everything Nicki and I have learned over the past month, we have cleaned out the fridge and the cupboards.  No more food with high fructose corn syrup, preservatives (mostly, I'll get to that in a bit), pastas and flour that aren't whole wheat, all things with aspartame.  We did leave behind our canned fruits and vegetables that didn't have anything but salt/water.  They aren't organic, but once we use them up we will continue to buy all organic when we can.

I know some of you are probably asking if it was worth it.  Undoubtedly, yes.

I started the month weighing in at a slightly sexy 187.5 lbs. and now I'm a slightly sexier 172 lbs.  

Last May we spent 208 dollars on groceries and 552 dollars eating out at restaurants.

This month we spent 599 dollars on food and 101 dollars eating out at restaurants.

I know it seems like a lot of money on groceries, but for us it was cheaper.  We spent $760 on food in may, and $700 on food this past month.  A lot of that money was spent the first week buying the necessary ingredients to cook out meals.  We had to restock olive/canola oils, new pasta, and new canned veggie/fruits.  During one week we spent less than 100 bucks on food. 

I may keep track next month on how much we spend on food and restaurants to have more of a realistic tally of a typical month.

A lot of people ask me if I feel any better.  Truthfully, no.  I never really felt bad though.  Maybe if I had some chronic issue, or got sick more often, it would be a different story.

I also get asked if I got any cravings.  Kind of, but not really.  I really wanted pickles the first week, but I got over that.  I used to leave work and smell the sweet sweet smells of Mi Mexico, but I don't really notice it now.  Before this month I couldn't make myself to not eat out for lunch, now I don't really think about it at all.  After the first 2 weeks I found some apple, pomegranate, and mango juices at the local grocery store, that helped a ton.

All in all, I don't plan to change too much in the upcoming months.  I will slack a bit here and there with the more strict rules like only eating sea salt and not going out to eat, but plan on continuing to have one week where I only eat organic just to make sure I keep on the healthy eating path.  

I probably wont quit blogging about new food information I find, or other recipes, but I will focus more on next months resolution.  Occasionally I will update new recipes that we find delicious. 

So you have seen what can happen when you change the way you eat.  Why not try it for a week and see how you do?