Why Real Healthy Food Tastes So Good

Today I'm being a little introspective, as I was inspired this morning to explore something. I was sitting on my porch in the sun, eating a sourdough Wasa cracker with small slices of locally made raw milk Gouda from my CSA share - a perfect combination of crisp & creamy, salty & nutty. Each bite tasted so wholesome and complete - I could practically feel my body thanking me. I had started off with half of a container of ripe, sweet purple raspberries, and as I finished my second cracker and the last of the cheese, I realized that was all I wanted for breakfast. So that's all I had.

Lettuces (Photo credit: AlyssssylA)

As I was eating, I pondered how perfect everything tasted, and thought about how so many people think "healthy" food is bland, tasteless, or just plain tastes bad. I realized this is because what people usually think of as healthy food often really does!

The problem is that many of us have forgotten what real food is supposed to taste like. If you go by what you find on the grocery store shelves, yeah, maybe the "healthy" stuff doesn't taste so great. With the produce section filled with bland, waxed, under ripe fruits and vegetables picked who knows how long ago, and the common presumption that the "low fat" or nonfat version of everything is the healthiest, you're right - it's not so tasty.  But the difference between a grocery store tomato, and one picked ripe from your own garden in the summer sun, is (almost literally) comparing apples & oranges. The difference between the bag of chopped iceberg lettuce and shredded red cabbage (graying around the edges) from Kroger, and the salad bowl full of 7 kinds of mixed lettuce and greens picked from the garden yesterday (or this morning) that I get in my CSA share every week...well, one can't even hold a candle to the other - and it doesn't take a genius to know which one tastes better.

This year was the first time I added the cheese option to my CSA share, and although I almost didn't do it (it was pretty expensive), I was almost instantly addicted. The rich, tangy, flavorful variety of cheeses I got to experience bore no resemblance to the uniform orange shrink-wrapped rectangular blocks from the supermarket (and don't get me wrong - I  love cheese, of almost all kinds). Plus, they were made locally, using fresh milk from local farms, and contained no preservatives, artificial coloring, or any such junk. Each variety contained only milk (goat, cow, or a combination), salt, enzymes, and cultures. And each was totally different from the other. From salty, dry Feta, with a fresh taste never experienced with store-bought Feta (which I usually love), to soft goat cheese gently smoked and rolled in spicebush berries, to creamy, mild Gouda, each week was a new taste sensation to experience.

Not to mention the wide variety of fresh vegetables that fill my refrigerator - all grown and harvested within a couple of hours from me, usually the day before. Swiss chard (which, by the way, can be bitter after being refrigerated a few days, so if you tried chard from the store and didn't like it, this may be why), salad mix, mushrooms, sprouts, spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, garlic, radishes, herbs, the list goes on - all of these much fresher, sweeter, and downright tastier than anything you'll find in the grocery store produce section.

CSA Box - Week of April 30 - May 6 (Photo credit: Suzies Farm)

This is real food - whole, natural, unadulterated - grown organically in good, natural soil, picked recently, and delivered to me within hours. And boy does it ever taste good!! And the health and nutrition factor also just can't compare. Vitamins don't survive long after harvesting. Most grocery store vegetables (especially those that are cut) have lost the majority of their nutrients by the time you put them in your cart.

The same is true with other foods too - though. Fresh milk - lightly pasteurized (or raw, if you can get it) tastes nothing like the watery stuff in the plastic jugs sitting in rows in the refrigerator cases at Giant Eagle. Fresh bread, warm from the oven (even the plain old Walmart kind) has no resemblance to the bland uniform slices in the packaged bread aisle. Or try whole grain sprouted bread for a real taste (and nutrition) treat!

And I don't guess I need to even mention the proverbial apples and oranges, as nowhere is the sad lack of flavor more evident than in mass-produced supermarket fruit.

All that said, maybe I couldn't pay you enough to eat a Wasa cracker. And I do admit they are pretty bland and tasteless. I just love them for some reason! But in general, real, whole, fresh foods are not only the healthiest, but also the best tasting foods you'll find anywhere. If you're trying to eat healthier, try joining a local CSA and see just how good healthy can really taste. Or for the ultimate in fresh, grow (or cook) your own!

For some helpful resources, just visit the links below.

Finding a CSA: http://www.newholisticliving.com/csa.html
Growing your own food: http://www.newholisticliving.com/sustainablegardening.html
Cooking from scratch: http://www.newholisticliving.com/cookingfromscratch.html

Money Saving Grocery Shopping Tips

Everything is getting more expensive today. From gas to groceries, our hard-earned dollars are challenged to stretch further. Now, we may be able to ride a bicycle around town if we can’t put gas in our cars. But, we have to eat -- there’s no getting around that. So, we have to find ways to spend less on groceries while still getting the things that we need to feed ourselves and our families, while staying healthy. Here are six money saving tips to try the next time you go grocery shopping.

Image via Wikipedia1. Clip coupons. They put those in the newspaper for a reason. If there are new items you want to try, use a coupon to get it at a discount. If you like it, you have saved some money. On the other hand, if you don’t take a liking to it, you didn’t pay full price. Also check for online coupons, and keep an eye out for sale fliers for your local grocery store, so you can stock up on certain items when they are cheaper.

2. Buy in bulk. Consider the food items that you use most often. If they are "non-perishable" staples which keep well, you may be able to buy them in bulk usually at a lower price at food warehouses like Costco, BJ’s, and Wal-Mart. If you have a coupon, you’ll save even more money. However, as you know, we don't recommend a lot of the typical "non-perishables, as they tend not to be very healthy, so skipping the non-essentials can also help! (Do you REALLY NEED that super-size box of macaroni  & cheese, or 24-pack of soda? Stop a second and think about what it's doing to your body, before you heave it into the cart....)

3. Don’t shop when you are hungry. This is a definite no-no, which I have definitely learned the hard way! Shopping on an empty stomach means that you will pick up more things than you need. You are more likely to pick up that bag of chocolate chip cookies or that box of donuts when the growling gets underway. (And you will also be more likely to buy unhealthy "convenience foods.")

4. Take a grocery list with you. This is another protection against picking up things that are too costly, or things you don't really need. Check your cabinets and the fridge to see what you need and write them down. Remember, the goal is to stick to the list as much as possible, so avoid looking around/browsing while shopping -- just go straight to the relevant sections of the store, and then get out as quickly as possible. (From a health standpoint the general rule is to keep to the outer perimeter of the store -- this is where you will find the fresher and healthier foods -- and avoid the processed foods at the center.)

5. Shop at the same stores. This is more of a frustration reliever. In a new store, you spend most of your time looking for things and walking up and down every aisle, which oftentimes leads to forgetting an item or two, as well as picking up items you happened to see, but don't really need. Going to the same store each time makes you more familiar with the prices so you can estimate your bill as you write your grocery list. You can also plan to shop at stores that carry healthier fare, so you don't get tempted by as much "bad" stuff.

6. Our favorite healthy and frugal tip - Purchase your groceries through a localImage by edseloh via Flickr CSA! Buying direct from your local farmers is not only healthier and helps support your local community, but it also saves you money, and since you get most of your groceries delivered in your weekly share, it keeps you out of the grocery stores, and away from temptation -- it's a win-win-win! (For more on CSA's, and how to find one in your area, visit our website: http://www.newholisticliving.com/csa.html)

Rising prices don’t have to mean a lean dinner table. There are ways to make your food dollar go further, while still shopping healthy, and if you take the time to implement the ideas listed above as well as others of your own, you’ll see savings each and every time you shop.

Post your own healthy and money-saving shopping tips below - we'd love to hear about them!

Related articles on frugal shopping:

• Money tip: Planning, cooking can trim grocery costs (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Supermarket Shopping Made Easier (lifescript.com)
• 15 Ways to Save Money Buying Natural Foods (mint.com)
• Organic Groceries on a Budget (wisebread.com)
• Sustainable Dining: Save the Environment, Save Cash (mint.com)