Top 10 Convenient, Low Cost Health Food Choices
Karla Adams Fitness Corporation

Everyone, at one point or another, dreams about being in great physical condition. However, the work involved in obtaining that body often takes a lot of work and commitment, which many people aren’t willing to do for various reasons, such as long working hours and family. The good news is that committing to a healthy lifestyle can start with a change in nutrition! The article emphasizes the top 10 convenient, low cost health food choices that can positively affect your lifestyle and, ultimately, change your life. Keep in mind that aside from their nutritional value, these can also save you a substantial amount of money in the long run.

Say no to soda- Soda is full of empty calories and contains artificial sweeteners. Instead of cola, drink water, unsweetened tea, low fat milk, or juice. Calories saved per year: 20,000-40,000. Amount saved per year: $250-$500

Lean beef instead of Marbled and prime cuts- These meats are high in fat and often have between 400-800 calories per serving. Instead, consider a serving of lean beef which consist of 150-350 calories per serving. Calories saved per year: 10,000-15,000. Amount Saved per year: $50-$150

Replace Hungry Man or Swanson’s with Lean Cuisine- Lean Cuisine offer generous portions at a fair price. Consider Hungry man, which offer meals with an excess of 2,000 calories and 120% of your total daily value in sodium and 95% of your daily saturated fat. Great solution if you do not have anytime to cook. Calories saved per year: 20,000-50,000. Amount saved per year: $200-$350

Turkey dogs instead of hotdogs- Hot dogs are one of the most consumed products in the United States. With over 250 calories per serving, it should be replaced with turkey dogs which literally have half the calories. The average human consumes 65 hotdogs per year

[1] Calories saved per year: 10,000 Amount saved per year: $75-$100

Fig bars or SoyJoy instead of cookies- Cookies are a favorite snack to eat, but contain lots of fat and are high in sugar. With SoyJoy or Fig Bars, you can save money and calories. Calories saved per year: 10,000-20,000. Amount saved per year: $200-$500

Veggie Burgers instead of regular Hamburgers- Hamburgers can range anywhere between 800-1200 calories and are often deemed as unhealthy due to their fat content. Hamburgers are one of the most consumed food item in America[2]. In contrast, Veggie Burgers are approximately half the calories and are much cheaper to make/buy. Calories saved per year: 25,000-35,000 Amount saved per year: $120-$200

Subway or other nutritional based restaurants instead of fast food joints- Subway offers an abundant amount of sandwiches that have low cholesterol, few grams of fat, etc. Consider a meal at a burger joint which can easily go exceed over 1,900 calories (which is about 95% of your daily recommended calorie intake).[3] Calories saved per year: 30,000-50,000. Amount saved per year: $100-$200

Fruits and vegetables- Over 65% of the population do not get their daily recommended serving of fruits or vegetables.[4] Instead of snacking on candy and other high fat items, consider fruits and vegetables. Calories saved per year: 25,000-40,000. Amount saved per year: $275-$400.

Low fat yogurt over ice cream- Although ice cream is heavily consumed in the United States, it still contains over 200 calories per serving as opposed to only 100 for low fat yogurts such as Yoplait. Calories saved per year: 5,000-15,000. Amount saved per year: $250-$350

Non fat 1% milk over whole milk- Consider this fact: The United States consumes over 300,000,000 gallons of milk per year[5] If you substitute non-fat milk, you should save over 10,000 calories per year.

If you are an individual who is constantly on the run, it is important to made sound decisions, especially when dealing with your health. With proper eating alone, you should be able to maintain a healthy diet. Being busy shouldn’t go hand in hand with being “nutritional deficient.” It’s time to take control and commit to obtaining a healthier lifestyle.

[1] http://popsdogs.com/hdfun.htm[2] http://www.healthassist.net/food/fmd[3] subway.com/applications/NutritionInfo/index.aspx[4] http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/na[5] http://www.foodscience.uoguelph.ca/dairyedu/intro.html