Healthy Food is NOT Expensive (a vent)
As 2012 resolutions begin and people look to lose weight in the coming year, I have seen an influx of posts on weight loss message boards. I read through them, maybe I can help someone, or someone can help me. But I stop. I get frustrated. Because some people don’t want help. Well not real help.
A frequent complaint I hear is that healthy food costs too much. It gets under my skin. It makes me flustered. Because it’s not true.
If you only bought processed crap labeled “healthy” then yes, I guess it is expensive. That label comes with a price. But that’s not really what’s healthy.
And as I get frustrated and angry and want to kick and scream because I have gotten into yet another Internet battle with someone who refuses to believe me. Who doesn’t want to shop the staples. Who deny that my couponing for healthy food is real. Who refuse to check out healthy-eating budget blogs like Poor Girl Eats Well, DianasaurDishes, and MeloMeals.
I stop.
And a wave of emotions wash over me.
I feel sadness that we live in a world where people don’t know how to cook dry beans. Who have never made their own tomato sauce. Who think the only way to eat “healthy” is to buy cardboard boxes with manufactured chemicalbombs labeled as the healthier option.
And so I continue to engage. To hopefully help those who haven’t had the opportunities I have had. Who have been “health-washed” by the food industry giants.
The $1 menu at McDonald’s is not cheaper than a well-rounded meal.
I promise.
January PF Topic Research
Resolved: The costs of a college education outweigh the benefits.
Some useful links on the January Public Forum Topic. You can find more by searching through government databases. And it’s all free!
BARRIERS TO EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: ADDRESSING THE RISING COSTS OF A COLLEGE EDUCATION
HIGHER EDUCATION, HIGHER COST AND HIGHER DEBT: PAYING FOR COLLEGE IN THE FUTURE
BUDGETING FOR EDUCATION: THE ROLE OF PERKINS LOANS
EXAMINING UNETHICAL PRACTICES IN THE STUDENT LOAN INDUSTRY
(I love that the stats for this blog entry show people got here by googling the exact words of the resolution… dear students, I promise there are better ways to do research! I’ll write some helpful blog posts about it soon!)
Why all the hate for 2011?
As another calendar year comes to an end and a new year anxiously waits for it’s turn with us, I can’t help but get frustrated at the number of people who have done nothing in the last few weeks but shit on 2011 like it was a roadside portapot.
I get that life is frustrating. Bad things happen. Not everything goes the way we plan.
But really the ENTIRE year sucked? I sincerely doubt every waking moment in 2011 was filled with terribleness.
I am not trying to be ultra peppy or a total cheerleader, but if you don’t take a moment to celebrate the good things that have happened in your past year, how can 2012 ever live up to your hopes and dreams?
So take a minute and write down 12 good things that happened in 2011. One for each month. I challenge you to go into 2012 celebrating your past and taking that positivity to ring in the new year!
Reflecting on Resolutions
A group of friends and I email each other. We all met on a weight loss message board. And today, one of the girls shared our list of resolutions for 2011. Had we met them yet? And within that link was a link to our resolutions for 2010.
The resolution I made for 2010 was made in a drunken state but involved running. I wanted to run a marathon. And complete 2010km over the year. Great resolutions until I injured myself the day after I made the resolution. I was out of commission and spent most of the year rehabbing my leg.
So for 2011, I decided on a more general resolution. I wrote:
“I am just focused on enjoying the year, making it the best I can, and staying healthy”
Did I meet this resolution? The year itself had some ups and downs. However, I ended it feeling better about myself and my life and in general knowing more about my health and how to better it.
For 2012, I have set similar goals for myself:
The Healthy Academic 