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Eating Well during an Economic Downturn
Vicki Koenig, MS, RD, CDN

When times get tough, we can’t just turn to comfort foods and happy meals. Eating consciously is taking on new meaning these days. The bad news is that prices are going up. The good news is that restaurants may reduce their super-sized portions, and folks may be bringing their own lunches and cooking at home more.

Keep your priorities clear

• Organic is still important. Emphasize the types of foods that are most important.
• Meat and dairy products are high on the list to choose organic.  Consumer Reports notes that with organic meats, you can greatly reduce risk of exposure to the agent believed to cause mad cow disease. You can also eliminate intake of animal products and dairy from sources that were fed supplemental hormones and antibiotics, since these are not allowed in organic farming practices.
  
  
• Choose organic produce to reduce exposure to pesticide residues. Stonyfield Farm partnered with the Environmental Working Group to identify the 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest and consistently lowest levels of pesticide residues. Click here for the Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce.
  
  
• If organic meat/poultry is too expensive, consider meat from animals raised without the use of hormones or antibiotics. It’s a good compromise.
  
  
• Eat smaller portions of animal protein; the most expensive item on your plate. Add beans to your soups, beans to your chili and eat more vegetarian meals.
  
  
• Bring your lunch more often. While the average lunch eaten in a restaurant or take-out costs about $7-$10, you can pack a sandwich, salad, fruit and a granola bar for much less. Or heat up leftovers!
  
  
• Buy in bulk. Order things you usually use by the case. Usually there is at least a 10% discount at a natural foods store when you buy a case. If you can’t afford to put up the money in advance, consider buying food with friends and family.
  
  
• Join a cooperative buying club. To find one in your area, click here. Buying clubs put in an order to a Natural Foods Distributor. Then they meet the truck and distribute the items without the middleman. Because groups can now put together an order online, it’s much less time-consuming than it used to be.
  
  
• Use coupons and buy items when on sale. Check out the store’s sale flier and adjust your menu. Use a shopping list. If you have a plan, you won’t be subject to too much impulse buying.
  
  
• Consider frozen vegetables and fruits. These can be nutritionally superior to fresh since they are typically frozen the same day they are picked. Fresh produce can lose many of their important nutrients when stored for several days. 
  
  
• Check when restaurants are offering discounts. It may be a certain day or time period. There may be a “buy 10, get the 11th entrée free” card to keep. There could be a regional discount card that your favorite restaurants are participating in. Ask around.

Put your money where your mouth is and you can still make healthy choices!

First Effects of Working Out
Fitness advice from Certified Fitness Trainer Dawn Bonic

You can expect to see and feel a few changes when you first start an exercise program. These may include soreness or stiffness and an increase in weight. 

You may feel sore or stiff after your first few workouts. This happens when your body is challenged beyond its normal levels. The soreness may occur the following day or two days after exercise. Both are normal and should be expected.

Your goal is to get to the point where your exercise session doesn’t bring about the same soreness. Then you know you’re developing muscular strength and endurance and that the program is working. Many people think that if they’re not sore the next day they’re not getting results. This isn’t true.

Keep in mind that soreness may return when you change your program, since the changes in exercise will present a new challenge to your body.

A little weight gain is natural in the first weeks of working out. When you do cardiovascular and strengthening activities, your body burns calories and fat (which makes you lose weight) and increases muscle mass. But the increase in muscle mass usually starts before the fat loss, so it’s normal to gain three to five pounds at first.

This is one reason why it’s best to avoid the scale when you first begin working out, or to weigh yourself only once per month. Stepping on the scale too often can sabotage a good program. The good news is that, as your body builds additional muscle, your metabolism increases, which helps you burn additional calories, even while you’re at rest.