Having healthy food in my kitchen has become a priority over the years. Once I had children my commitment to good food and healthy options took over. After years of attempting to create healthy habits, my kids still give me a big eye roll when they’re looking for snacks. Much to their dismay, we generally don’t have large amounts of junk food hanging around. And I like it that way. The hope is that my kids will someday understand the importance of healthy eating and incorporate some of the things that we do into their own homes.

Overall there’s a general misconception that healthy foods are always more expensive than unhealthy options. First off it’s important to acknowledge that processed, packaged food is usually cheap because it’s cheap to make. It’s true that quality food can cost more, however, there are plenty of ways to add good food to your diet without much of an added expense. The most important way to tackle this is to plan ahead and do your homework. 

Buy organic foods whenever you can. In a nutshell, products with an organic certification are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. Animals that produce meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products do not take antibiotics or growth hormones. For most of us, it’s not feasible to buy organic all the time so pick and chose where you spend your hard earned dollars. A study found substantially higher levels of antioxidants and lower levels of pesticides in organic fruits, vegetables, and grains compared with conventionally grown produce.

Spice up that dinner plate by adding color! A plate filled with colorful, fresh, organic food is a good indicator that it’s a healthy plate.

This coming year I’m continuing my commitment to good food.  I’m not perfect and unhealthy foods do sneak in, but I try. I hope you’ll join me. Take a look HERE for a variety of ways to include good food in your life.

Did you know that there’s an app that tells you where you can find near-expired products still sitting on the shelf? The closer the product gets to the expiration date the lower the price. For this info and more great tips and trends take a look at  Feeding the Good Food Future eGuide.

Everyone who downloads the Feeding the Good Food Future eGuide between now and Dec. 31 will be entered to win a $100 gift card to help you get started on new ways to support good food! Three lucky winners will be selected in early January.