I know, I know.  Another article preaching the platitudes of healthy eating and a healthier lifestyle, but let’s face it – none of us are getting any younger.  I’m at the age where I’m routinely hearing about friends, co-workers, or acquaintances who are experiencing major health scares or even worse, I’ll read their obituary in the local paper.  I don’t know about you, but I’m on the cusp of retirement, and I’m not ready to cash in my chips just yet.  I want to stay in this poker game as long as possible.

To that end, my wife and I are continuously re-evaluating our diets and eating habits to find the “magic” formula that balances taste, cost, and nutritional value.  We’ve tried various regimens, like the Mediterranean diet (basically more veg, fish, beans, and less red meat) as well as going strictly plant-based for periods of time.  While we’ve settled into a more plant-forward daily routine, we’ve also enacted some other lifestyle and diet choices that have helped both of us drop some major weight over the summer months as well as instill an overall better mindset and outlook towards food in general.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s never easy.  Each day we are presented with lots of food choices, and most of them – while tasting fantastic, are generally not that great for our health. I mean, who doesn’t love bacon?  Eating out is fraught with high calorie counts and excessive portion sizes.  The grocery aisles are also filled with processed foods and snacks loaded with sugar, preservatives, and ingredient lists that look more like final chemistry exams.

Healthy eating is not something that one can just do “on the fly”, either.  Groceries aren’t getting any cheaper, and while it’s easy to buy a bag of kale or five mangoes on the next shopping trip, it’s also very easy to throw away four of those unused (but now spoiled) fruits and over half of the bag of kale in two weeks because it never got used.

So, I thought I’d share some tips and tricks that we use in my household to try and navigate the murky waters between economics and nutrition in our weekly food choices and preparation.

Planning

First off, to eat healthier, it takes planning.  I sit down and plan out my weekly dinner menus a week in advance, looking for recipes on the internet that are interesting, tasty, and depending on my upcoming schedule, easy to prepare on a weeknight.  I generally look for meals that can be done in 30-45 minutes.  I also try to pick recipes that may re-use basic ingredients.  For example, if I decide to cook a whole chicken for Sunday dinner, I’ll look for a recipe that uses leftover cooked chicken for later in the week, which reduces my overall food waste.  From this menu plan I’ll then prepare my basic grocery list.  Now, the two major “red flags” of a grocery store run are shopping without a list and shopping when one is hungry.  Trust me, just don’t do it.  You’ll spend twice as much as is necessary, and more importantly, you’ll spend it on stuff you don’t need (or that you’ll throw out before even using it).

Eat Seasonally

When is the best time to eat tomatoes and sweet corn?  The summer, right?  Well, guess when tomatoes and sweet corn are also the cheapest at the market?  Yup, you guessed it – the summer.  Eating seasonally is not only economical, but also choosing products and produce when they are plentiful and at their peak of flavor.  The downside of modern grocery stores is that we can but most fruits and vegetables year-round, but let’s face it, tomatoes suck in February and asparagus is tough and stringy in October.  Do a little research and jot down when foods are at their peak.  Then, plan your menu around the bounty of the season.  Your grandparents and great-grandparents had it right all along.

Drink More Water

I’m not talking about all that bottled junk, fizzy waters, or even fruit-flavored ones.  I’m talking about straight from the sink tap water.  If you don’t like the taste of your home version, get a water filter or some sort of portable pitcher with filters and always keep some on-hand in your fridge.  Think you’re hungry?  Many times all you are is thirsty.  Your body needs more water than you realize, and drinking a few extra glasses a day is good for you, both short-term and long-term.

No Late-Night Snacking

This one was the hardest for me.  If I’m sitting down to catch up on my favorite Netflix series or to watch a flick, it was a habit to grab a bag of chips, crackers, or something else to mindlessly snack on while I watched.  Taking a tip from those “intermittent fasters”, I now try to limit my food intake to between the hours of 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM.  I’m not saying that every once in a while I won’t break this rule, but eating late at night will quickly put on those extra pounds – and its usually terrible choices.  Honestly, I’ve crushed a box of “Cheez-Its” while watching multiple episodes of “Justified” more times than I care to admit.

Healthy eating is not easy.  It can be expensive, time consuming, and just downright inconvenient at times, but by making an effort to cultivate better habits, it can lead to positive lifestyle changes and an overall better outcome – for both your own health and for your wallet.