Monday, May 2, 2011

Wallet-friendly Nutrition

Many people think that to eat healthy you must spend a higher amount of money.

BUT THAT IS NOT TRUE AT ALL.

You spend more money going out to eat (even fast food) than you do if you make the food yourself.

Nutrition is vital for the triathlete.  Triathletes must consume a good balance of fats:carbohydrates:protein.  A common misnomer is that healthy food is expensive.  And that maybe true if you buy organic.  That is another article all in itself.  But to eat healthy is not so bad, and from what I have found LESS EXPENSIVE than eating out and buying organic.

Your best bet? Buy in bulk.  I know of a couple of great places but out of all the places there is one that no other store can touch:

* WinCo is only a west best coast store as far as I know and no I am not sponsored by them; I just love what they offer and the price they offer it at

If you are luck enough to have one of this in your town or not too far away make a trip to the bulk section PRONTO!
At the bulk section you can get:

  • whole wheat grains & pasta
  • quinoa
  • BULK PROTEIN (great for smoothies!) 
  • ground flax
  • cornmeal
  • oats galore!
  • various nuts and dried fruit, lentils 
  • all natural honey
  • all natural peanut butter

*Buy GENERIC for crying out loud! Looks aren't everything you know, food is food.

and countless others that can help you stay on track nutritionally and still keep your wallet fat for your next set of aerowheels or for taking out your significant other.

NO JUNK FOOD Money on junk food can be spent on healthier food and other things as needed. It's ok to indulge once in awhile though, especially after a good day of hard training

Another great way to save money on groceries: go to your local farmers' market.  Vegetables, fruits, and other produce, along with jams, homemade cheese and a cornucopia of other things at low prices and you help support your local farmer, canner etc..

My favorite (especially since it's close to my school) is the Power Road Farmers' Market. Cheap, plentiful, and the staff is super friendly!

Again not sponsored by them just endorsing places that I love and are wallet-friendly.

All this talk about food is making me a little thirsty... which leads us to my next tip: DRINK MORE WATER!!
Water is the liquid of life and by not drinking the recommended 64 oz (higher if your active) you are just killing your body and not maximizing it to its full potential. And all that water means you're drinking less soda and less sugar-loaded fruit juices that mislead consumers to believe that they are indeed healthy.

One more: make your food at home and bring it to work/school/events/etc.  Don't like paying $10 for a hot dog at AT&T Park? Stuff one of these puppies in your girlfriends purse/your backpack and your good to go! Save, save, save, and invest that money where it is more appropriately needed. Good food is not expensive.

So there you have it some nice tips to keep your wallet fat and your body energized! If you have anymore please feel free to leave a comment! Have a healthy and wonderful day! :)

36 comments:

  1. thx for the info man, really helpful :)

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  2. i dunno man junk food is pretty amazing

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  3. Great tips. Buying bulk is great. It's cheaper, regardless of what you're buying.

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  4. i dont know...no matter how hard i try..i CANT stop eating junk food, if it isnt in my gf place where i have to eat everything they invite me to not be rude..its in the street where i cant find any healthy food nearby:/

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  5. I love my muscle milk 100% whey protein tastes amazing and has tons of protein

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  6. Healthy food tastes better, but I only buy in bulk when I'm having a party or something.

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  7. my mom buys my favorite organic peanut butter in bulk from costco, saves a huge bundle of money, not to mention my organic macaroni and cheese

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  8. Thanks man, will def try it out

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  9. A lot of useful information for me. I'm looking to change my eating habits.

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  10. Its even cheaper when you buy it in bulk

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  11. great tips, man! awesome blog tho

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  12. I love what you just said. In my country we have similar place for buying stuff like this - and I use maybe 70% of your tips :)

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  13. Don't have them where I live, but normally I just buy my bulk online. When in doubt, use the internet!

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  14. Definitely agree wit the farmer marker idea. It is nice to help out the local community.

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  15. yea, we buy all our stuff from a market..way cheaper and taste just as good

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  16. yep deepthroating down a big big bottle of water now and got banana on muesli for breakfast :D

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  17. Be careful with the bulk protein! :)

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  18. No Junk food?

    Terrible advice hahahah j/k

    Dinner is normally $5 a person when you buy for 4 or more, so I do understand your advice

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  19. great tips, I'm just starting to eat healthier now

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  20. Definitely good advice. Every penny helps!

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  21. I live on like 100$ a month... bulk bins are my friend!

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  22. Nice tips, I'll have to check winco out

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  23. Yeah, I can't not eat junk food.

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  24. i suck at controlling myself. I don't know how much I could stop myself from enjoying junk food. This is probably the reason why I'm a fatass.

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  25. Junk food is the hardest thing to kick... and how can it not be? Do you know how delicious double-stuf Oreos are?

    Irresistible!

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  26. Very intelligent post, very true words against the healthy food myth.

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  27. Do you typically freeze what you won't end up using in the short term? Whenever I buy bulk I tend to have to throw some out at the end.

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  28. I wish I had one of these stores around me! Ill try going to a Trader Joes or something instead and check that out

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  29. I completely agree with this, most of the time eating healthy food can be less expensive that eating junk food.

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