And yes, the sodium content in processed food is shocking. Needing to eat less of it is an extra good excuse to do more cooking from scratch. And most foods really don’t need any added salt unless you’re baking. I never salt anything.

I’d also like to second the recommendation for farmer’s markets and farm stands.

For a healthier, cheaper option, try having a vegetarian meal once a week. Try bean chili or bean burritos. If you use dried beans it is very very cheap- you just have to have the foresight to stick them in a pot in the morning.

Good luck!

Also, there are some lower-sodium lunchmeat products – I heard a lady asking for one at the counter at wal-mart just the other day.

Good luck with that!

Renee

French Fry cutters are mostly a waste. I have tried several and never found any that worked really well.

That said, you should probably avoid fries if you want to be healthy. I guess you could bake them, but the glycemic index of potatoes is horrible.

I am training myself to eat more vegetables….

I know some people do not like input. I used to be a grocery store cashier, and we were encouraged to let customers know of deals like when there is a coupon in a flyer for something they bought. Most customers appreciated it. But there were a few that were bothered by it.

I used to try to feel out customers when I first said “Hi” to them at the beginning of the order.

The only exception to that is the natural/organic sections of stores. While I’m not exactly a frequent shopper of those sections, I have read a lot of labels on foods in that section and they seem to be much healthier.

Try sharpening your knives before you use them. Also stick whatever meat you are cutting in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before cutting. The meat will become firmer and make cutting thin slices easier.

We hopped in the car and headed to Walmart. The main goal of the trip was to purchase healthier food.

Wow, nothing like setting yourself up for failure from the get go… If you want to have even more fun at Walmart, try to fill the cart without buying any high-fructose corn syrup.

We’ve finally resigned ourselves to the fact that most anything ‘in the aisles’, while tasty and more convenient, is generally a step away from total junk, and now do most of our shopping on the edges (produce, milk/cheese/eggs & meats in most grocery stores).

Good luck with the sodium reduction. I bet you’ll all feel a lot better.

Your example of making your own sandwich meat is a great example of why people are wrong when they assume that eating healthier is more expensive. Rather than paying someone else to process your meat, cut it into perfect slices and seal it in an over-priced package, just make it yourself from scratch. Cheaper and healthier. Eating processed foods is much more expensive than eating real, whole foods.

Packaged food in general is going to be high in sodium, preservatives, and all kinds of bad stuff.

Make sure you get one that includes a holder for the food and always use it even if it’s clumsy or awkward: you slice/grate VERY fast with one of these and it’s very easy to lose a fingertip!