Have you ever had the thought that eating healthy might be more expensive than unhealthy eating? I’d like to ask you reconsider.

I was thinking about this question this week, and for the longest time I’ve been one of those people who have thought this.

But I’ve had a change of heart.

I did a little searching online and found some great tips for eating healthy on a budget. I know it’s affordable to eat healthy if you make it a priority.

• Cook at home. Don’t rely on restaurants to eat your foods. This quickly adds up.

• Shop seasonally. That way you’ll like what you eat because it will be fresh.

• Shop at the local farmers market when possible.

• Focus on leafy greens. They are some of the most nutritious, least expensive things you can buy.

• Limit the purchase of boxed, frozen and processed foods. Buying 10 pounds of fresh potatoes is a lot cheaper than purchasing a box of instant mashed potatoes and it will go a lot further, too.

• Buy in bulk.

• Eat less meat.

• Get to know your crockpot. A meal in a crockpot can usually feed a family several times before the food is gone.

• Make a plan. I can’t say it enough how much planning out meals ahead of time will save you at the grocery store and at home when you’re wanting to splurge.

• Take food to work. Don’t spend money getting a snack on your way to work everyday when you can just take a snack to work from home for less than half the cost. Same is true for lunch.

• Think long-term. You may not be paying for it now, but remember what problems might creep up down the line if you continue with unhealthy eating decisions.

You don’t want to be in the doctor’s office all the time because of increased chances of having heart disease, diabetes, stroke or cancer. And you don’t want to be on a series of medications because of it either.

Unhealthy eating can cost you your life.

Also remember that being healthy can increase productivity and help you better perform at your job.

Asking for help

I didn’t have much luck the last two weeks with getting responses back from the public about long-term weight loss success, so I thought I’d ask again for advice from anyone who has successfully lost 25-plus pounds and kept it off. How did you stay motivated? How did you make your eating and exercise changes a permanent part of your life? What’d you do when you felt like going back to your old ways?

Please contact me by phone at 379-3435 or e-mail at sarah.stultz@albertleatribune.com if you’d like to share your story.

I’d love to share some of the responses I receive with the rest of the community to in turn encourage them as well. If you would like your name to be withheld, I can work around that.

Recipe

Getting ready to make a holiday brunch on Christmas day? Here’s a recipe for some pumpkin waffles. (Sorry I can’t seem to get enough pumpkin).

Pumpkin waffles

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon table salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cups canned pumpkin

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 spray cooking spray

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder and next four ingredients in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk.

Combine egg, brown sugar, oil, pumpkin and buttermilk in a bowl; stir with a whisk until blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture and stir until well combined.

Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray. Preheat. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter per waffle onto the iron.

Cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until steaming stops. Repeat with remaining batter. Yields five servings. Serving size equals two waffles.

— Recipe from www.weightwatchers.com