60% of Americans CAN’T afford a healthy life?! (Poll)

January is right around the corner. New year, new you – right?

You’ll see ads for EXPENSIVE gym memberships and fitness coaches touting their program to “whip you in shape” – for a “SMALL” chunk of change.

And then there are the food delivery services, ready to drop off healthy meals to your door while walking away with your wallet.

But you don’t need to do ANY of that.

Because while the majority of Americans say they simply can’t afford a “healthy” life, I’ve got steps to make it all happen without breaking the bank.

A national survey conducted independently by OnePoll, found that nearly six in 10 Americans think being ‘healthy’ is simply TOO EXPENSIVE.

I know that these days it’s hard to find 60% of people to agree on anything… but agreeing that they can’t afford to be healthy is downright sad.

According to the poll, the biggest squeeze on their wallet is…

The cost of ‘healthy’ food.

Only 22% said they know of a nearby grocery store that sells affordable, good-quality fresh produce.

Instead, many respondents said — to offset the cost of eating healthy — they resort to regularly eating fast food. In fact, the poll found most eat fast food just under three times a week on average, while another 24% say they indulge five or more times a week!

And eating fast food on the regular is only going to cause your long-term health to plummet.

And while there is no denying there is a rising food cost in the U.S., you don’t need to sacrifice your health to save a few bucks.

One of the best ways to find affordable, fresh, organic produce is to venture to a local farmer’s market. There you’ll find all kinds of nourishing fruits, vegetables (and even meats) that don’t have added costs to account for transportation or storage.

Best of all? You may be able to haggle on the price of goods at some farmer’s markets.

There are also online food delivery services like Imperfect Foods, which sells fresh, seasonal, farmers-market-quality fruits and vegetables. This is produce that doesn’t make it to the grocery store because if may have some odd shapes or imperfections.

But these foods are still perfectly healthy… and often times much cheaper than the same thing you’d find at a grocery store.

So, while trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle can sometimes be difficult, I can assure you that eating healthy doesn’t have to take a bite out of your budget.

To living healthy on a budget,

Sarah Reagan

Sources:

Melore, Chris. “3 in 5 Americans think it costs too much money to live a healthy life.” https://studyfinds.org/healthy-life-costs-too-much-money/