The Cost of Healthy Food — A Long-Term Investment
How valuable is healthy food to you? How much are you willing to spend to ensure your long-term health and vitality?
When I was a teacher and a salesperson, I spent most of my time on my feet and in motion. Back then I could eat anything I wanted. Junk food, fast food, or anything else for that matter; I could eat as much as I wanted and my weight remained the same.
However, now that I have a job that involves sitting at a desk for a good portion of the day, I have been forced to become more health-conscious in my diet and nutrition choices in order to maintain my weight and health. Over the two-plus years that I have been with my current employer, I have put on nearly 30 pounds. While I am currently (and successfully) dieting my way back to my optimum weight, it takes conscious effort and wise spending on food in order to stay on track.
So why am I posting about my weight loss effort on a blog about personal finance and investing? From green tea at Starbucks, to six-inch turkey sandwiches at Subway, to fresh fruit and vegetables from the grocery store, eating healthy takes time, effort, and money, just like long-term investing.
In fact, it is wise to think of the cost of healthy food as a long-term investment. After all, you want to be around and active enough to enjoy the fruits of your long-term financial investments. And the best way to ensure that you stick around is to give equal attention to your biological needs as you would to your monetary needs.
Despite all the chatter I read regarding avoiding spending money eating out, the cost of a Subway sandwich or a Protein Power Plate at Starbucks is well worth it if it helps to keep my diet and healthy lifestyle on track.
In this day and age it can be difficult to find the time for a home-cooked meal. But as long as you are going to spend the money to eat out anyways, spend an extra few dollars and cents to get healthy food. Your older self may thank you, and you will much more likely to live to see your regular investments pay off. The cost of healthy food is a long-term financial investment!
