It's proving to be difficult considering most everything has it listed as an ingredient. Is this a concern for anyone else? How do you avoid HFCS while still staying within a budget? With the price of gas going up, so is the price of groceries. I'm buying the same amount of food and paying $25 to $50 more a week. The real killer is the more healthy foods I buy (the fresh produce and such), the more money I spend. If I were to buy more of the prepackaged and preservative-filled foods, I could conceivably cut my weekly bill by $30 (or more). (I don't consider that an option.)

I make a lot of the cakes and cookies we eat from scratch and am trying to avoid anything with trans fat, HFCS (especially if it's listed as one of the first three ingredients), and the "enriched" flour products. It is not easy . Any suggestions that won't break the bank?

By Debbie on Friday, April 25, 2008 - 12:16 pm:

I don't have any suggestions, but I am right there with you. Recently, I started eliminating processed foods in our diet, watching our sugar and flour intake, and all around, eating better. My grocery bill has skyrocketed!! Eating healthy is expensive, but I have decided it is worth it, so I am cutting back elsewhere.

Hopefully, someone will have some suggestions for us!

By Colette on Friday, April 25, 2008 - 12:34 pm:

I don't buy anything w/HFCS in it. Yes, it is more expensive, but really, this is your health and the health of your family. Is there a Trader Joe's near you? You still have to watch some of the stuff they sell, but their prices are pretty good.

with the rising cost of groceries lately, most people are going to have to re-do the budget or buy less.

By Dawnk777 on Friday, April 25, 2008 - 02:22 pm:

No Yoplait Yogurt. It has that in the ingredient list, which stinks, because I love the stuff.

By Amecmom on Friday, April 25, 2008 - 04:12 pm:

I have not done a vegetable garden in years, but I am going to do one this year. At least I won't have to pay for "organic" veggies like tomato and zucchini.
I really don't have any great suggestions for you, because it sounds like you are already doing great.
I thought 'enriched' flour just meant it had folic acid added - which is an essential nutrient - not a bad thing.

We've cut out meat, bread and dairy from our diet and I see a difference in our grocery bill, but it's just for a short period of time.
Good luck,
Ame

By Dawnk777 on Friday, April 25, 2008 - 06:37 pm:

So you're not eating any meat, bread or dairy? What does that leave you to eat?

Have you tried making your own bread? It's so good, but I have so little time to do it!

By Sunny on Friday, April 25, 2008 - 06:58 pm:

There is a Trader Joe's about 20 minutes from here. Maybe next time I'm in the neighborhood, I'll check it out.

Enriched flour has had all of the nutrients stripped from it during the milling process and those nutrients are then added back. There are no additional nutrients added to it. The endo doc advised us to avoid it because it has such a high glycemic index (DH has Type 2 diabetes). I now look for "whole grains" in the ingredient list, especially in the breads I buy.

I can't wait to get my vegetables in the ground! I plant every year. I am looking forward to vegetables fresh from the garden.

By Rayelle on Friday, April 25, 2008 - 10:37 pm:

I am planning on doing a garden for the first time this year. I don't know what to eat anymore. I have a sensitivity to gluten and gluten free specialty foods are expensive. I try to just do without those and go more natural like fruits and veggies but it gets expensive either way. Now with rice prices going up I shudder to think of the rice based pastas I buy sometimes. Since it won't kill me I do eat things I'm not supposed to out of desperation when I'm hungry but I pay for it everytime.