Hey there Reader!

One of the questions/comments I often get goes something like this: eating healthy and buying supplements is so expensive. What can I do?

If you've been pondering the same thing, then this email is for you.

I'm going to break down how I would go about balancing my hormones if I was working with a very tight budget.

STEP 1: Forget about supplements

This may come as a shock, but for many people, supplements are NOT a must.

Supplements are an add-on and yes, they're great for helping you see you results faster and giving you much needed relief while you make dietary/lifestyle/mindset/other changes.

But remember: supplements are not food.

Supplements are an add-on to food; they're not a replacement for food.

Think of it this way: aspirin is a good treatment for headaches, but a lack of aspirin is not the cause of headaches.

So, if money is really tight, then don't stress out about supplements.

STEP 2: Eat The Rainbow

In fact eat, juice, blend, puree, stir-fry, bake and do whatever else your heart pleases with the rainbow of whole food that is available to us.

Whole food is what creates life and whole food is what sustains life.

Another term that I often use is "anti-inflammatory" food. They're the same. Only real/whole food is anti-inflammatory.

So, go out there and devour the rainbow.

If you already have recipes that fit the bill, great!

Otherwise, you can use this recipe collection here.

STEP 3: Be Flexible

From my experience, there are a few things that will really blow up your grocery costs:

• healthy treats (cookies, muffins, etc.).
• organic meats.
• healthy nut milks.

If you want treats, it's much cheaper to make your own.

If you currently eat beef, chicken and other meats 1-2 times a day, every single day...consider doing more plant protein.

Lentils and beans are waaaay cheaper and still give you loads of protein (plus other nutrients that you simply don't find in any meats anyway).

As for nut milks, you can save a lot by making your own. For example, almond milk is super easy to make (2 cups of almonds and 4 cups of water gives a rich milk that tastes better than most of the stuff at the store).

STEP 4: Go organic for animal products only

If buying all-organic just isn't feasible for you, then I suggest only doing it for animal products only.

Why?

Because this reduces your chances of being exposed to trace amounts of antibiotics and growth hormones that are given to conventionally-raised animals (particularly, cows).

For fruits and veggies, you can go for conventional and save on costs that way.

Reader, I hope these tips come in handy and give you some ideas for how to support your health (without needing access to a trust fund).

Talk soon!

Germaine Satia - Certified Health Coach, CYT-200

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