The Actual Cost of Food

When you go to the grocery store or big box store to purchase food for the pantry, have you stopped to consider the actual COST of the items in your cart? You have a receipt in hand to check the prices paid, but it won't include the hidden cost. Yes, there's a hidden cost to your grocery bill. It's especially true if you regularly purchase items from the inner aisles at the store. The vast majority of any grocery store's products are in those middle aisles, wrapped in plastic or boxes, straight from the food factory. These items will have eye-catching, bright labels and may even be labeled "low fat", "sugar-free", "low-calorie", or something else that sounds "healthy". It might sound healthy, but the manufacturers of the processed food industry are extremely astute marketers. They're also really good at finding low price alternatives to mimic natural ingredients. These low cost ingredients add to the cost of your future health care. So, while they may make cheap food, you'll pay more in the long run. Our ancestors didn't have ultra-processed food. 

Here are a few examples of modern, fake food substitutions that industry uses in place of real, naturally occurring ingredients:
1. Sugar - This is the big one. Sugar is in nearly everything and it's addictive much like drugs and alcohol. Too much sugar spikes insulin production and continued consumption can lead to diabetes. Refined sugar or chemical sweeteners replace natural fructose from fruit, honey, or maple syrup. Even some of these natural sugars can be highly processed, so buyer beware. 

2. Flavors - When you look at nearly any ultra-processed food product, you'll see flavorings listed on the ingredients. These can be from natural sources like fruits, but they can also be artificially flavored chemical enhancements produced in a lab. Either way, remember that an actual apple has it's own flavor and doesn't need other ingredients. This is the difference in whole food and processed food.

3. Colorings - Another ingredient often associated with processed food is colorings. These can be added to enhance the color or to overcome loss of color due to environmental conditions or when a fruit or vegetable is picked "green" or unripe. Colorings can be natural or synthetic. You might be surprised to learn that even conventional packaged meats often have color enhancements. We do NOT do that here at US Wellness Meats.

Anytime you can prepare your own food at home from scratch, you know precisely what ingredients go into the dish. If you want to take it to the next level, we recommend getting to know your farmer. In our store at USWellnessMeats.com or GrasslandBeef.com, you won't find any laboratory ingredients. You'll only find whole foods raised with respect for nature. We've found that premium meats, veggies, and fruits that are raised on regenerative farms don't need additives to taste great!

All the Best,  Team USWM