UNITED STATES—I hate the word diet, but in the world we live in one has to be aware of what he or she puts into their mouths for the sake of their body and overall health. It’s easier to say I’m going to do XYZ, but when temptation lurks around every corner, you have to have discipline. I’ve made this argument before and I will continue to make this argument today: the prices of food are continually on the rise. Eating healthy should not be COSTLY America, but that seems to be the case.

If you’re switching to a whole grain, gluten free diet, you can expect to spend double or triple of what you normally spend and you may not have the abundance of food that is normal to you. I will always acknowledge that fruits and veggies are always affordable to me, but certain fruits and veggies that aren’t in season might be more expensive than expected. I can spend about $20 per week and have an abundance of fruits and veggies for the entire week. So what’s the problem? I can’t seem to get around eating them all before they expire or get old.

I’ve realized just because it’s on sale, does not mean I HAVE to have it. If I already have 2 cucumbers at home, there is no need to purchase a third or fourth until I can ensure the others are eaten. On top of that, I’ve started to ensure utilizing those veggies and fruits that are suitable for a smoothie. Not everything can be thrown into the blender; I mean I would never place onions, potatoes or peppers into a smoothie. That just doesn’t seem right, and while I like to experiment there are limits people.

I did start the New Year with an epic resolution: no fast food! Yes, it was a daunting task, but I literally went almost 4 months without any fast-food. Suddenly, as things got stressful, I found myself slowly altering my resolution to allow a bit of fast-food into my life. To be honest, I felt the difference. Your body just reacts differently when you start eating something that you haven’t had in such a while. Rather that is soda, sweets, fatty foods, bread, etc.

So to re-charge my body, I’m going back to cutting off sweets, soda and fast-food; it won’t be easy, but at the same time my body and health means so much to me that I know this is something I have to do. Considering I have a family history of health problems I plan to be the person to alter that trend. It’s not easy though, I feel for those who have had relapses and felt defeated at times. But it happens; don’t let that be the end of the world.

I will admit that if you live in a household where people are inclined to eat fatty foods, sweets, drinks that are unhealthy and foods that you should stay away from, try to adjust your grocery shopping. I tend to be one who would cater to the needs of others, while catering to mine as well. Perhaps, it’s not a bad idea to try to implement the change to the entire household. Now, if you’re not comfortable doing that, you can always simply halt purchasing foods that would be tempting to you.

If you don’t see it or don’t have it in your panty or fridge, you will not be tempted to indulge in those foods. Out of sight out of mind people, it’s very true, if you don’t see it, the temptation for it declines. Eating right is never intended to be easy, it is all about discipline. If you trained your body enough to not want something you will get to the point where you no longer want the item.