What is 'Healthy' Food'?

Just what is 'healthy' food, anyway? And how does someone living below the economic edge acquire 'healthy' food on a consistent basis?

As consumers, we are deluged with messages that promote healthy lifestyles, attainable when you choose 'healthy' food. In most cases, this leads to persuading us to buy the commercially sanctioned 'health' food, which is about corporate profit, not personal health.

Healthy food means whole food. Whole food is a fresh apple, bread made at home, a pot full of reconstituted lentils, simmering in a spicy vegetable broth. It is not necessarily certified organically grown fruits and vegetables. It does not come in pre-packaged items adorned with lovely pictures. It is not clustered in expensive vitamins from the local 'health food' store. Nor is it found in animal muscle, an udder product or a chicken's ova.

Replacing convenience foods with whole food; eliminating animal and animal by-products from your diet; eating less; shopping for local produce whenever possible will all aid in the quest for 'healthy' food.

I consume 90% whole raw food, do not eat anything animal related, am healthy and my daily budget spent on food is $3.40.

Not for you, you say? Fair enough. Changing lifelong eating habits is not easy but it can be done. More later on how to make the switch. Hint: it took me two years to acquire vegan status from a vegetarian diet and have been changing to a raw vegan cuisine since August 2009.