The surprising ways eating healthy saves you money

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“It’s too expensive” is the most common answer I get to the question, “Why don’t you try eating healthier?” Eating healthy really isn’t that expensive, actually, but even if it were, wouldn’t you hand over a pretty hefty part of your paycheck if you knew it could add 10 to 30 years to your life? And make you feel significantly better, lighter, happier, and more energized every day? Wouldn’t you pay a little surcharge for a more streamlined digestive system, less joint and muscle pain, more gorgeous skin and hair, better sleep, and even improved mood? I know I would. So the answer, “Eating healthy is expensive” doesn’t cut the mustard for me, regardless of whether or not it is true (it isn’t though). But the crazier truth is that eating healthy can actually help you pad your bank account. Here are the surprising ways eating healthy saves you money.

Less money on sleeping pills

Many people don’t realize just how much a bad diet affects their sleep. You might be shelling out cash on sleeping pills and other snooze-inducing supplements to help you relax, when really, you just need to cut the sugar or have lighter meals. When your digestion or blood sugar is off whack, you can’t sleep.

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Less money on painkillers

It’s so sad how many individuals live with chronic headaches, joint pains, and muscle pains, and take over-the-counter painkillers (which can have side effects) every day, without realizing that simply improving their diet and cutting out inflammatory foods could fix things.

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Less money on mood elevators

Do you spend a pretty penny on things that cheer you up? Alcohol? Shopping? Gambling? Anti-depressants? Our diets are so closely tied to our moods and a bad diet rather consistently results in higher levels of depression and anxiety.

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Less time in the bathroom and time is money

A poor diet leads to digestive upset and that leads you to the bathroom. But the more time you spend on the toilet, the less time you can be out in the world, hustling and networking.

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Fast food is getting expensive

In case you haven’t noticed, just getting a burger, fries, and a small soda at fast food chains will run you around $9 today. But you can easily make a healthy meal at home for around $5.

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Fit people make more money

The research is in and fit people make more money. They just do. Maybe they get the jobs more. Maybe they get a “yes” on their request for a raise more. Either way, they’re making bank.

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Fewer sick days

A bad diet can lead to all sorts of health problems and days you stay home from work, but those eat into your sick days, then your vacation days, and then just some of your ordinary days.

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You’ll eat less because you made it

When you make your own food, you appreciate it, so you eat slowly, and wind up eating less than you would of fast food. That means you have leftovers!

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Fewer visits to the doctor

Improving your diet can greatly decrease the number of doctor’s visits you go to each year. That means fewer copays.

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A lower insurance premium

And you know that each one of those doctor’s visits sends an alert to your insurance company to increase your premium.

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No really—much lower premiums

Actually, here’s a harsh reality: your weight to height ratio affects your health insurance premium. Yup. That’s a hard pill to swallow. Better swallow a salad instead.

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Successful people hang at whole foods

Alright, alright, this one might just be opinion, but just have a chat with ten people at Whole Foods, then have a chat with ten people grabbing mac and cheese from the late night deli. You might find the first group is happier with their life, more motivated, and more ambitious. Translation: you can make connections at health food stores.

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You’ll crush expensive cravings

When you don’t eat a balanced diet, your body gets thrown off balance. You wind up having cravings for fat and sugar, and foods you just don’t crave when you eat a healthy diet. And each of those snacks cost money.

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Grocery stores offer points

Grocery stores offer points! You can, for example, get dollars off of every tank of gas if your grocery store has a rewards program with a local gas station. Do fast food chains offer that? I don’t think so. They just offer you a punch card for a free burrito after your tenth one.