You might as well get thin and healthy, since you don’t have money for much else.  Gone are the days of dinner and a movie (or even dinner OR a movie).  So, in addition to developing better eating habits, consider reading more.  All sorts of print material can be obtained for free (just make sure to get those library books back on time!).  Don’t bemoan the loss of days when you could spend money on comfortable new shoes, stylish haircuts, and flattering clothes: doing so would be both pitiful and shallow.  Instead, adopt the steely-eyed expression of those found in the Depression-era photography of Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans, respectively.  Work your way into becoming lean-jawed, thin, and stoic – it’s more respectable (because harder to attain) than weak, flabby, and helpless.

What follows is a grocery list.  It’s mostly vegetarian, since high-quality meat and seafood costs $$.  The menu is limited, because your cash flow is, too.  Beside each item, I’ve briefly described its health benefits.  Sometimes, after days of the same menu, you need to remember the healthfulness of a meal in order to appreciate it.

Recession Diet Grocery List

FRUITS: Go with whatever is cheapest, which is, usually, whatever is in season.  Visit About.com: Frugal Living, where you will find a list of the cheapest fruits and vegetables month-by-month.  What’s cheapest this month?  Here are two options for fruits and vegetables, respectively.

Pears contain a significant amount of pectin, which makes them effective in helping lower cholesterol levels and toning the intestines.

Oranges are vital for the proper function of the immune system.

VEGETABLES: Once again, go with whatever costs less.  The upside of this strategy is that it forces you into trying things you might not have during financial high times.

Broccoli contains phytonutrients that help optimize your cells’ detoxification and cleansing ability, which helps prevent cancer.

Bok Choy is a good source of calcium, and calcium is (as we all know) integral for building the strength of our bones and teeth.

PROTEIN

Beans are high in both fiber and protein.  In particular, they are high in soluble fiber, which, as it passes through the digestive tract, grabs and traps bile that contains cholesterol, thus removing it from the body before it’s absorbed.

Nuts (peanut butter is included in the category) are, in addition to being high in fiber and great sources of good fats, high in antioxidants.  Antioxidants help prevent the signs of aging.  The wisdom of the aged is good.  The wrinkles of the aged are unsightly.

CARBOHYDRATES

Whole Wheat Bread is tasty and (the high-quality kind – you MUST look at the ingredients list) provides our bodies with the energy it needs to complete the rigorous activities through which we put it.

Oatmeal is like a special treat, especially during the wintry months.  Its fiber content keeps you clean by eliminating cholesterol (of which you will not have a lot, IF you follow this recession diet), and it seems to make you feel more full by its way of puffing up.

BEVERAGES

Soy Milk is a good source of protein, fiber, and isoflavones.  Isoflavones are chemicals that are similar to the hormone estrogen and are thought to aid in the prevention of some cancers, heart disease, osteoporosis, and more.

Coffee makes most Americans happy.  It gives us a reason to get out of bed in the morning.  Buy the best coffee you can afford (there must be some pleasure in life).  Plus, these are many purported health benefits of coffee: lowered risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and colon cancer.  In addition, it may lift your mood, treat headaches, and lower your risk of cavities.  God wants us to drink coffee; that’s why He made it so good.  (Everything in moderation, though.  Remember: you’re broke!)

SUPPLEMENTS

Multi-vitamin/mineral complex to ensure you’re getting the nutrients you need.  Even though the diet I’ve provided is healthy, it surely doesn’t contain the array of vitamins and minerals our bodies need to function optimally. Furthermore, the soil in which our food is grown is no longer as nutrient-rich as it once was, thanks to overproduction and multiple cropping.

ADDITIONAL

On hand, you should have: salt and pepper, olive oil, and any condiment you cannot live without.  (Steamed veggies are yummy, but not so much when they’re unseasoned.)

FINAL NOTES

The grocery list I provided is an example of one week’s food purchases.  Other things you might enjoy consuming, that are also affordable and healthy, include: yogurt, cereal made with high-quality grains (flax, for example), eggs, tortillas, cheese (Heed serving sizes!), salsa, honey, tuna.  Good luck with this.  It’s not easy to eat such simple foods.  But, remember – following the recession diet will help you save money and get healthy.  Here’s to a progressive you in 2009!

I did not love dogs before Pyara. In truth, I didn’t even like them. I preferred cats, because they didn’t frequently demand my attention, jump on me, or bark. I’m still not a dog lover, but I LOVE Pyara with all my heart. Frankly, he’s the best dog I’ve ever met.

Pyara is an apricot-colored cockapoo. He weighs about twenty-five pounds. People frequently comment that he looks like a sheep or teddy-bear. Like a teddy bear, he’s adorable, cuddly, and curly-haired. Sometimes, when he was being naughty, I’d say, “Pyara, why are you looking so sheepish?” then I’d laugh a bit because he couldn’t help the fact that he was so soft and fluffy.

“Pyara” means beloved in Hindi. The name, though feminine-sounding, fits him, because he is loved by many people. Yet, I most commonly referred to him as “Bugs,” which was short for “Bugsy.” Depending on my mood and how he was behaving, he could also be called P, lil’ P, P-Diddy, handsome, or lil’ guy. I’ve learned that the things with which you’re most intimate have many names; this demonstrates your affection for them.

I most loved taking Pyara on unleashed hikes and walks. He would start smiling about ten minutes into the excursion. Lil’ P had a great way of showing his appreciation. An especially cute sight, something that warmed my heart every time I saw it, was the image of him bounding through an open field toward me. Once he reached me, he’d jump on me, then quickly run in a different direction. Equally glee-inspiring was the image of his bunny tail as he ran away.

Pyara made me a better person. Even on days when I felt most lazy, tired, and/or depressed, he motivated me to leave the house. I always felt less edgy and pessimistic by the time we got back. On afternoons I spent an exceedingly long time at the computer, he would groan as he turned over on the floor beside my chair, which let me know how boring I was being. Because he needed my attention, he demanded it, and I became less selfish with my time. Pyara’s absolute devotion to me inspired me to prove my absolute devotion to him.

My relationship with Pyara was one of the best I’ve ever had. If I got upset with him, I forgave him almost immediately, because I knew that whatever he did was not an act I should take as an attack against who I was and what I believed was right. Pyara’s love for me was consistent and clear, and, because I grew to need him as much as he needed me, I did my best to reciprocate. We were better together than we were apart, which is one way I assess the quality of a bond.

One day, I’ll have a dog of my own, even though, like any relationship, it takes courage. Within the past twenty-four hours, I’ve thought frequently of Elizabeth Bishop’s “One Art,” because losing Pyara has felt very much like a disaster.

I may never get married, but not because I’m flawed: I simply don’t have the personality type. The best relationships I’ve had have been long-distance, especially relationships in which I was unable to see the boyfriend Monday through Friday. The weekend-only visits allowed me plenty of time to work on my goals, eat healthfully, and be silent. I looked forward to seeing the boyfriend two days per week because it was a novelty. (I seem to bore quickly of everything, except for my routines.)

As the innkeeper of a bed and breakfast, I met couples from all over the world. Upon hearing that they had been travelling together for weeks, I immediately thought, “How on Earth can these people stand to be around each other every minute of the day?!” This fact truly baffled me.

My favorite memories from childhood are of times spent alone (running the perimeter of a pasture; making my Barbies act out plots I had imagined for them; pretending I was a housewife or teacher, ostensibly without a husband, children, or students).

It’s harder to not love people than it is to enjoy being around them. I abhor small talk, yet often find myself in situations in which I feel obliged to engage in it. I’d much rather my interactions with strangers consist of smiles and nods. So, if you ever see me, just smile and nod.

It’s the middle of July, and I’ve yet to smoke a full cigarette, which demonstrates real progress in my commitment to quit smoking. For months I’ve been on the “one-cigarette-per-week-sometimes-two” plan. Starting a running program and abstaining from seeing the people who made it easier for me to smoke has helped me resist the pull of nicotine.

Oh, but how I remember the mutinous pleasure of willfully inhaling carcinogens! Last summer, I spent my mornings and afternoons cleaning rooms at a bed and breakfast. After hours of inhaling bathroom cleaner with bleach, I looked forward to sitting out on the lawn, reading, drinking a couple of glasses of wine, and smoking lots of cigs.

These days, I won’t drink a drop of wine unless I know exactly five ounces have been poured into the glass. I rarely eat a meal when the constituents of it haven’t been measured. I’ve memorized portion sizes of foods I eat regularly (granola = 1/2 cup; salad dressing = 2 tbsp; nuts = 1/4 cup). I sometimes long for the ironic freedom of a smoking addiction. Like some former smokers, even when I smoked, I cared about my health. I exercised, ate fairly healthily, and regularly flossed. Yet, I didn’t feel obliged to set higher fitness or healthy eating goals because smoking so obviously contradicted the kind of person I claimed I wanted to be.

Now, I’m thirty-one. I know that binge drinking throughout my twenties, episodes of poor food choices, and over fifteen years’ worth of smoking has contributed to the way I look today. I’m not pleased with my appearance, but I believe there’s still time for me to approximate the way I’d like to look. Since I wasn’t blessed with good genes (My teeth are crooked and prone to cavities. I’ve had acne for most of my adult life. I can’t see without corrective lenses. My hair is thinner than I’d like it to be.), I must act on my belief that beauty comes through health.

The guy who smoked a cigarette in the car beside me reminded me of the way I was. Though not an example of physical health, I didn’t seem to struggle with moderation as much as I do now. I’m trying to work through my “all or nothing” way of thinking, and not just because I want to look better. There is more to life than portion control, flat abs, and clear skin, but I don’t know if I’ll truly be able to discover some more of the good things in life until I’ve accomplished the goal I’ve worked for years to achieve: the ability to remain in control without constantly having to assert it.