Jonathan Wilson

HLTH 1020
04/05/19
$10 Food Challenge

1. 5 Banana’s, 1.98 lbs.

2. 1 Bell Pepper .43 lbs.
3. 1 Red Bell Pepper, .48 lbs.
4. 1 Russet Potato, .89 lbs.
5. 1 Lettuce Romaine, 1.08 lbs.
6. Unsalted Peanuts, .45 lbs
7. 1 Navel Orange, pounds .66 pounds
8. Baby Carrots, 2.5 lbs

For my $10 food challenge, I went to Smiths to get a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and
other nutritious foods like the peanuts. From completing this assignment, I discovered and
was frankly amazed, by how much food I could get with only $10. I even walked in without
getting a cart because I didn’t think I would need one, and quickly realized that was a
mistake as fruit and veggies are about to spill out of my arms from the amount I could get.
 Jonathan Wilson
HLTH 1020
04/05/19
Here are 5 ways that I can maximize my food dollars.
1. I can cut back on spending money on unhealthy foods. I haven’t realized how much
money I could save by eating healthy. I can start by cutting spending money on junk
foods like Oreo’s, Ice Cream, and Soda. These can be a less frequently bought item
and use them as rewards for things like completing finals for example.
2. I can go to the store predetermining what healthy foods I want to buy.
3. Following off of #2, I can create meal plans using MyPlate to help me know what to
buy when I go to the store. By having a meal plan, I can be sure I’m getting enough
of each food group, and customize it to my taste, and greatest nutritional value.
4. I currently live at home, so I can utilize the opportunity to discuss with my mom
what my meal plans are, and ask her what she would be willing to help provide and
get extra of at the store when she makes her weekly trips and maximize the money
that I’m spending, while saving money in the long run.
5. Lastly, I can maximize my food dollars by eating out less. This is something that I’ve
already been working on lately, but still could cut back even more by going out to
eat with friends only on planned occasions and to not be as hungry when I go so that
I’m not left ordering costly amounts of food that I might not even finish.

The food challenge video was an amazing video because it not only got me excited to go
shopping for vegetables and fresh foods, but began to open my eyes to the reality that I
was living it, which was the belief that I really couldn’t afford to eat healthy. I took
environmental yoga 2 years ago, and in that class my teacher talked about this same
exact principle about buying fresh fruits and vegetables at the marketplace and how it
had been saving her lots of money and reduces waste from pre-packaged products. I
didn’t fully take advantage of that knowledge because I still hadn’t put fresh food
shopping to the test until this challenge presented in the video. I also found myself
relating a lot to the student who spent his $10 on junk food, which he wasn’t able to get
that much of anyways because it’s more money.

Two ways that I compare food choices

1. Look at the color and make sure there aren’t any bruises.
2. Smell the foods and check how firm they are. If a fruit is very mushy then that is
probably not the best choice.

5 ways to combat food spoilage

 Jonathan Wilson
HLTH 1020
04/05/19

1. Refrigerate the items as soon as you get home.

2. Store in the proper locations within the fridge.
3. Remember that you have the foods in the fridge and to consciously eat them
throughout the week.
4. Avoid certain foods from sunlight, keeping them in the fridge helps certain foods last
longer.
5. Buy it fresh so that it’s not already begun or on the verge of spoiling. An example of
this is to buy bananas when they’re a little bit on the greener side so that they can last
throughout the week.