Healthonomic Stimulus Package
In a recent Seeds for Sanctuary blog post, Dr Susan Corso wrote about a Woe is I Economy. She offers some fascinating concepts to stimulate the economy. I’d like to add to that list …
A Healthonomic Package.
An HCMO: Health Creation and Maintenance Organization.
This is a health care plan for your body that you are personally responsible for creating and maintaining. Your plan will be the total benefit package for your life, including financial! Yes, you read correctly …. a financial benefit. A Healthonomic Stimulus Package!
Consuming fresh, local, organic foods is a great place to start. Become a loca-vore, one who, when possible, consumes locally grown foods. This saves money, conserves resources, creates jobs and connection within the community.
“Food in the U.S. travels an average of 1,300 miles from farm to supermarket. Almost every state in the U.S. buys 85% of its food from some place else. In Massachusetts, for example, this food import imbalance translates to a $4 billion leak in the state economy on an annual basis. UMass studies have determined that Massachusetts could produce closer to 35% of its food supply. This 20% increase would contribute $1 billion annually to the economy of the Commonwealth.” University Of Massachusetts Put that into the Big Dig, sundry potholes and universal health insurance!
One of my favorite ways to accomplish this is through participation in CSAs, Community Supported Agriculture. My daughter and I purchased a ’share’ at a local CSA this year. A share is an allotted quantity of fresh goods produced by that farm or collective of farms.
We purchased our share before the growing season, as many CSAs require. Selling shares is a wonderful way to ensure that monies come in for the farmers’ work and produce, helping to keep them in business. The cost to the consumer can range anywhere from $300 – $600 per share, depending on many factors.
Each share is based on feeding an average family of four, over a growing season, and sometimes into the winter months. This is dependent upon consumption.
Do the math. Let’s use 5 months per year as an average, and the $300 – $600 range per share. That comes out to be only $60 – $120 each month to feed a family of four fresh organic foods! Savings all around.
Do the math further: 2 meals a day for 4 people for 30 days. That cost breaks down to $0.25 – $0.50 per person per meal. There’s no better financial deal available.
That makes a McDonald’s “Value Menu” expensive … In so many ways!
Check out your Local Farms and CSAs, for a Heathonomic stimulus package! Eat healthy, be happy, save money, support the community, and stimulate the economy with the money you saved by eating locally grown foods prepared at home.
Look for next week’s blog post … Eating PeaceMeal … for more nourishing ideas.
Until then, please comment on this post and share your thoughts, ideas and experiences about your own HCMO and Healthonomics Stimulus Package.
Peace,
Karyn