I’ve tried countless times to start a healthy lifestyle, but like most people, I never stuck to it. Crispy fried food and sweet desserts? My weakness. Price didn’t help either. It’s a lot cheaper to grab a bag of chips than a container of fruit. So, when my teacher challenged me to stay healthy for a week on a $100 budget, my first reaction was, “Nope, not happening.” However, then I thought, “Maybe it was finally time to prove I could resist chips for more than 24 hours.”
Defining “Healthy”:
Researching what it truly means to “be healthy” was a struggle. My peers said one thing, social media said another, and nutritionist sites were so vague they only added to my confusion. At one point, I even asked my fellow classmates, “If a food has sugar, is it considered healthy?” “Absolutely not! All sugar is bad,” senior Zoe Briscoe insisted. But then I read that fruit contains sugar, so was fruit unhealthy too? The constant contradictions about what’s considered healthy and what’s not left my brain completely scrambled. Therefore, to keep my sanity, I decided to stick with what I personally consider healthy: fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats. Now that I had an idea of healthy foods, I hit the grocery store and managed to grab everything I needed while staying nearly $30 under budget.
First Bite of the Day:
I’m not a breakfast person, but as senior Laiyla Pierce shares, “Breakfast powers you through the day and keeps you performing at your best,” so I made it part of the experience. Most mornings, I kept it simple with a protein bar, but on days I had more energy, I made oatmeal or had Greek yogurt with granola. I even tried making “healthy” waffles once. They didn’t taste awful, but let’s just say it was a been-there-done-that situation … I definitely wouldn’t make them again.
On another day, I also gave Starbucks’ Spinach, Feta & Egg White Wrap a shot since everyone swore it was healthy and delicious. Spoiler alert: I hated it … and honestly, walking into Starbucks was a mistake anyways because I could practically hear a sugary Frappuccino calling my name. All in all, breakfast wasn’t my favorite part of this journey, but at least I can say I stuck to the rules of the challenge.
Midday Munchies:
Lunch mostly consisted of meal-prepped foods, which turned out to be a lifesaver since my school banned ordering DoorDash and UberEats (but that’s a rant for another day). My rotation was pretty simple: chicken and rice, chicken wraps, and shrimp with asparagus. Did I cook these myself? Absolutely not. It’s not that I can’t cook—I just really dislike it. Luckily, my mom came to the rescue, and every meal turned out great. And hey, according to the internet, these meals check all the “healthy” boxes, so I’m counting them as healthy enough.
Evening Eats:
Dinner was more of the same, with meal-prepped foods with the occasional freshly cooked meal. I also let myself eat out a few times, if it matched my health rules, and one of those times was Chipotle. “If you stick to rice, grilled chicken, beans, and veggies, Chipotle can be a healthy option,” Pierce noted, which was all the confirmation I needed to order my usual bowl: chicken, brown rice, pico de gallo, lettuce, and guacamole. This time, though, I paid attention to portions and only ate about a third of it. Portion control quickly became one of the biggest lessons for me, eating less but balancing it with better choices made me feel just as full without overloading on calories. “Eating out doesn’t have to ruin your progress. It’s all about how you build your plate,” Briscoe explained.
Between Meals:
Snacks were hands down the hardest part of this whole experience. Normally, I’d grab chips, donuts or candy without a second thought. But this time, I had to skip the “junk” aisle and stock up on grapes, trail mix, apple slices with peanut butter, unsalted almonds—the whole nine. It wasn’t easy choosing between sticking to my plan and grabbing what my heart truly desired (delicious chocolate donuts). But over time, I got used to the change, and honestly, the “healthy” snacks weren’t bad at all. Fresh grapes and trail mix were satisfying enough to make me forget about the donuts … at least for a little while.
Looking back, that week taught me way more than I expected. I learned that healthy doesn’t have to mean bland or boring, that portion control is just as important as what’s on the plate, and that small changes really do add up. “Being healthy isn’t about being perfect—it’s about making choices that make you feel good in the long run,” senior Jackson Roberts emphasized. Was this experience easy? Definitely not. But by the end, I felt better, had more energy, and still managed to finish the week about ten dollars under budget—even with a couple of Starbucks runs and a Chipotle bowl sneaking their way in. Not every swap was a winner (the horrid waffles won’t be making a comeback), but I’d stick with Greek yogurt and trail mix as healthy habits to curb my cravings for sweet treats.
