Why does health food = expensive?

Kimberly_Harper

Yeah I do remember when Kale was a decoration! Ha!! Also, I get sticker shock sometimes and often think we'd be a healthier country if healthy foods cost less than unhealthy foods. My heart rate goes up every time I go to buy a jar of almond butter (which now I don't have to do because cashew butter) or grass-fed beef. To recover, I think about how much I was spending on pizza and beer this time last year and realize I'm probably saving money.

runner475

LovelyIvy466 wrote: »

Ahh, another New Yorker. I think people who live outside of NYC don't really understand how bad it can get. If you live in Manhattan and/or don't have a car it can be especially hard to find healthy food for a reasonable price- the upscale markets are beautiful, have a huge selection and charge outrageously, while the cheaper markets often don't have the things you actually want to eat. When they do have the things you want, the quality is often not great, and sometimes the prices are just as bad. I currently live in the outer boroughs, which is both easier (price-wise) and harder (most markets are smaller, don't have the selection), but when I lived in Manhattan it was very hard to cut down costs.

The prices for fruits and vegetables in particular are freaking outrageous. The farmer's markets are EVEN WORSE, talk about price gouging! I have found the best places to get a reasonable price are either buying frozen and in bulk at Costco/BJ's, schlepping over to Trader Joe's (and enduring that freakin line of death) or Fairway market. TJ has the most reasonable prices on veggies and fruits, although they carry a pretty limited supply, and you're not going to find everything you want. It's also the most annoying place to shop by far, but you either pay with your money or your time...

I lived in Brooklyn for the longest time. It's crazy obnoxious even in Brooklyn. I hear ya.

bennettinfinity

sullus wrote: »

j75j75 wrote: »

It's simple supply and demand. As demand goes up and supply can't keep up the price goes up. Also when farmers don't use pesticides or GMOs they have a tougher time with pests and growing food that is "perfect" in the eyes of the consumer. That means they have more waste and less that they can sell. So what they do sell has to recover their costs and give them a bit of profit to live on. Also animals raised without hormones, antibiotics and are grass fed do not grow as quickly and may get sick. This again raises costs.

But you can bypass most of this by supporting local growers and by growing some of your own food as well. Most places also allow you to raise some livestock but I'm sure about the laws on that in NY...

I disagree about supply and demand. Its trendy, so they are jacking up the prices. I think its that simple.

Also - there is pesticide usage on organic produce.

Doesn't 'trendy' almost by definition mean 'in demand'... as in increased demand?

babydaisy81

I may sound cheap, but on Saturday mornings I go to the "fancy" grocery store, and their reduced stuff is SOO cheap and better quality still then the store I normally shop at. I get my kale and chard any any green leafy stuff there too because it seems to be super cheap as well. Asian stores in my area are also less expensive compared to the normal market.

Shalaurise

sullus wrote: »

j75j75 wrote: »

It's simple supply and demand. As demand goes up and supply can't keep up the price goes up. Also when farmers don't use pesticides or GMOs they have a tougher time with pests and growing food that is "perfect" in the eyes of the consumer. That means they have more waste and less that they can sell. So what they do sell has to recover their costs and give them a bit of profit to live on. Also animals raised without hormones, antibiotics and are grass fed do not grow as quickly and may get sick. This again raises costs.

But you can bypass most of this by supporting local growers and by growing some of your own food as well. Most places also allow you to raise some livestock but I'm sure about the laws on that in NY...

I disagree about supply and demand. Its trendy, so they are jacking up the prices. I think its that simple.

Also - there is pesticide usage on organic produce.

I avoid unnecessarily expensive products (organic) whenever possible. This is increasingly difficult in the "trendy" SF bay area where they put tofu in everything, organic is "the only way to go" and "GMOs are evil"... Sorry, just because someone paid the government money to "certify" their food does not mean I am certifiable enough to think it is worth paying more money for less product.

Also, I love farmers markets and all... but I have never paid so much for dead plants in my life as I have at the farmer's markets around here. They have charged as much as double there as the grocery stores do. I still go, but I don't end up with much because I could easily spend my entire month's grocery budget on 1 weeks worth of fruit and veggies at a farmers market.

SezxyStef

I haven't found mine has increased and I eat quite healthy.

I buy in bulk when it goes on sale ie skinless chicken breast or pork loin or fish.

I buy frozen instead of fresh because I got news for people who think fresher is better it's not nutrionally unless you go to your back yard and pick it yourself...most of my family works in the transportation industry and did you know that fruit and veggies that are slated for fresh selling are picked prior to being ripe and ripen on the truck to the store or in storage waiting to get to the store...

For an example oranges are picked when they turn orange..well guess what that's ripe...so what is gonna happen to it when it takes 1 week to get to northern us or Canada then sits on the dock for another 2 or 3 days then another day to get shipped to the store and another day to get loaded into the store and on the shelf....

Frozen on the other hand is picked at ripeness and taken to a factory close to the fields and processed immediately...I know this because McCain's is handy and in the plant close to home they only process potatoes and fiddleheads.

feisty_bucket

SezxyStef wrote: »

I buy frozen instead of fresh because I got news for people who think fresher is better it's not nutritionally unless you go to your back yard and pick it yourself

Yes, thanks for posting this. The circular logic we see here all the time of healthy = "eat lots of fresh produce!" = expensive, therefore healthy = expensive is nonsense.

There's no real reason your calories and macros can't be dialed in for cheap.

HeidiCooksSupper

Yup, some folks charge what the traffic will bear so be flexible and look for alternatives.

A head of cabbage is a LOT of food and lasts a good long time in the fridge. Red cabbage will be fine for about 3 weeks.

Follow the weekly ads of your supermarket and buy accordingly. In other words, if carrots are on sale, it's a good week for you to incorporate lots of carrots in your menu, make carrot soup to put in the freezer or pre-cook and pack in meal-sized portions to freeze and throw in the microwave later.

One of the best bargains I ever bought were deli-style, stacking containers in 1- and 2-cup sizes. They stack beautifully and take up very little room. "Extreme Freeze Reditainer 8 oz. Freezeable Deli Food Containers w/ Lids - Pack of 40 - Food Storage" (1 cup containers) are only $15.95 on Amazon. A lifetime supply!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007V2W3VO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

kissa714

if theres a produce junction near you, go to it. its so cheap and still decent produce. ive heard there are food pantries and stuff that have healthy food too for really cheap. i would look it up if i were you.

melimomTARDIS

Laurend224 wrote: »

I buy mustard and turnip greens......kale was SO last year.

i buy collard greens. mustard greens are passe.

wizzybeth

I am not a fan of kale. At all. I'd rather have cabbage or spinach. Or dirt for that matter.

cosmichvoyager

Have you considered joining a CSA? I just did for the first time and for about $50/week I'm going to be getting fruit, veggies, 18 eggs a week and a bottle of keffir.

If it ends up being good, it will be a considerable savings for us. I'm nervous but also excited.

deebrio

cosmichvoyager wrote: »

Have you considered joining a CSA? I just did for the first time and for about $50/week I'm going to be getting fruit, veggies, 18 eggs a week and a bottle of keffir.

If it ends up being good, it will be a considerable savings for us. I'm nervous but also excited.

Yep I have looked into CSA, but it's pickup only, about 20 miles away and only operates June through September. I can go to an actually farm if I go far enough east. Both are expensive! Thank you for the suggestion though!

LovelyIvy466

Just came from fairway, and am really pleased because they had a sale on salmon ($6/lb) and antibiotic-free chicken breasts (2$/pound!) they also had a sale on organic steak ($11/pound, which counts as a SCREAMING DEAL) but I opted for the chicken and salmon instead. We save so much money by buying primarily veggies, meat and dairy. The final bill was half of what it was in days when I bought processed foods and frozen meals.

You just have to buy it when you see it on sale, and eating healthy can ultimately be so much cheaper. The only item I had to fight myself on is some aged manchego cheese, because I know I could eat the whole thing in two sittings with no problem.

LovelyIvy466

runner475 wrote: »

LovelyIvy466 wrote: »

Ahh, another New Yorker. I think people who live outside of NYC don't really understand how bad it can get. If you live in Manhattan and/or don't have a car it can be especially hard to find healthy food for a reasonable price- the upscale markets are beautiful, have a huge selection and charge outrageously, while the cheaper markets often don't have the things you actually want to eat. When they do have the things you want, the quality is often not great, and sometimes the prices are just as bad. I currently live in the outer boroughs, which is both easier (price-wise) and harder (most markets are smaller, don't have the selection), but when I lived in Manhattan it was very hard to cut down costs.

The prices for fruits and vegetables in particular are freaking outrageous. The farmer's markets are EVEN WORSE, talk about price gouging! I have found the best places to get a reasonable price are either buying frozen and in bulk at Costco/BJ's, schlepping over to Trader Joe's (and enduring that freakin line of death) or Fairway market. TJ has the most reasonable prices on veggies and fruits, although they carry a pretty limited supply, and you're not going to find everything you want. It's also the most annoying place to shop by far, but you either pay with your money or your time...

I lived in Brooklyn for the longest time. It's crazy obnoxious even in Brooklyn. I hear ya.

Brooklyn may in fact be the WORST these days. It has gotten crazy expensive in the last few years!

jasmineruth

We eat relatively healthy on $130 per week for a family of three, which seems cheap as heck to me. My husband and I are trying to lose weight though. I assume if you are trying to build muscle it would get pricy. I don't know who goes to McDonalds and eats a 1$ burger either. If I were to go to a fast food restaurant I would be ordering a combo or something that would be probably the same price as a salad. How many lbs of kale are you planning to eat? How much does a lb of Ben and Jerrys or a lb of potato chips cost? How much does a lb of pizza cost? There are plenty of healthy, or moderate foods that are cheap. We have been saving money since we have been eating healthier. Junk food is expensive too.

SciranBG

I experienced this recently when I took a trip to an actual supermarket instead of my local Aldi.
"Wow, look at all the interesting produce they have here! ... Why is everything so expensive?"
I'm enjoying my leeks and bok choy, but for less than half the price I am fine with cabbage and onions.

RodaRose

feisty_bucket wrote: »

SezxyStef wrote: »

I buy frozen instead of fresh because I got news for people who think fresher is better it's not nutritionally unless you go to your back yard and pick it yourself

Yes, thanks for posting this. The circular logic we see here all the time of healthy = "eat lots of fresh produce!" = expensive, therefore healthy = expensive is nonsense.

There's no real reason your calories and macros can't be dialed in for cheap.

Yes! Frozen is usually more nutritionally sound.

auntstephie321

deebrio wrote: »

Thanks guys! Lots of good suggestions here! I love farmers markets but NY in the winter doesn't have much going on. But spring is here so there should be a bunch opening soon!!

I know what you mean, it was a long rough winter too, markets should be opening soon thankfully

auntstephie321

Have you looked into any CSA's in the area. You can buy a share and usually pick up twice a month or so, based on your family size for quantity. It's nice because you get different things you may but normally buy, depending on what they are harvesting at that time.