Why does health food = expensive?

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.