STOP saying healthy food is more expensive

rachseby

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head arounf this because I eat a lot of "exotic" stuff, that would normally be considered expensive, in larger quantities might I add, and I spend max $75 a week, and that's if I make a stop at the Whole Foods cheese counter ... I eat berries (all types), sheep's milk yogurt, unhomogenize yogurt, raw almonds ... my diary is open ... all rather "high priced" fare, and I keep to my budget ...

EDIT: For me AND my mom ... 2 people ... though, I do eat way more than her because of my activity level.

It depends where you live. I am in NC, and groceries are actually more expensive (I have compared specific items) than they were when I lived in PA. Why? There is a higher gas tax, which means food is more expensive.

jennb44

Ditto...I so agree. I shop at our local Farmer's Markets because we don't have a place to grow our own veggies. I also believe in spending my hard earn money on good healthy foods (the best quality) for my health than purchasing something in a box that is processed. People need to invest in their health like they so easily do on electronic gadgets and etc. Make your health a priority...we only go around this world once.

lollypoppet

Being healthy is expensive. I live in London and In the UK thats why in lower-class area's a lot of people are obese because they can't afford to buy fruit and veg. And whilst it would be productive to grow your own fruit and veg etc, i think people are too busy and it's too time consuming to do that because people work etc. On top of that as a student, i also work part time in a supermarket to get some extra cash, and i see people pay at least £40 a week on fruits and veg, that's all very well, but it needs to be eatten in time before it rots, and when you add it all up, it can be a lot of money on people. However it does depend on their budget. And not many people are aware of more local things because it's never advertised, people see supermarkets and go cause its covenient. It just depends on the indivudual really, but also how much they want to change.

And also as a soon to be doctor, socio-econiomc issues plays a high factor in the ability for people to eat healthy, although nothing stops them from being able to exercise. I can't say for other places in the world, but that is this issue in the UK.

I understand what you are saying, but it's not realistic. The only thing that is realistic is that if people exercise more and cut back on things and replace crisps or chips or somethng healthier if its within their budget.

KissMeImShtFaced

Everyone's situation is different but if you're around middle income or above and have good access to what most Americans would consider normal amenities (grocery stores, farmers markets, etc.) I agree. Typically when someone say it's too expensive to eat healthy the person is basing that assertion off prepackaged store items or prepared restaurant foods. One funny one I've heard recently is how a salad at McDonald's costs more than a Big Mac or something to that effect. People like that have a narrow view of what healthy is and are missing the big picture.

klbaierwalter

Groceries here are super expensive because I live in a tourist town where what we call "lakers" come up on weekends and over the summers and holidays, so the prices are higher here because they know people will pay for them. Planting a garden is not the easiest feat, and things do not always grow, nor are they always edible. We have a pretty decent farmer's market up here on Saturdays where you can get lots of fresh produce from the local farmers. We also have a local butcher that has their own meat farm, so we get decent meats up here, but our groceries still run us around $50+ per week. We are getting a Costco not too far from here, so hopefully we will be able to save some money buying in bulk when that opens.

I am not trying to be rude OP, but you are coming across terribly rude and judgemental to others. If other people want to be upset about how much they spend on produce and if they choose to eat "junk food" (which is solely THEIR business), then you posting on the forums isn't going to help nor stop anything. You're just working yourself up over something you can't control. Why waste your blood pressure on it???

dellaquilaa

For those who say healthy food is too expensive; is it more expensive then the doctor? Because you will spend more time being sick and at the doctor (and missing work/kids missing school) if you eat unhealthy then if you pay up front for healthy and eat better.

But ultimately it is your decision to make. We choose healthy up front and skip on doctors.

That's a moot point when you HAVE NO MONEY.
If I'm broke, guess what? There's no "decision" to be made. I get to feed my family for a week on $50. If I get sick, guess what? It doesn't matter how expensive the doctor is because we aren't going unless its to the ER.

Exactly. Don't you think if everyone had a choice they would prefer healthier stuff? Not everyone has a choice. And there are assistance programs that don't provide fresh food, ie WIC. That pretty much provides milk, eggs, cheese, and peanut butter. Where are the vegetables and fruit there?

^^^Umm....do some Googling before you post. WIC provides a voucher for fresh produce.

joolsmitchell

My grocery bill has increased by around £20 a week some weeks even more!

aliciamhosein

I honestly just bought $30 worth of fresh veggies, whole grain bread, meats, milk and cheese. I know it will last my hubby and I at least an entire week....

I calculated how much it would cost to get mac and cheese and chips and soda and crappy foods, I could get about the same amount of food, but a bag of chips goes so fast and it's not filling and makes you feel uber icky. I know that if I bought $30 of junk food, fast food, quick meals - I would not be able to sustain more than a few days between two people.


So, please stop with the excuses that eating healthy is too expensive. Grow a garden, pack some carrots, stay up an extra 10 mins to prepare a meal for the next day. Jeepers Creepers, quit complaining and research what groceries you have locally and what seasons good food comes in season/what freezes for winter when fruits and veggies go up in price.

depends on how lazy people are. I just made crock pot chicken 160cals per serving cost about 7 for 6 servings. took me about 10mins to cut everything up and throw it in the crock pot. for me I have to buy quite a bit of frozen veggies so they don't go bad on me. that was my problem at first when I started eating healthy. I over bought fresh veggies and it ended up going bad. so now I buy less and certain things I buy frozen like pea's.

ren_ascent

I'll stick to digging out ants and cicadas out of the ground. I also like to take my sticky tongue and catch and eat flies, when I'm not taking my mud bath.

[joey tribiani voice] how YOU doin[/joey tribiani voice]

ROFLMAO!!

mazdauk

I'm not sufficiently bored at work to read all 18 pages. But here's my tips (for what they're worth).

1.If you want organic, buy things where the organicness (if that's a word) makes a difference - like meat and dairy. Don't waste it on organic pasta.
2. Look to the bottom shelves - the same size packets of pasta will be a quarter of the price, just without a pretty picture. Do you eat the picture? No, nor do I.
3. there is NOTHING wrong with frozen or tinned fruit and veg - in fact frozen peas will always be better than fresh, unless you pick them yourself just before cooking. Again, look to the bottom shelves/end sections where the boring packets lurk.

SteveJWatson

So, please stop with the excuses that eating healthy is too expensive. Grow a garden, pack some carrots, stay up an extra 10 mins to prepare a meal for the next day. Jeepers Creepers, quit complaining and research what groceries you have locally and what seasons good food comes in season/what freezes for winter when fruits and veggies go up in price.

OP, I know your heart's in the right place here, but do you actually grow your own garden?

Ok, a pack of carrot seeds may set you back only $1.19, but I have also spend a huge chunk of money making sure those carrots (and my other vegetables) actually grow into something edible. Before those carrots even went into the ground, there was $$$ going into that soil to make sure the earth was fertilized and healthy. Chicken wire fence was erected to keep the bunnies and raccoons out (kind of worked!), and hours upon hours every week making sure that the weeds didn't overtake the seedlings and it was properly watered. We pay for water too. All in all, we probably spent close to $300 on our garden this year and I'm sure we won't get that all money back through grocery savings.

Don't get me wrong, I love gardening, but I don't do it to keep my grocery bill down.

I have been poor at times, and I come from a family where my father grew up very poor - although I am rural.

Growing stuff is *always* cheaper. Fertiliser is **** and if you ask about enough you are bound to find a stables willing to let you turn up and carry off as much as you can bag - I used to get a cattle farming neighbour to dump me a ton-bucket of rotted cow manure over the hedge into my harden - he never charged me money for it. Annual seeds and f1 hybrids yes, you have to buy; carrots, beets, onions etc - the rest you save from the stuff you grew last year easy enough with squashes, potatoes etc - let some of your bean/pea crop go over and keep the pods - I find it pays to use the best ones if you can resist picking them, as they grew best in your microclimate.

As for your rabbit netting, make sure there is a gap and set a snare in it. Bingo! Protein.

When I grew up poor rural kids (and those in industrial areas too - often mining towns are miles from anywhere, for example) used to enjoy a spot of illicit rabbiting, be it with snares, airguns, ferrets or running dogs.


I don't grow as much as I should these days, and I blame the usual having kids etc, but my dad and both my grandads managed....truth is - the hour or so an evening that they used to do their veg is probably when I spend 'quality time' on my *kitten* watching TV.

DebbieLyn63

Reasonable Quality Steak: $26.99 a pound
Potato Chips: $3.99 a bag

Just sayin!

$26.99 a pound for steak?? Goodness, where do you live? You can get T-bones and Ribeyes for under $10 a pound here in Texas. And usually $6.99 on sale.

But you don't have to eat top quality steak to eat healthy.
Our grocery bill went down when my hubby and I started dieting a year ago. This is because we cut out take out pizza and most fast food runs, $5 Starbucks, and portion sizes.

If you buy carefully and watch for sales, and cook your food yourself, you should be able to eat healthier food for around the same amount as your total food bill. Eating out, sodas, coffees, vending machine snacks, etc. really add up.

nadiB

My grocery bill has increased by around £20 a week some weeks even more!

Mine has also increased by about £60 a month since we both eat healthier.....and if you are a busy London worker then healthy lunch is for sure more expensive than a sandwich, soda and bag of crisps meal deal!

VorJoshigan

It IS more expensive. Because time is my currency.

I'm happy to pay the price.

WendyTerry420

I don't know about you but eating more veggies and fruits is breaking the bank. It costs around 160-200 bucks for us. Produce is super expensive where I am at.

A pack of frozen veggies here is roughly $1/pound, so we do smaller meat portions and load up on veggies. Fruits, meh, it's pretty much just bananas at our house unless something is on sale. $1/pound is my limit on produce.

A dollar a pound for frozen veggies is a sale price here -- I usually stock up on veggies if I can find them then, but if I weren't living alone my freezer size wouldn't be adequate and I'd have to pay the regular price (usually quite a bit more).

Quite a bit more? Like $2 instead of $1?

KissMeImShtFaced

Reasonable Quality Steak: $26.99 a pound
Potato Chips: $3.99 a bag

Just sayin!

$26.99 a pound for steak?? Goodness, where do you live? You can get T-bones and Ribeyes for under $10 a pound here in Texas. And usually $6.99 on sale.

But you don't have to eat top quality steak to eat healthy.
Our grocery bill went down when my hubby and I started dieting a year ago. This is because we cut out take out pizza and most fast food runs, $5 Starbucks, and portion sizes.

If you buy carefully and watch for sales, and cook your food yourself, you should be able to eat healthier food for around the same amount as your total food bill. Eating out, sodas, coffees, vending machine snacks, etc. really add up.

Couldn't find the original post but chicken breast at Walmart is usually $1.99 a pound. Just sayin'.

Marla64

For those who say healthy food is too expensive; is it more expensive then the doctor? Because you will spend more time being sick and at the doctor (and missing work/kids missing school) if you eat unhealthy then if you pay up front for healthy and eat better.

But ultimately it is your decision to make. We choose healthy up front and skip on doctors.

That's a moot point when you HAVE NO MONEY.
If I'm broke, guess what? There's no "decision" to be made. I get to feed my family for a week on $50. If I get sick, guess what? It doesn't matter how expensive the doctor is because we aren't going unless its to the ER.

Exactly. Don't you think if everyone had a choice they would prefer healthier stuff? Not everyone has a choice. And there are assistance programs that don't provide fresh food, ie WIC. That pretty much provides milk, eggs, cheese, and peanut butter. Where are the vegetables and fruit there?

^^^Umm....do some Googling before you post. WIC provides a voucher for fresh produce.

My experience with WIC was that they provided the fresh produce for local farmers markets once a year-- you had $20 to spend, once a year. And it didn't take a rocket scientist to know that was more about promoting the local farmers market.

WendyTerry420

I think all the price comparison is moot. While there are some luxury items (seafood, steaks, etc) that are cheaper in some areas than others, it is also true that the cost of living *overall* varies from place to place. So saying Item X is cheaper in City A than it is in Town B is apples to oranges. You *CAN* eat a healthy diet on an average grocery budget. Even if you are on food stamps, you can choose to eat foods that fit your macros, and that your own budget *IS* going to be relative to your income.

This idea that you *HAVE* to eat ANY particular foods in order to have a healthy diet is no different than any other dieting myth. You may not get to eat your favorite foods all the time if you have low income or only food stamps, but you *CAN* hit your macros and stay in your calorie goal.

contingencyplan

Healthy
Convenience
Price

Pick two

That's how it works. The people who claim healthy food is more expensive do so because they're looking for ready-to-eat healthy meals/foods rather than ingredients to prepare their own. As with just about ANYTHING else, you WILL save money if you're willing to buy ingredients and prepare your own meals from scratch rather than foods that come ready to eat out of the box, healthy or not.

3foldchord

What kind of meal is rice, beans, and eggs? and with teen boys?

It's calorie-dense, cheap as dirt, and easy.

my oldest son (19) could live off 'fried rice'--- he cooks rice, eggs adds a few frozen veggies or seasonal ones. rice is cheap, but eggs get a bit pricey. 6 eggs is a snack for him! (dinner is 5 large bowls of chili) Where we lived previously, the store sold eggs in 5-Dozen packs! it was the cheapest way t buy eggs, here, the largest amount I can find is 18 or 24 eggs.And he loves baked beans- not cheap, bulk, but he loves them.
but the teen boys need MEAT and lots of it, or I'd be buying 10 dozen eggs a week.

next year, I want to add up costs for gardening, I was thinking about the fertilizer, soil, etc, costs earlier this summer.

but I have picked enough zucchini to feed a small army, I think.