Why is healthy food more expensive?!

xnancyelizabeth

Why is healthy food more expensive?! :mad: ...Yet you always hear/see on the internet, TV, adverts, schools etc. to get healthy, When they don't make it easy for us... This just bugged me! So I thought I'd see what peoples views on it are...
I noticed when I go to the fruit isles etc at the start of the isle there is ALWAYS a bargain on chocolate bars, crisps etc!
This annoys me because it DOES tempt me, I won't lie, that's the truth though.. especially when your on a budget :frown:
Peoples views? Thanks for reading! :flowerforyou:

crandos

Because they take longer to grow if organic maybe

CorkGirl76

This is why we order our shopping online so we aren't tempted by the special offers

Woomytron

You can buy healthy food cheaper too, you just gotta do some more digging. Go to your local market house. You will spend half of what you spend at a grocery store for twice as much. Just yesterday I walked to my market house (exercise on top of getting healthy food cheap), and only spend $7 on 3 bags of fruits and veggies... yes you heard me right $7!! At the store look for stuff that isn't brand name. Sometimes the store brand can even be healthier.

I use to say healthy food was more expensive and that was my excuse for eating crappy food. I say if I have to spend an extra few dollars to be healthy then fine by me. My health is more important. If those bad things temp you, don't go do that isle. I skip lots of isle in the store... makes shopping faster and I don't see crap that I don't need/want.

Capt_Apollo

do some research in regards to labeling. sometimes their aren't many requirements for food to be labeled "all natural" or "organic" as people may think.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/06/27/how-to-not-get-scammed-by-food-labels-plus-were-hiring/

this is an informative article, at least to a point. he's got some links to some other informative stuff as well.

this is what he says about chickens (in the united states)

Free Range: Ultimately, this only means that the chicken must have “access to the outside.” A.K.A., a door cut in the side of a house that has some area for the chicken to ‘range” should they so choose. Of course, most of these chickens are already raised in captivity and never once set foot outside. This is not regulated well and thus oftentimes there are no differences between a regular chicken and a free range chicken. If animal’s rights issues are important to you, a more strict classification below would better suit you.

All Natural: Virtually all chickens raised in America are “all natural” by USDA definition. No chicken company adds hormones or steroids to their chickens; it’s not allowed. The “all natural” label isn’t regulated and doesn’t mean anything.

Organic: USDA has the following requirements for labeling “organic” chicken: The number of birds raised in a house is about half of “normal” chicken houses. Only organic feed is allowed (chicken feed is 65% corn, and 30% soymeal. The other 5% of normal chicken feed is bonemeal, feather meal, blood meal and vitamins. Organic chicken cannot receive the vitamins or medicine that normal chickens do. Normal chickens are also vaccinated as day old-chicks, while organic chickens are not. Therefore the mortality rate for organic is 2-3 times normal chickens, hence the increased costs.

Pasture Raised: Ultimately, these birds are raised outside, as chickens would have existed back in the day. They are allowed to eat whatever falls on the ground, be it bugs, worms, grubs, grass, bonemeal from previously decayed animals, and more. They are not confined to a cage. This would probably be your best bet, as the chickens get to spend the most time outdoors exploring compared to the other options.

BEEUK

You can buy healthy food cheaper too, you just gotta do some more digging. Go to your local market house. You will spend half of what you spend at a grocery store for twice as much. Just yesterday I walked to my market house (exercise on top of getting healthy food cheap), and only spend $7 on 3 bags of fruits and veggies... yes you heard me right $7!! At the store look for stuff that isn't brand name. Sometimes the store brand can even be healthier.

I use to say healthy food was more expensive and that was my excuse for eating crappy food. I say if I have to spend an extra few dollars to be healthy then fine by me. My health is more important. If those bad things temp you, don't go do that isle. I skip lots of isle in the store... makes shopping faster and I don't see crap that I don't need/want.

This!

Healthier options are less convenient for sure. Markets for fresh food, health shops for a few bits, the supermarket for meat and fish. My 'shopping' happens pretty much every day, picking fresh up as i need it. Would be near on impossible, and very expensive, to do one complete shop for the week.

trisH_7183

Just my own experience,but I'm no longer buying most junk food,so that is saving right there.Good bread is $$,so half goes in the freezer.My limit is 2 slices a day.No longer buying lots of cheese or meat.The only thing we drink is cold water & iced tea,no sugar drinks.
The list goes on,but it mainly comes down to eating/ buying less food,eating healthier.Most of my money goes on fresh fruit & veggies.Wish they were lower cost,but it is what it is.

PS..MFP is free & I'm not paying for a diet service. We have to take our savings where we find them .:flowerforyou:

stefjc

Healthy food can be quite a lot cheaper BUT it will usually take longer to prepare and often requires batch cooking.

We have 2 freezers (there are only 2 of us) so that we can take advantage of the veg we grow, the bulk purchases we make and the big batches of food we make. But we used to be really careful and still healthy and cheap when we only had the little icebox at the top of the fridge.

The biggest drawback is having to plan, think ahead and be prepared to eat things you wouldn't or couldn't normally buy.

Chadomaniac

No such thing as healthy and unhealthy , Buy what you want and eat it in moderation . Make sure it fits your daily calorie needs ... Foods marked "low fat" is generally packed with carbs and sugars . Its all a MARKETING scheme to attract more customers to make more sales .. The media has ruined Society

taunto

Why is healthy food more expensive?! :mad: ...Yet you always hear/see on the internet, TV, adverts, schools etc. to get healthy, When they don't make it easy for us... This just bugged me! So I thought I'd see what peoples views on it are...
I noticed when I go to the fruit isles etc at the start of the isle there is ALWAYS a bargain on chocolate bars, crisps etc!
This annoys me because it DOES tempt me, I won't lie, that's the truth though.. especially when your on a budget :frown:
Peoples views? Thanks for reading! :flowerforyou:

Assuming the definition of "healthy foods" to be foods that are minimally processed (AKA, not canned or loaded with preservatives etc), I can assure you that healthy foods ARE infact cheaper. There are obviously exceptions on remote areas where its harder to transport but typically, healthy foods would be cheaper. Give you some example from back when I was living in US

for $1 you can buy 1 can of black beans
for $1 you can buy 1 big bag of black beans which will give you about 10 cans worth of beans

home made pizza is about $5 with toppings loaded
dominos pizza is about $10 for a large on a promotion with limited toppings

fronzen or restaurant curry: $6-$7 for a plate (frozen) or anywhere from $10 to $15 (restaurant)
home cooked with fresh ingredients: $2 per plate on average

Fresh fruits are always in sale IF you know what to look for. Find fruits in season and I can assure you, you will find deals.

There are a few fast food joints that make it look like home cooking is expensive compared to grabbing a $1 burger from McDs but you have to count the quality and portion too. If you cook a gourmet burger at home, it would roughly cost about $5-$6 per burger. Which is cheaper than burger kings sandwiches (I think, I'm not a huge burger person myself and calculated long time ago)

On average, when I was eating 6 meals a day I calculated my average meals to cost me $0.90 (roughly $5.50 a day). Thats excluding eating out of course which I used to do once a week at Qdoba and a cheesecake from walmart which would cost me same as 4 days of home cooked meals for me.

pluckabee

Because it cant be massed produced and stored for long periods of time easily

suibhne

It's also much less expensive to eat healthy food if you buy dry stuff in bulk - beans, grains, and so on, whatever fits your diet. And you may be able to find "buying clubs" for these things in your area, sometimes associated with churches or service organizations, that bring the costs down even more dramatically.

seliinac

Try comparing foods by their nutrient content rather than calorie content and you're realise that the junk food is not cheaper (and may be more expensive) compared to nutrient dense healthy/whole foods.

Just a change of mindset may make it easier to make better choices.

Pookylou

Why is healthy food more expensive?! :mad: ...Yet you always hear/see on the internet, TV, adverts, schools etc. to get healthy, When they don't make it easy for us... This just bugged me! So I thought I'd see what peoples views on it are...
I noticed when I go to the fruit isles etc at the start of the isle there is ALWAYS a bargain on chocolate bars, crisps etc!
This annoys me because it DOES tempt me, I won't lie, that's the truth though.. especially when your on a budget :frown:
Peoples views? Thanks for reading! :flowerforyou:

Assuming the definition of "healthy foods" to be foods that are minimally processed (AKA, not canned or loaded with preservatives etc), I can assure you that healthy foods ARE infact cheaper. There are obviously exceptions on remote areas where its harder to transport but typically, healthy foods would be cheaper. Give you some example from back when I was living in US

for $1 you can buy 1 can of black beans
for $1 you can buy 1 big bag of black beans which will give you about 10 cans worth of beans

home made pizza is about $5 with toppings loaded
dominos pizza is about $10 for a large on a promotion with limited toppings

fronzen or restaurant curry: $6-$7 for a plate (frozen) or anywhere from $10 to $15 (restaurant)
home cooked with fresh ingredients: $2 per plate on average

Fresh fruits are always in sale IF you know what to look for. Find fruits in season and I can assure you, you will find deals.

There are a few fast food joints that make it look like home cooking is expensive compared to grabbing a $1 burger from McDs but you have to count the quality and portion too. If you cook a gourmet burger at home, it would roughly cost about $5-$6 per burger. Which is cheaper than burger kings sandwiches (I think, I'm not a huge burger person myself and calculated long time ago)

On average, when I was eating 6 meals a day I calculated my average meals to cost me $0.90 (roughly $5.50 a day). Thats excluding eating out of course which I used to do once a week at Qdoba and a cheesecake from walmart which would cost me same as 4 days of home cooked meals for me.

Agreed, the initial outlay can be more expensive but works out cheaper per meal - I bought a dozen chicken breasts, pork loin, frying steak, sausages and bacon from a local butcher for £25, cooking a couple of chicken breasts at a time for my lunches SO much cheaper than the processed stuff from the supermarkets!

rachaelgifford

I don't find healthy food to be more expensive.

pkw58

Our grocery bills have gone down 30% since we don't buy junk food, sodas, juices and pastries. My lunches I buy out have gone down about the same, as I always drink water and never order more than an entree (sometimes I order an appetizer for my entree).

dcanthony07

Basically this:

Candy Bar: "Best if Eaten by _____" (Typically 6 months to a year)
Fruits and Veggies "Best if Eaten by _______" (Typically 5 - 7 days)

Those fruits and vegetables wont last as long as that candy bar, because that candy bar is loaded with artificial ingredients and preservatives. This results in farms having to produce at higher costs and rates compared to the candy factory.

Eating healthy actually isn't as hard as many people make it out to be, as long as you buy the right things. Certain things like frozen corn, peas, and broccoli are great because you can eat what you want, and keep the rest frozen. As for fresh veggies, carrots and potatoes tend to last a LONG time in your pantry or refrigerator. So that price tag that might seem a little high at first, wont actually be that expensive in the long run, because those items will last longer and result in you having to buy them less frequently.

Fruit on the other hand, because of their natural sugar content, tend to go bad quicker. I suggest buying berries if you can. They tend to last a little over a week, and are great for a quick little snack.

One thing to stay away from if possible is canned vegetables. They are LOADED with sodium to keep them "fresh" longer. Yes, they may be cheaper, but imagine all that extra 'stuff' in their that you don't need.

Hope this helped

xnancyelizabeth

I'm not saying I don't buy/eat it.. I just find it annoying its £1.50 for 8 oranges and 80p (UK Currency) for a pack of 30 chocolate biscuits! lol.. and this is at one of the cheapest supermarkets in the area! I know that was probably a poor comparison but there is so many examples.. I think I'm going to order online from now on! :laugh:

LorinaLynn

Depends on what you consider healthy and what you consider expensive. If you look at it in cost per pound or cost per serving basis, fruits are way cheaper than chocolate. I don't think I ever pay more than $2 a pound for fresh fruits. I can get a 10 oz bag of potato chips, or a five pound bag of potatoes, for the same price. I rarely pay more than $2/pound for boneless skinless chicken breast. I can make my own quarter pound cheeseburger for a little over a dollar, or spend about $3 for one at McDonalds. I buy frozen french fries and oven bake them for about 25 cents per serving. I buy frozen vegetables between a dollar and $2 a pound.

It's not more expensive to eat healthy. It's just less convenient.

SJVZEE

I've discovered the complete opposite-since transitioning to a whole foods, plant based diet I'm spending a LOT less on groceries for myself-fresh veggies and fruit, beans, whole grains (oats, brown rice etc) and things like olives, nuts and the misc. item like raisins, are way cheaper than frozen dinners, chips, frozen potatoes, meat and dairy (cheese and Greek yogurt is so expensive!) etc etc. The only things that I now buy that is a bit expensive are nuts. But, I've got a lead on a bulk store so I'm heading there today to see if I can get my almonds and walnuts for a good price I'm spending around $30 a week for myself on food now ($25 on fresh produce and then a few dollars for grains and stuff that I'm low on).