How much does good food cost?

IsabellaGiano

Hi,

I was wondering now and then why people complained about the costs of dieting..
Now a new fried wrote that he has to pay 3 dollars for an apple?!?!?

Well, I really hope it is not like this everywhere...
I live in Italy, and I lived in the UK, and the food is by no means as expensive as that...

So, my questions, out of curiosity... how much does "good" food cost where you live?
Fresh fruit and vegs, chicken and pork meat, legumes, potatoes, rice...

Do you really find that eating healthy is more expensive than not?

econista

Good food costs a lot less than the healthcare required by people who eat poorly.

ok, enough joking around, even if it is true

I feed my teen daughter and myself a local organic vegan diet for about $75/week.

SezxyStef

A big juicy honey crisp apple out of season here costs about 2-3$ each...

It depends on what you buy...if the fruits and veggies are in season (cheaper), where they come from (for Eastern Canadians) usually California or Flordia or South America so add in transportation costs, and the fact that there are issues in California atm and the price of food is high...(well non seasonal veggies and fruits for NB)

Lean chicken breast in my area ...a package of 4 could be 15-20$ when not on sale

Milk is 4$ for 2 litres so half a gallon, butter is about 5$ a pound, olive oil is 10$ a bottle...eggs almost 4$ a dozen, I wont even get into the organic items and their costs...

Potatoes are cheap for us since we are surrounded by potato fields...if I buy frozen veggies it's cheaper, and I always buy the meat on sale...

So yah it's expensive to eat in a "healthy" manner...my budget for food is about 200$ a week for 3 people.

ETA: yogurt for me is 1$ per 100g

cuinboston2014

I would hope that apple has gold in it. At my grocery store, apples are usually around $3 per pound. You can get them cheaper but most of hte cheap ones I don't like. Bananas I can find for .39-.49 cents a pound. Cucumbers often for .50 a piece. Fruits and vegetables are so seasonal but I can always find inexpensive, delicious ones and that helps me vary it

lean ground turkey is often on sale 2/$7
boneless,skinless chicken breast is often 2/$6 for a package of 2
Pork I can usually get between $2-3/lb
Seafood varies - if we buy the frozen fish we can find really good deals but we vary this up quite a bit.

Things like yogurt - often 10/$5

I also ALWAYS use coupons.

I read a figure recently it costs $1.50 per day extra to eat healthy. I am not sure I believe this - as the cost of the food migh tbe more but I know when I eat bad food like chips I eat more food and more junk. In addition, as econista said, the health costs of obesity/overweight and being unhealthy far outweight $1.50 per day

IsabellaGiano

Good food costs a lot less than the healthcare required by people who eat poorly.

ok, enough joking around, even if it is true

I feed my teen daughter and myself a local organic vegan diet for about $75/week.

Well, not so bad, right?
One can go much higher, but I think that I'm able to buy good food for me and my daughter (also chicken and pork meet, some fish, good cheese -ehi I'm writing this not because you're vegan, just because in Italy, at least ,meat and fish are considered expensive) at 60-100 euros per week. With some treats, not just the essentials.

SezxyStef

Good food costs a lot less than the healthcare required by people who eat poorly.

ok, enough joking around, even if it is true

I feed my teen daughter and myself a local organic vegan diet for about $75/week.

My son and husband and I spend more than 2x that...I am not sure that would be considered reasonable for Males in Canada...

rml_16

Where does your friend live? I've never seen a $3 apple. Fruit and veg (in the States, anyway) costs less in season than out. Canned and frozen cost less than fresh (and frozen actually holds the nutrients better, so it's a better choice, anyway).

I don't think I spend more to eat healthy than I would to eat unhealthy. I eat less and am satisfied longer on healthier foods than on "empty" calories.

Achrya

Good food costs a lot less than the healthcare required by people who eat poorly.

ok, enough joking around, even if it is true

I feed my teen daughter and myself a local organic vegan diet for about $75/week.

Hah. Try living in Hawaii and then tell me how that works out for you.


OP: The answer is 'a lot'. My food bill about doubled. And hey, that's life. I don't complain and I pay the money and enjoy my food...but I'm also not going to pretend it's cheap.

cbhubbybubble

I don't really understand the supposed extra cost of eating healthy really. Yes, chicken breasts cost more than regular ground beef. Extra lean ground beef costs more than regular ground beef, etc, but frozen and canned veggies are fairly inexpensive on sale and just as healthy as fresh. If one stops buying processed, instant, and "junk" foods, the savings will more than make up for the added cost of chicken, fish, and lean meats, I think, especially if one takes the time to cook. You can buy and roast a whole chicken for the price of a couple chicken breasts and get more meat and make a second or third meal by making the carcass into some soup and so on. I grew up in a family that made every grocery purchased count and learned a lot of ways to stretch food if I spend the time to do it....and I buy the cheap apples...=)

IsabellaGiano

So, it would be more interesting to compare the costs of stuff following a common list, what do you think?

milk 0.85-2 euros per liter
eggs 1-1.5 euro per 6 eggs
cereals don't know!
chicken/turkey 3-9 euro per kilo
pork 3-14 euro per kilo
beef 6-20
fish 5-40 euro, depending on the type. But there are some cheep fish that are delicious!
cheese 6-20 euro per chilo
pasta 0.5-2 euro per chilo
rice 1-3 euro per chilo
potatoes 0.5-2 euro epr chilo
vegetables 1-5 euro per chilo, depending on type and season... but in Italy we are not so used to out-of-season vegs
fruits 2-6
legumes dried, 1-3 euros, depending. In cans, 0.5-2 euros per bin.
oil 5-10 euro per liter
ice cream artigianal ice cream is about 15 euro per kilo, the other type is much cheaper
chocolate 0.5-3> per 250 g
bisquits 1-4 euro per 1 chilo

DawnieB1977

We do online supermarket shopping (Sainsbury's, which you'll know if you're English). We eat healthily and an average weekly shop will consist of things like tuna, chicken, fish, fruit, veg, yoghurt, organic wholemeal bread, peanut butter, milk, crackers, hummus, eggs....... We don't tend to buy junk, or any extras. If we want something sweet,then hubby will make pancakes, or I'll do cupcakes as the kids like them. For the 4 of us (my kids are nearly 5 and nearly 3) we spend maybe £90 a week on average (about $150).

I'm on maternity leave now, but I take food from home for work lunches, and our son is at school and takes a packed lunch.

I think food is expensive in England, but we're prepared to pay to eat well. We buy a few organic products in there.

erialcelyob

People often complain about the expense of eating healthy, but if I have a week where I fall of the wagon as you may, I find that I spend alot more money than usual. Either way, I'd rather pay more for health

IsabellaGiano

Ups, an euro is, now, about 1.4 dollars, and 1 chilo is about 2.2 pounds, I believe.

AsaThorsWoman

I spend about $350/ mo on Paleo for myself, my daughter and my boyfriend.

Dang, how much is ya'll monthly expense?

thavoice

Hi,

I was wondering now and then why people complained about the costs of dieting..
Now a new fried wrote that he has to pay 3 dollars for an apple?!?!?

Well, I really hope it is not like this everywhere...
I live in Italy, and I lived in the UK, and the food is by no means as expensive as that...

So, my questions, out of curiosity... how much does "good" food cost where you live?
Fresh fruit and vegs, chicken and pork meat, legumes, potatoes, rice...

Do you really find that eating healthy is more expensive than not?

This is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to people who want to lose weight, go on a diet, etc when they wonder about the high price of 'healthy food.

I have yo yo'd over the years. I am not proud of it, but it has happened. I master losing weight buy eating better, eating less and exercising. It is just maintaining that has killed me. I am giving it one more go around.

When people complain and say they cannot lose weight because it is too expensive...that is complete BS.


YOu can easily lose weight, and gain more $$ in your bank account. It really goes hand in hand. People dont need to go out and buy fancy "healty" food to lose weight.

When I lose weight I make $$$$$.
I spend sooo much less on food. How? Because you eat less. MUCH, MUCH, MUCH less fast food, much less drinks. much less eating out, much, much less $$ spend when you eat less/healthier

Blacklance36

Given the current water shortage in California good food is going to take a huge leap in price. Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pecans, fruit, are all going up very quickly.
Raisins have already gone up, hazelnuts are next and don't even look at meat prices, especially beef.

brittany2188

I grocery shop for 2 people.. When we were eating unhealthy (processed junk, etc) a trip to the grocery store would cost us around $70-$80 per week. Now that we eat healthy (fruits, veggies, etc) a trip to the grocery store costs us $90-$100 per week. So not much of a difference to us, but to someone with a very limited budget I could see how that could make a huge difference.

ETA: We live in the US. Michigan, to be specific.

dmenchac

People complain because you can get a chicken sandwich from McDonalds for 1/3 the cost of you to make it yourself.

thavoice

I would hope that apple has gold in it. At my grocery store, apples are usually around $3 per pound. You can get them cheaper but most of hte cheap ones I don't like. Bananas I can find for .39-.49 cents a pound. Cucumbers often for .50 a piece. Fruits and vegetables are so seasonal but I can always find inexpensive, delicious ones and that helps me vary it

lean ground turkey is often on sale 2/$7
boneless,skinless chicken breast is often 2/$6 for a package of 2
Pork I can usually get between $2-3/lb
Seafood varies - if we buy the frozen fish we can find really good deals but we vary this up quite a bit.

Things like yogurt - often 10/$5

I also ALWAYS use coupons.

I read a figure recently it costs $1.50 per day extra to eat healthy. I am not sure I believe this - as the cost of the food migh tbe more but I know when I eat bad food like chips I eat more food and more junk. In addition, as econista said, the health costs of obesity/overweight and being unhealthy far outweight $1.50 per day

I have heard the figure as well that it cost more to eat healthy. I dont believe it but how they calculate it...maybe it does. For the regular person it doesnt have to be that way. A LB of apples for $3..about right. Much cheaper snack than a dollar candy bar and a pop. Yogurt MAYBE $1 each. Much cheaper than getting a sandwich.

OllyReeves

Hi,

I was wondering now and then why people complained about the costs of dieting..
Now a new fried wrote that he has to pay 3 dollars for an apple?!?!?

Well, I really hope it is not like this everywhere...
I live in Italy, and I lived in the UK, and the food is by no means as expensive as that...

So, my questions, out of curiosity... how much does "good" food cost where you live?
Fresh fruit and vegs, chicken and pork meat, legumes, potatoes, rice...

Do you really find that eating healthy is more expensive than not?

I'm interested to know where in the UK you lived, because it is incredibly expensive. As is everything in the South East of England.

somefitsomefat

Speaking from the point of view of an American living in a major city I'd say food isn't THAT expensive. Seriously, go to Walmart people. Boneless/skinless chicken breast is $1.99 a pound. Boneless/skinless thighs are $2.50ish a pound. Buy frozen veggies for $1-2 for a small bag or $5.00 for a huge bag. Get fresh veggies dirt cheap at the farmers market. Buy canned veggies for $1 or less a can.

Yes, eating organic range free fancy named chickens tended to buy virgins who bathe only in the purest water shipped in on a golden 747 direct from the North Pole gets to be expensive. Otherwise no.

thavoice

I grocery shop for 2 people.. When we were eating unhealthy (processed junk, etc) a trip to the grocery store would cost us around $70-$80 per week. Now that we eat healthy (fruits, veggies, etc) a trip to the grocery store costs us $90-$100 per week. So not much of a difference to us, but to someone with a very limited budget I could see how that could make a huge difference.

ETA: We live in the US. Michigan, to be specific.

Just to ask...when you eat unhealthy......do you also eat out more often or delivery?
I have found that maybe getting groceries may be a little bit more when you are buying "healty" food, but when you are on a health kick you also dont seem to stop and eat junk at fast food places, gas stations, going through a carryout and buying a pop, etc.

Just one thing to also think about.

Achrya

Hi,

I was wondering now and then why people complained about the costs of dieting..
Now a new fried wrote that he has to pay 3 dollars for an apple?!?!?

Well, I really hope it is not like this everywhere...
I live in Italy, and I lived in the UK, and the food is by no means as expensive as that...

So, my questions, out of curiosity... how much does "good" food cost where you live?
Fresh fruit and vegs, chicken and pork meat, legumes, potatoes, rice...

Do you really find that eating healthy is more expensive than not?

This is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to people who want to lose weight, go on a diet, etc when they wonder about the high price of 'healthy food.

I have yo yo'd over the years. I am not proud of it, but it has happened. I master losing weight buy eating better, eating less and exercising. It is just maintaining that has killed me. I am giving it one more go around.

When people complain and say they cannot lose weight because it is too expensive...that is complete BS.


YOu can easily lose weight, and gain more $$ in your bank account. It really goes hand in hand. People dont need to go out and buy fancy "healty" food to lose weight.

When I lose weight I make $$$$$.
I spend sooo much less on food. How? Because you eat less. MUCH, MUCH, MUCH less fast food, much less drinks. much less eating out, much, much less $$ spend when you eat less/healthier

I don't know about where you live but in Hawaii, where I live, I without a doubt spend less when I grab fast food. Food is expensive, far more expensive than on the mainland, but fast food prices remain fairly consistent with what they are on the mainland.

That aside, not everyone who gains weight eats fast food so for some what you experience just isn't the case.

rml_16

People complain because you can get a chicken sandwich from McDonalds for 1/3 the cost of you to make it yourself.

I could make a chicken sandwich for the same amount of cheaper than McDonald's sells them. I suppose there are places in the world where it's more expensive, but I've lived in three states and four cities and haven't found that to be the case any of those places.

IsabellaGiano

Hi,

I was wondering now and then why people complained about the costs of dieting..
Now a new fried wrote that he has to pay 3 dollars for an apple?!?!?

Well, I really hope it is not like this everywhere...
I live in Italy, and I lived in the UK, and the food is by no means as expensive as that...

So, my questions, out of curiosity... how much does "good" food cost where you live?
Fresh fruit and vegs, chicken and pork meat, legumes, potatoes, rice...

Do you really find that eating healthy is more expensive than not?

I'm interested to know where in the UK you lived, because it is incredibly expensive. As is everything in the South East of England.

Nottingham... I bought mostly from Tesco, or Salinsbury though, that I know are not the best choices.. but I was happy with how much I spent, and the quality I got. And since I'm Italian, beleave me, the quality IS important to me!

petefromguelph

1 meeeeeelion dollars! Seriously though, lots of great answers already in this thread. Good luck!

AsaThorsWoman

Apples huge bag of the best of the best $7.00

Real Butter $2/ lb or less

Pork $1.70-$2.49/ lb

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $1.99/ lb

Whole chicken $0.99/lb

Legs / thighs $1.29/lb

Bananas $.60/ lb

Iceberg lettuce head $1

Cheese $1.99 / 8oz

Sausage $1/ lb

Eggs $1.59/ dozen

beaches61

I feed a family of for for an average of $150 to $200 a week, sometimes a little more when we have seafood. Cost has not gone up significantly since we started eating healthier, since our diet isn't that different -- I'm just eating less of things I used to eat more of, and in particular eating less junk.

Food prices can vary dramatically depending on where you live, though. I live in South Carolina (USA)

SezxyStef

Speaking from the point of view of an American living in a major city I'd say food isn't THAT expensive. Seriously, go to Walmart people. Boneless/skinless chicken breast is $1.99 a pound. Boneless/skinless thighs are $2.50ish a pound. Buy frozen veggies for $1-2 for a small bag or $5.00 for a huge bag. Get fresh veggies dirt cheap at the farmers market. Buy canned veggies for $1 or less a can.

Yes, eating organic range free fancy named chickens tended to buy virgins who bathe only in the purest water shipped in on a golden 747 direct from the North Pole gets to be expensive. Otherwise no.

That's not the case in Canada tho...our chicken breast (boneless/skinless) are 20 for 4...if not on sale.

Frozen veggies big bag is 10$ and I wont even go near dairy products....try spending 4$ on 1/2 gallon of milk and 5$ on a pound of butter...

ETA: I don't complain though about the cost of food for an excuse not to lose weight...I shop smart and when stuff is on sale I buy 2 or three...and freeze it. But as I said to feed myself, my son and my husband it is on average 200$ a week...

brittany2188

I grocery shop for 2 people.. When we were eating unhealthy (processed junk, etc) a trip to the grocery store would cost us around $70-$80 per week. Now that we eat healthy (fruits, veggies, etc) a trip to the grocery store costs us $90-$100 per week. So not much of a difference to us, but to someone with a very limited budget I could see how that could make a huge difference.

ETA: We live in the US. Michigan, to be specific.

Just to ask...when you eat unhealthy......do you also eat out more often or delivery?
I have found that maybe getting groceries may be a little bit more when you are buying "healty" food, but when you are on a health kick you also dont seem to stop and eat junk at fast food places, gas stations, going through a carryout and buying a pop, etc.

Just one thing to also think about.

That's true. I didn't factor that into the cost. Generally, we were eating food from the grocery store during the week, and eating out on the weekends. We still eat out on Saturdays now that we eat better, but mostly it's food from the grocery store.

sweetpea03b

My hubby and I usually spend about $75-$100/week on groceries... we eat a lot of sea food and high quality cut meats... fresh fruits but we mostly use frozen veggies because of the spoiling factor. We eat very little bread, pasta, rice, etc. and we are pretty much dairy free. We are in North Carolina (USA). We also very rarely eat out.