Eating healthy is expensive...

nicsflyingcircus

i guess i need to take into consideration where i live, you're right. im in downtown Toronto, so youre right, there is always a markup up regardless of where you shop in the city.

but still...it is expensive...add to that, protien bars, shakes etc...it can really add up for the month.

You're in Canada... our crap always seems to be overpriced. And I'm in oil city where our sales tax is (i think) lowest in the country!

I'm Canadian, but married an American and live in the deep South these days. Even though I complain of prices, I always boggle at them when I visit my folks in oil city (around which I was born/raised) and everything is 50% more pricey, and not because of the exchange rate!

BrianSharpe

i guess i need to take into consideration where i live, you're right. im in downtown Toronto, so youre right, there is always a markup up regardless of where you shop in the city.

but still...it is expensive...add to that, protien bars, shakes etc...it can really add up for the month.

Protein bars & shakes are not necessary for "eating healthy". Eating healthy means buying basic ingredients and cooking them yourself and, even in a downtown urban area, can be far less expensive than buying pre-packaged convenience foods, and you can find fresh ingredients at any grocery store (you don't need to buy organic at overpriced "health food" stores)

enterdanger

Try hitting your local farmer's market (if there is one). Buying local cuts out the middle man and saves big $$, plus it supports local farmers.

ana3067

i guess i need to take into consideration where i live, you're right. im in downtown Toronto, so youre right, there is always a markup up regardless of where you shop in the city.

but still...it is expensive...add to that, protien bars, shakes etc...it can really add up for the month.

You're in Canada... our crap always seems to be overpriced. And I'm in oil city where our sales tax is (i think) lowest in the country!

I'm Canadian, but married an American and live in the deep South these days. Even though I complain of prices, I always boggle at them when I visit my folks in oil city (around which I was born/raised) and everything is 50% more pricey, and not because of the exchange rate!

That's not fair at all! I don't want to move to the states just so I can eat cheaper ;(

Stella_Mayfair

I live in Manitoba, I know how expensive our healthy food is. You can buy more fattening foods cheaper than apples. It is sick I agree 100%. I quit smoking and I don't drink and still have a hell of a time, on a budget. Idw starve but Idw stuff in shyt my body won't make use of. Like bread win 1 g of fiber is cheaper than bread with 5g. Why?! I could go on. But the smoking is the worst for your pocket and health.

misschoppo

I think it really depends on where you live, all my friends who live in larger cities complain about their food bills. I'm really lucky to live in a rural village & with the village market open 4 days a week plus all the local farm shops so all my fresh produce I can get really cheap if I just get what is seasonal or what they have offers on. I Only go to the big supermarkets to get the stuff I can't get anywhere else.

soozy_q

I definitely think it is more expensive. Everyone seems to compare it to eating out with unhealthy food. Frozen unhealthy food/microwave meals are insanely cheap. I am spending about twice as much now. Well worth it thought, feel tons better. I have expensive taste when it comes to healthy food too, All the cheap fruit and veggies I find kinda boring.

Raclex

I'm vegetarian (and can't tolerate cow dairy) and it's still cheaper to prep my stuff from fresh 'in season' produce, beans, rice, nuts and sheep's milk cheese than it is to buy packaged foods. I mean, yeh, a Michelina's sale at 1.50$ a meal is cheap, but I would need to eat at least 2 or even 3 to fill-up. I can eat a super meal at home for that.

*Edited for spelling mistakes :embarassed:

triathlete5301

Planning planning planning! I used to think that eating healthy was sooooo expensive, but what it was is I would go shopping for me and my husband, then I would want all of the other crap (go out to eat, get a frozen pizza). This last week (especially due to finances changing) I planned out all of the meals that we would need for about 2 weeks, and even with having to get a few things from the store that we ran out of, I spent $100-$120 on two weeks of groceries for the both of us. Do frozen veggies/fruit instead of fresh, shop local, buy half a cow (wish I had the space for that!), plan the meals that you are going to eat (mostly- I know what I eat for breakfast/lunch on most days, as with the Hubs, and I account for having that available). Look at all of the different stores (I start with Aldi, then move to Jewel or HyVee depending on what Aldi didn't have) look at sales. It can be a pain, but it's worth it in the long run!

MisterZ33

thanks for the suggestions, especially the poster from toronto eho enlightened me about the deals at St. Lawrence market.

i do buy in to the protein powders and bars. i feel to reach my protein macro, i do rely on those products. i will look up the poster above's suggestion of learning how to make my own bars.

JoRocka

i guess i need to take into consideration where i live, you're right. im in downtown Toronto, so youre right, there is always a markup up regardless of where you shop in the city.

but still...it is expensive...add to that, protien bars, shakes etc...it can really add up for the month.

You're in Canada... our crap always seems to be overpriced. And I'm in oil city where our sales tax is (i think) lowest in the country!

I'm Canadian, but married an American and live in the deep South these days. Even though I complain of prices, I always boggle at them when I visit my folks in oil city (around which I was born/raised) and everything is 50% more pricey, and not because of the exchange rate!

That's not fair at all! I don't want to move to the states just so I can eat cheaper ;(

come to the dark side- where we sometimes produce good music... and don't export them wink wink nudge nudge

vegkitten

It is only expensive if you are vegan, buy strictly organic, or buy free range/grass fed meats.

Otherwise it is fairly inexpensive.

See my above comment, I feed a family of five on $550 a month completely vegan. Not expensive.

That is actually pretty admirable. Though I am curious as to the daily caloric and macrinutrient spreads you are able to achieve that way.

Myself, I don't eat as much as I should. My diary is completely open to view, if you're curious. As fas as my boys are concerned, I make a lot of foods from scratch. My older boys (9 and 8) eat about 1000 to 1800 a day (varies because, well, kids get wildly picky and things and their appetites change from day to day). I make a lot of foods from scratch. I often make very rich pasta sauces to get healthy fats in them, and I pack peanut butter, homemade hummus sandwiches. I sneak in avocados and other veg/fruit that they wouldn't voluntarily eat into said hummus or in tomato sauces and smoothies. I use a cheap, soy protein powder that I buy in bulk in smoothies as well, and because it's flavorless, I can add it into hummus and sauces. There is a Grocery Outlet in town that gets a lot of the other purchased stuff from other stores (I assume that's how it works?), and sells a lot of vegan specialty items very cheaply like the burgers and nuggets and ice cream and things of that nature. And soy milk can be found at the dollar store and I stock up whenever I find hemp milk at Grocery Outlet. Bananas are a main staple fruit as well and pretty high calorie. Breakfast cereals and granola and nuts and seeds in bulk are also awesome. Oh, and potatoes! Lots of potatoes! And beans and lentils in bulk. I'm lucky to have two older boys that like a variety of food.

My youngest (4) is a far pickier eater. I have to do a lot of bargaining to get him to eat, but he'll eat about 800 to 1200 calories a day. I sneak protein powder into his milk which is where he gets most of his calories from because he is so anti-food these past six months. That and cereal, "nuggets," peanut butter sandwiches, bananas, and pumpkin seeds are pretty much all he eats. It seems like a decent varierty, so I'm not too worried ATM.

amberj32

I found it to be a lot more expensive. I live in Southern California. I did see one of the other posts say it wasn't that expensive for him here but I don't know how he does it. I'm buying food for 4 adults and there is never enough protein. Chicken breasts are $5/lb or more. And everyone at home doesn't want to eat yogurt, chicken and veggies all the time. I don't buy as much convenient food as I did before but those were cheap since I used coupons. I would like to see someone's grocery list and meals for a week to see how they do it. And to throw a wrench in the system, I'm trying to cut back on carbs (my cheapest items) since I'm diabetic. It's a struggle every week. I tried protein powder one week but that was gone quickly and gets expensive.

FitOldMomma

im going to have to quit smoking and drinking premium beer.

but seriously...no wonder there are so many overweight / obese people out there, eating healthy drains your wallet.

Eating crappy drains your health.

Seriously though...with planning, there is no need for healthy eating to cost any more than eating junk food.

Chicken breasts on sale, fresh produce in season, brown rice= affordable.

But I'm with you on the smoking costs...before I quit nearly 3 months ago I was spending $17.55 PER DAY.

I'm feeling freaking rich these days, lol.

mylovelyremedy

I'm a college student living on campus in apartment dorms, and I do my own grocery shopping. I came from a family that didn't eat healthy, but didn't eat terrible either. But since I've been doing my own shopping, I've been more open to accepting healthier foods.

Breakfast was easy for me, I just needed a huge container of regular oatmeal. I add my own flavor.
There is always fruit on sale, I always get bananas. Usually 57 cents per lb where I am.
I can pick up Luna bars, Clif bars, PowerBars, and other protein bars for 98 cents each, and they are an entire breakfast meal to me.
A bag of dried fruit, $2.98 here, lasts a week or more if you don't eat the whole bag right away.

I eat lunch and dinner in the dining hall so I don't do that kind of shopping, but I still need to eat on weekends when the cafeteria is closed.
I buy brown rice, chicken breast, bagged salads.... frozen veggies, more fresh fruit, or frozen fruit, too.

Really, just spend a LOT of time browsing.
There are soo many things I feel like I never saw last time I was there.

0somuchbetter0

im going to have to quit smoking and drinking premium beer.

You should quit smoking anyway...just think of all the good beer you can buy with the money you're not spending on emphysema, lung cancer, and heart disease. :smokin:

As for protein bars & organic produce, you can eat healthy without those...but you've already received plenty of good advice. Good luck.

climbing_trees

"eating health is expensive"

AKA

"i'm afraid of the kitchen"

williams969

Not really.

Chicken breast $2//lb
In season fresh veggies less than $1/lb
Etc.

^^This is how I feed my entire family of 5. Rice and beans and some generic oatmeal or box cereal, $1 bread, eggs, milk, and Greek yogurt fill out the rest of the shopping cart. That's like $50. The rest of the budget (the "other" $50) is spent on beef, "fancy" fixin's, and maybe a treat or two (ice cream or chocolate or chips or some fast food).

Wayyy cheaper than daily takeout, frozen lasagnas and pizzas, and whatever else you can think of (although, we eat some of those things still, too, just far less often and in smaller quantities).

mhlew

When I am low on money my meal is brown rice, eggs, beans, throw it in whole wheat tortilla

Mikkimeow

Not really.

Chicken breast $2//lb
In season fresh veggies less than $1/lb
Etc.

Where you buying your chicken breast? My local Hyvee is like $3.50/lb

Check your local grocery ads weekly. There are sales fairly often with it at 1.99/lb. And pork loin roasts for the same or around 2.49/lb thatyou can slice into chops.

Aww thanks you the bestest.