Eating healthy is expensive!
Replies
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Budgeting helps me. I usually take the average of my food costs, gas costs, bills ect. and separate them into envelops for a week. I also have an envelop for miscellaneous things, like going out to eat, or just luxury things that I want. Like a lot of people said, look for deals on fresh fruits. Seasonal things can be expensive when they are out of season. Search different stores. I like to buy my produce from Food Lion. I've found it to be fresher and slightly cheaper. Bargain hunt. I'm sure you've heard this a million times, forming these healthy habits now will lead to cheaper medical bills in the future. This is a long run type of lifestyle, it will all pay off
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Probably self evident from my profile pic, but I place value on the veg and don't mind buying (or, like a poster above, growing my own this time of the year in Colorado). But there are tips I find helpful when buying, and some folks above hit on some of these.
Don't make a habit of buying things crazy out of season (e.g., winter squash will be cheap now - avocados won't). We can get anything anytime from all over the world, but cherries in December cost an arm and a leg where I live... and might taste like paste.
Find a store with good produce specials. Sprouts, near us, has great deals.
Buy plant based protein. Beans are very healthy, versatile, and super cheap. (I also like tofu, but fear recommending that lest this thread devolve into anti-tofu forum hate...)
Be selective in what you buy organic (if that is a priority for you) - the "dirty dozen" and "clean fifteen" lists can be found online and are useful if you are interested.
Stock up on frozen veg when it's on sale.0 -
Never ever buy something processed or premade if you can do it yourself. Get in season, frrsh local ingredients. Be willing to shop aeound and try new foods. Practice.0
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I can understand where she is coming from. I don't think she means fruits and veggies. Just to replace other items it does costs up to two times more. Example, I buy Laura Scudder's - All Natural Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Smooth. The only ingredients in it are peanuts and less than 1% salt, this jar costs about 2x what a regualr jar of JIF peanut butter cost. Same thing with sugar free jelly, yogurt ranch, pita bread, extra lean ground beef, turkey bacon etc....
So yes, I do agree that eating healthy is expensive. I love and eat my fruits and veggies, but i do like to eat other foods as well. Also so many fruits and veggies have very little calories, that you can eat more and more of them, thus meaning you will continuously keep buying these items. And yes they do add up, fast!
The only thing, i can tell you is to shop at food stores like Aldi. Here this store is pretty cheap with their fruits and veggies. Also think about the long run of your health, a few extra bucks on healthier foods is better than a lifetime of diabetes :ohwell:
THIS. This is what I mean. I went from paying $3 for a jar of peanut butter to $7, just to make sure I'm not eating additives. Little changes like that add up. Regular pasta costs a buck, quinoa pasta costs $4. Also, there is no way in hell I'm eating veggies from a can. Frozen is fine, but do you know how much sodium is in that crap? No thanks!0 -
RICE0
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So is diabeetus
amen to that...I have had diabetes since 2005.... i spent $400 a month just on insulin.....
I got serious and went on the PALEO diet...that is what worked for me.... and I am no longer type 2 diabetic.... I have been on insulin since 2008 and now I take NO INSULIN AT ALL...
so I buy clean fresh whole foods...yes a little expensive but my health is worth it...and I got $400 a month more in my pockets!
Chief Rocka is correct0 -
THIS. This is what I mean. I went from paying $3 for a jar of peanut butter to $7, just to make sure I'm not eating additives.
I don't understand this at all. We went from buying regular kraft peanut butter to all-natural kraft peanut butter (nothing in the jar but peanuts). It's the same price.
And why do you need quinoa pasta? I can get whole grain pasta for the same price as regular pasta.0 -
Completely depends where you're from. For two of us here it's at least 700$/month to keep us stocked on produce/meat.
My usual shopping list: Apples, lettuce, oranges, green onion, bell pepper, spinach, bread, eggs, almond milk, chocolate milk, greek yogurt, whatever meat is on sale chicken is overpriced as hell here, so I stock up when it's on for 4-5$ a pound, canned beans, canned corn and we're at around 130-150$ after taxes. Repeat for product every 5 days tops at 70-90$ a trip.0 -
Ha. We get super high cost healthy food, plus my fiance is a type 1 diabetic, test strips run 1$ a piece and he tests 4-6 times a day to stay on top of his sugars.0
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THIS. This is what I mean. I went from paying $3 for a jar of peanut butter to $7, just to make sure I'm not eating additives.
I don't understand this at all. We went from buying regular kraft peanut butter to all-natural kraft peanut butter (nothing in the jar but peanuts). It's the same price.
And why do you need quinoa pasta? I can get whole grain pasta for the same price as regular pasta.
Yep this!! 40 oz. jar of Regular Jiff is 5.67 and a 40 oz. jar of Jiff all natural is 5.67...... same goes for alot of other items and I find things when the are on sale and then stock up to save too.... Best of Luck0 -
The cheapest "healthier" foods I buy are:
head of lettuce, eggs, regular less tasty carrots, celery [the kind you have to clean good yourself], head of cabbage [I eat cabbage raw], bag of potatoes, huge bag of kale, cucumbers, old fashioned oats, cheap brand wheat bread, whole chickens, cheap store brand bags of frozen veggies [better value than canned], cheap store brand cans of beans, bananas [bunches and bunches], frozen fish, etc.
Stuff like that. Check the sales papers. Clip coupons. Buy containers to take food in for work.0 -
You can either invest in your body now or you'll be forced to invest in it later. Healthcare costs are far more expensive than healthy eating. I get brown rice, dried beans, hamburger and chicken tend to be pretty cheap. Seasonal fruit, onions, lettuce, carrots are AL usually pretty cheap. Eggs are mega cheap, but I hate them so I don't buy them. Also farmer markets are generally cheaper than grocery stores because they eliminate the middle man. Plus Aldi, seiously hit it up.0
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Do you have a BJ's, Sam's Club or Costco membership? When I was in college and didn't have a meal plan, my dad would shop for things in bulk and I wouldn't have to worry about groceries for long periods of time. So that's something to consider.0
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It doesn't have to be expensive. Buy the fruits & veggies that are on sale (or farmer's market, great deals at mine) Or use frozen veggies, those things on sale are like $1/bag, great for off season because they are flash frozen at the peak of freshness, much better than canned. Rice & beans are super cheap, I'm a meat eater, but I'll do beans/rice/veg dish for just a few bucks that will give a lot of meals (I take leftovers for lunch). Bagged lettuce isn't that expensive, but you can buy a head and wash/chop it yourself for a little bit of money. Basically, yes, eating healthy can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be.
Edit: Check out Aldi's. I normally don't shop there, but you can score frozen meat & fresh produce really, really cheaply.0 -
You have been a little brainwashed by what is "healthy".
Yes, it would be great to eat all organic grass fed unicorns but that is expensive.
Try not to shop in the "health food" aisle. It's all overpriced unnecessary BS in there. (and quite often even higher in cals than a "normal" option)0 -
Make your own food. I'm vegan and a lot of premade food is expensive. I'll buy dry beans and wheat gluten flour for seitan, frozen veggies, ect.0
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Bump0
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Just in case it hadn't been mentioned before. Check out budgetbytes.com!
She's got lots of recipes on there which won't cost the world and I would consider most of them 'healthy' (whatever that even means)0 -
Skinny taste recipes - good for the body and budget
LOVE skinny taste recipes!!!
I used to eat out 2-3x a day EVERYday so when i started eating clean it averaged a little cheaper
i agree that the "eating healthy is expensive" saying is a MYTH especially for someone that once spent roughly 20 bucks a day on fast food.... eating out fast food is WAY way more expensive!!0 -
If costly "clean" peanut butter is a problem, just start eating nuts. They'll give you the same satisfaction, for alot less. Best. 0
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I thought the same, but then I added in the savings from not buying my lunch at work every day, eating takeout at least twice a week and eating out for lunches and dinners another two or three times - and it's working out a lot cheaper. You do need to give it a couple of weeks to start noticing though.
I have found a few tips to help:
* Buy meat/fish in larger weights (especially when there's an offer on), cut into individual portions, bag up and freeze. Then get what you need out the night before to defrost.
* Plan your meals, and use some of the same ingredients for a couple of days running so that you use up what you have already bought in full, instead of having to keep buying new items. I use Pinterest - just type in an ingredient and it will show you loads of healthy recipes using that food. You can do this last minute too if you have stuff you need to use or bin.
* Check out the clearance sections of your local supermarket - mine reduces everything that has a shorter shelf life about 4-5pm, which is perfect for me to pop in after work and bag a few bargains. I'll buy a couple of things to use in the next day or two (I'll usually quite happily go a couple of days over the 'Use By' for certain items if it smells & tastes fine), and anything that can be frozen I'll stock up on.
Hope that helps 0 -
Aldi has been a godsend for my household. My girlfriend and i have been making this work with around $100 for 2 weeks and that's when we splurge and get some goodies.
Eating Healthy is repetitious but it can be quite inexpensive. My office is full of people who order different and new food every day. When i first got here i found myself ordering out with them everyday! Shortly after that i realized i gained 30LBS and was spending $10-15 a day on Lunch every work day for a year.
Now i spent $5-7 Dollars on a pack of chicken breast and cut them into chunks and i steam brown rice every morning and i eat that Monday-Friday and it keeps me full until i have my snack and dinner. So you can understand the repetition in the same meal every day but i'm seeing a change in my wallet and weight.
Aldi though... Amazing.0 -
What's your definition of healthy?
Yes, we definitely need that information from the OP, otherwise we're just making random comments.0 -
Hello All,
First time poster but registered for almost a year.
Actually, I agree with her. Eating healthy IS expensive. You can say, well just eat some pasta, rice,etc etc. But for someone who truly wants to eat well, it is hard. Before, it was cheap for me to eat with spaghetti, rice, frozen veggies etc. However, I am against GMO food, so I go out of my way to get everything Organic because it isn't a scam, it actually makes a difference whether a pesticide is INSIDE your food or not. Most grains are GMOs, so this is hard. My body can't handle gluten very well, so I get flax seed pita bread, more expensive than a 99 cent loaf of white bread. Organic lettuce, more expensive than the pesticide and insecticide filled regular lettuce, although I do at times HAVE to get the chemical lettuce. It is cheaper to buy a 99cent bag of chips than it is for one eggplant. Frozen veggies are a life saver because they are cheaper than the fresh ones. I just started eat fish and poultry again, but I will only eat it if its organic, grass fed, with no antibiotics -- more expensive than chicken at .99/lb. You want some hummus? More expensive than 99 cent sour cream dip with 50 ingredients you can't pronounce. Every documentary on healthy eating will even tell you that it is more expensive and that is the problem in this country. Eating a can of non-organic corn is basically the same as eating a spoonful of Raid, this is a scientific fact, just look it up, they both have insecticides. Corn and soy are some of the worst, the GMO makers have the insecticides inside the seeds; this is not a joke or over-exaggeration. Eating healthy isn't just about losing weight, its about putting clean non-contaminated healthy food in your body. As for the Tofu and such, that is a no-no. Basically all soy is made with GMOs, so it isn't actually "healthy" for you. But that's a different story, and to each his own. The reality is that 95% of the food on in our grocery stores are made with GMOs so you can't realistically get completely away from it.
But back to the topic, it is expensive to eat healthy. Someone may say that Almond Milk is just as cheap as Regular Milk if you know where to get it, but did you take a look at the ingredients in that Almond Milk? A lot of food and items that are marketed as "natural" or "healthy" really aren't. For example, the Natural Jif Peanut Butter, you still have insecticide inside the peanuts used to make the peanut butter, is it really all that healthy? Sure, it is better that they used Palm Oil, but its not as good as a peanut butter that is organic ground peanuts with just a bit of salt added to it. Racking up on rice and pasta isn't the best way to drop a few pounds either, so if you want lean meats, veggies, and some healthy snacks, it definitely can run up your grocery bill.
I'm not saying its impossible. Buttttt, it definitely is LESS expensive to buy some fatty ground beef, 99 cent pasta, and 99 cent sauce, some ramen noodles, and call it a day. When you want lean chicken and eggplant, it will cost you the same amount for those two things as it did for the 4 above. But frozen veggies are your ace in the hole, you get those and you will save A LOT of money.0 -
Sorry, I have to agree with OP on this one. I am American and love my country but I currently live in Italy with my husband and although it is generally very expensive it's great to be able to go to the market and by a kilo of spinach for a euro and 8 zucchinis for 1.50. It actually costs more to buy canned fruits and veggies here than it does to buy them fresh, straight from the market.
In the states a bottle of coke costs you less than bottled water. What a shame!!!0 -
So is diabeetus
lol exactly. if you eat unhealthy you'll end up paying for it later in medicine and hospital bills
plus you don't need to buy foofy stuff, just more fruits and veggies and rice alone will improve your diet.0 -
I can understand where she is coming from. I don't think she means fruits and veggies. Just to replace other items it does costs up to two times more. Example, I buy Laura Scudder's - All Natural Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Smooth. The only ingredients in it are peanuts and less than 1% salt, this jar costs about 2x what a regualr jar of JIF peanut butter cost. Same thing with sugar free jelly, yogurt ranch, pita bread, extra lean ground beef, turkey bacon etc....
So yes, I do agree that eating healthy is expensive. I love and eat my fruits and veggies, but i do like to eat other foods as well. Also so many fruits and veggies have very little calories, that you can eat more and more of them, thus meaning you will continuously keep buying these items. And yes they do add up, fast!
The only thing, i can tell you is to shop at food stores like Aldi. Here this store is pretty cheap with their fruits and veggies. Also think about the long run of your health, a few extra bucks on healthier foods is better than a lifetime of diabetes :ohwell:
THIS. This is what I mean. I went from paying $3 for a jar of peanut butter to $7, just to make sure I'm not eating additives. Little changes like that add up. Regular pasta costs a buck, quinoa pasta costs $4. Also, there is no way in hell I'm eating veggies from a can. Frozen is fine, but do you know how much sodium is in that crap? No thanks!
i think somewhere along the line you're getting sucked into the marketing of what's "healthy" and what's not. quinoa is the flavor of the day, yes, but you can also get other grain/pasta replacements that aren't as expensive, like barley or couscous. they can also be a LOT cheaper if you have a bulk foods store near you, like winco. i picked up almond meal there not too long ago for something like $4 a pound, when the bob's red mill packaged stuff goes for $8 or $9.
i'm with you on the no canned veggies thing... blech. i don't even like buying frozen... give me fresh any day.
if you've got the time and you're willing to put in a little effort, you can stock up at the farmer's market or buy stuff in season, then chop, bag, and freeze it yourself. i do this with fruit, especially berries. that way i know what i'm getting and NOT getting.
look into a costco membership too... their produce is EXCELLENT, and i can usually get a large bag for about the same as what i pay at the grocery store for the smaller containers. for mushrooms, i can get 2 - 3lbs for $4.99 (yes, i really do go through that much), whereas the grocery store will have 1lb loose for $3.99. their meat prices are in line with the grocery store, but the quality is better so it's a decent trade-off.0 -
What were you eating before? I haven't added too many new foods. I do have some: almonds, cottage cheese, protein powder. I always had fruits and veggies. I am eating less processed foods.0
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Hello All,
First time poster but registered for almost a year.
Actually, I agree with her. Eating healthy IS expensive. You can say, well just eat some pasta, rice,etc etc. But for someone who truly wants to eat well, it is hard. Before, it was cheap for me to eat with spaghetti, rice, frozen veggies etc. However, I am against GMO food, so I go out of my way to get everything Organic because it isn't a scam, it actually makes a difference whether a pesticide is INSIDE your food or not. Most grains are GMOs, so this is hard. My body can't handle gluten very well, so I get flax seed pita bread, more expensive than a 99 cent loaf of white bread. Organic lettuce, more expensive than the pesticide and insecticide filled regular lettuce, although I do at times HAVE to get the chemical lettuce. It is cheaper to buy a 99cent bag of chips than it is for one eggplant. Frozen veggies are a life saver because they are cheaper than the fresh ones. I just started eat fish and poultry again, but I will only eat it if its organic, grass fed, with no antibiotics -- more expensive than chicken at .99/lb. You want some hummus? More expensive than 99 cent sour cream dip with 50 ingredients you can't pronounce. Every documentary on healthy eating will even tell you that it is more expensive and that is the problem in this country. Eating a can of non-organic corn is basically the same as eating a spoonful of Raid, this is a scientific fact, just look it up, they both have insecticides. Corn and soy are some of the worst, the GMO makers have the insecticides inside the seeds; this is not a joke or over-exaggeration. Eating healthy isn't just about losing weight, its about putting clean non-contaminated healthy food in your body. As for the Tofu and such, that is a no-no. Basically all soy is made with GMOs, so it isn't actually "healthy" for you. But that's a different story, and to each his own. The reality is that 95% of the food on in our grocery stores are made with GMOs so you can't realistically get completely away from it.
But back to the topic, it is expensive to eat healthy. Someone may say that Almond Milk is just as cheap as Regular Milk if you know where to get it, but did you take a look at the ingredients in that Almond Milk? A lot of food and items that are marketed as "natural" or "healthy" really aren't. For example, the Natural Jif Peanut Butter, you still have insecticide inside the peanuts used to make the peanut butter, is it really all that healthy? Sure, it is better that they used Palm Oil, but its not as good as a peanut butter that is organic ground peanuts with just a bit of salt added to it. Racking up on rice and pasta isn't the best way to drop a few pounds either, so if you want lean meats, veggies, and some healthy snacks, it definitely can run up your grocery bill.
I'm not saying its impossible. Buttttt, it definitely is LESS expensive to buy some fatty ground beef, 99 cent pasta, and 99 cent sauce, some ramen noodles, and call it a day. When you want lean chicken and eggplant, it will cost you the same amount for those two things as it did for the 4 above. But frozen veggies are your ace in the hole, you get those and you will save A LOT of money.
your definition of healthy would be far too expensive for me to eat.0 -
DON"T BUY PROCESSED "HEALTH" FOOD
Sure, its gonna take time to make meals, but if you want the healthiest options, at the cheapest price, you gotta do the work.0
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