The cost of a healthy diet - its madness!!

crazycranberry

I just wanted to have a little rant about how bonkers it seems that we have to pay sooooo much for the right foods and yet only seem to pay pennies for the wrong type of food.

Example, I love fruit but just the other day I was amazed to pay £4 for a box of cherries and even then they had been reduced from £8!!!! Blueberries & pomegranates are just another 2 of my faves but they are a 'super food' and therefore attract a premium price! I mean that is crazy, right?

You can buy a bag of crisps for about 50p but if you want the healthy option it costs way more!

Being a single parent on a budget I am finding that since I went back into eating REALLY healthy again, my food bills have increased dramatically and its a nightmare. I am now having to decide what I have to sacrifice to be able to eat well all week and not just opt for biscuits and cakes which invariably are cheaper!

I wish the supermarkets would make the healthy option more affordable. Its understandable the in parts of the country where poverty is higher, the obesity statistics are higher too!!

Say no more!!!

Ok, rant over.

Seajolly

I understand the price difference. Processed foods are treated with chemicals so they last longer. They can be shipped super slow to their destination, greatly reducing the cost of transportation. Fresh, healthy foods have a much shorter shelf life and therefore must be shipped quickly from origin to destination. I really truly believe this has A LOT to do with food prices! For good deals on healthy produce (fruits & veggies, milk and nuts even) see if you have a local farmers market nearby. The prices should be much less than the store!

ajbeans

But, if you really look at your consumption, you'll probably find that you eat less of the healthy food because your body is satisfied. You don't have to eat a whole bag of cherries the way you might do with chips, because the cherries give your body the nutrition it needs, so you're not driven to keep eating. It also saves money overall in health care costs.

I know it seems more expensive, but in the long run it's not, especially if you're buying whole foods instead of packaged items and commit to not buying more than you can consume before it goes bad. That's my problem. I always buy too much produce and then we have to throw it out.

kylielouttit

I try not to think about it because it's a necessity!

It's summer! Are farmer's markets available to you?

ckmama

Try a local farmers market and buy what's in season. Blueberries run high here too, except in July and august when they are abundant. You can get them really cheap. Strawberries are high except in the spring. Watermelon's during the summer.

I know it's hard to eat like that, but that is the best possible way to save money.

Plus think of all the money you'll be saving on Doctor's bills. So in the long run it is probably cheaper. Well that's what I tell myself.

meggonkgonk

I hear this complaint a lot, but I have found my grocery/food bills overall have gone down quite a bit.

erickirb

Buy local and what is in season and it will be cheaper than buying unhealthy food.

You mentioned the cherries but they are more than one serving whereas the chips are only 1, so you have to pay attention to how many servings you are getting as well.

nhendri

Ahhh I cannot wait for farmers market for this reason. I am also a single mom and see my food bills going up too. I am excited about it though because my 6 yr old sat down and had steamed brocoli for dinner. Just shows she is seeing good things . I cannot wait for fresh corn and PEACHES. They are my favorite. I bought 1 at the store the other day and it cost me 1.25 for 1 I about died. Oh but the sweet juicy snack was worth it lol.

raefrog

I agree that if you are only comparing snack costs then healthy is move expensive. However, I found when I eliminated all of the easy frozen foods (like precooked frozen chicken, or fries) and only bought fresh meat (with out all the added salt that is added to frozen meals) it helped to offset the cost. (not to mention the money I am saving by not buying ice cream) Also instead of just adding in fruit for snacks, try more vegetables. Vegetables are often cheaper than the pre packaged snacks and fruit. Cherry tomatoes or baby carrots can make great snacks.

erickirb

Ahhh I cannot wait for farmers market for this reason. I am also a single mom and see my food bills going up too. I am excited about it though because my 6 yr old sat down and had steamed brocoli for dinner. Just shows she is seeing good things . I cannot wait for fresh corn and PEACHES. They are my favorite. I bought 1 at the store the other day and it cost me 1.25 for 1 I about died. Oh but the sweet juicy snack was worth it lol.

1.25 is still cheaper than some candy bars, and much more filling.

yanicka

I second the farmer's market. Go at the end of the day they will lower the price
If fresh is expensive, buy frozen, it is still very healthy.
Cook from scratch....way less expensive.

Good luck....I know how it feel to be a single mom on a budget.

crazycranberry

Don't get me wrong I understand fully why fresh produce is more expensive but just needed to get this issue off my chest.

Also, I work mon-fri & have an 8yr old to sort out so getting to markets etc is impossible. I cannot buy at the weekend to last us all week.

Frustrating as hell, but its reality! In an ideal world I would buy fresh from a local market every couple days but thats not possible.

PS: That punnet of cherries only lasted me 2days!

MichelleF81

I live close to a big ASDA supermarket where I go for my groceries and right next door is a little fruit and veg shop which I always go into first to stock up on fruit, veggies and salad and I come out with a right basket full for about £10 including a bag of grapes for £1, cucumber 29p, vine tomatoes 50p, big bag of apples came to less than £1......I then go into ASDA and get the rest of my shopping and notice that the stuff I'd got next door would have cost me double at least and often the quality is worse! Yet the majority of people in the supermarket will just pay over the odds simply for the inconvenience of having to walk a few extra yards!! What I'm trying to say is there are cheaper options if you're willing to look in the right places I also took the kids to a local farm and went strawberry picking at the weekend.....got a big basket of strawberries for £3, it costs that much for a little punnet at the supermarket.

pixieofdoom

I agree, the cost is much higher for healthy stuff where I live. Farmers markets are considered to be more for trendy yuppy types so tend to attract a premium. General markets are better but are almost always on a weekday so no good if you work full time and not near one!

I try to grow my own through the summer.

Decent quality meat is another issue. If you don't want battery farmed, water filled stuff you pay a lot more and the cheaper cuts seem to only be available in the butcher, which I also struggle to get to. It just seems like such a shame, when there's so much waste of good meat and produce

skinnyinnotime

It may be cheap...but really it's a waste of money as it's just rubbish you're buying. A packet of crisps my well be 50p but it's not even a 1/4 of a potato and it's full of oil. A whole bag of potatoes will cost £1-£2 so actually much cheaper than a small bag of crisps!

Myssrenee

I totally get where you are coming from, just went to the store yesterday to grocery shop, and me too being a single mother I also have a budget. So when I buy items I try to by healthy for me and then a little extra for my child, I went to get some bread, normally my child eats white bread no big deal to me, so I got the white bread but I wanted wheat, and of course the healthier of the 2 was the white bread but it was higher in price, that happened on several other items as well...and I said the same thing you are saying. How are we supposed to eat healthy when we can’t really afford to, no wonder there are so many obese people in the world, because its sooo much easier and cheaper to get the unhealthier food than it is the healthy food. I just don’t see why society complains about obesity so much when u can go to Micky D's and get a fry or burger for a dollar but the salad cost about 4 or 5 dollars....I understand the concept of shipping and producing and all that, but still makes no sense.

jorus

I've been buying some canned fruit recently. If i'm a little short of cash i always still have fruit in the cupboard. I got a can of Fruit Medley in natural juice and it was only 48p and i got 2 servings. It was a lovely change too. I also love blueberries, strawberries etc but i agree it's not always affordable.

sarahkbarnes

Yes, the worst food seems to be the cheapest food (terrible, I know!) But, it IS possible to eat healthily on a low budget. I know, because I do it. I'm a professional musician (read: no money) and I'm paying off about $500/month on my student loans (yuck!!) and I manage to do it. Some secrets:

- Eat fruit and veg that are in season and haven't been flown across the planet to reach you (ok, fair enough, cherries are ALWAYS pricey, but I save them for a special treat). You can also try shopping at a local farmers market if you have one.

- Eat less meat (I personally don't eat it as I'm a vegetarian, but my husband only has it about once a week and that saves us soooooo much money)

- Don't buy prepared foods! I make big vats of healthy stuff in large quantities and eat it for a few days or throw it in the freezer. It can be hard to find the time, but if you can do it a couple of times a week you'll have lots of stuff saved up in your freezer for the days when you have no time. I guarantee you can make just about anything you buy in the store at home for WAY less AND you know what's going in it.

- Legumes!!! Lentils, beans, chick peas etc. SOOOOOOOO cheap if you buy them dry in bulk and SOOOOOOOO good for you!!

- Grow your own! Ok, this does depend on climate and space, but we have a tiny mostly paved garden and we still managed to grow 8 fabulous tomato plants in pots last summer, green beans, zucchini, lettuce, arugula, kale, herbs (which cost a fortune in the shop). I barely bought any vegetables for the entire summer and we put plenty away in the freezer and enjoyed it all winter. It's amazing how growing a few herbs on your window sill will save money. And you can keep a little lettuce there two which keeps growing even when you cut off leaves fro your supper.

- And probably most importantly, only buy what you will eat during the week. I plan out all our meals really carefully, write a shopping list and I stick to it. We almost never throw out any food. I've read some shocking stats about how much of the world's food is thrown away and wasted, which I find really despicable!

Good luck! Add me if you want to share more ideas

erickirb

I went to get some bread, normally my child eats white bread no big deal to me, so I got the white bread but I wanted wheat, and of course the healthier of the 2 was the white bread but it was higher in price, that happened on several other items as well...and I said the same thing you are saying.

Actually white bread is no where near as healthy as wheat bread, white bread is not healthy at all and should be avoided by children and adults.

shelbyfrootcake

You can eat healthily and cheaply. I managed a healthy vegetarian diet for £8 a week earlier this year (just to see if I could). You may love cherries and blueberries but that's complaining about the price is like saying you want chocolate and going to Hotel Chocolat to get it!

Buy cheaper fruits and try growing strawberries/raspberries/blueberries next summer.

sexforjaffacakes

omg no I know. I don't know where about you're from but I'm from Scotland and they wanna put a "fat tax" on unhealthy food to try and stop obesity - which I think is awful because a lot of people eat unhealthily just cuz it's cheaper, they can't afford healthy food. So they're basically going to stop poor people from being able to eat full stop. I just went to the shop and spent £8 on two days worth of heathy food for myself - grrrrr!

crazycranberry

You can eat healthily and cheaply. I managed a healthy vegetarian diet for £8 a week earlier this year (just to see if I could). You may love cherries and blueberries but that's complaining about the price is like saying you want chocolate and going to Hotel Chocolat to get it!

Buy cheaper fruits and try growing strawberries/raspberries/blueberries next summer.

I do buy other fruits and they are cheaper than cherries, blueberries etc but to keep my diet varied I wanted to add some other fab superfoods too. I was simply drawing a comparison thats all. I don't have a garden so cannot grow my own.

When I was married it was never a bother to me but since I am on my own I have to be careful of money spent. I do cook meals from scratch for my son and I and he has special needs so I'm already very careful with what he eats.

sitstaygimmeeakiss

Yes - it can be more expensive, and yes, if you don't watch out, you can end up doing what I did last month - spend all your food money early & end up w/no food for a couple of days (well, wasn't actually *no* food, but I was really getting tired of beans, beans, beans & brown rice... and there's only so much you can do w/that old cauliflower in the fridge, lol!!)

Can you find ways to save on other things you eat? I went out of my way - isn't long in distance, but I need to take public transportation as the car is not working right now.... so it took me all day... but I did it. Found out I can freeze fat free milk, eggs (can separate egg yolks & whites) in ice cube trays... going to look up the rest of the fat free dairy I bought to see if I can freeze it. Right now the freezer is packed with frozen veggies - not anything near as good as fresh, but it's now my back-up.

Finding farmer's markets are a good idea - here in the Boston area they can actually cost more at times, but they run deals for people on food stamps (need to post a topic about that to let people know). Are there any farms w/in driving distance to you? Maybe you can strike up a deal - I'm going to try to see if I can trade some work for fresh veggies - esp. where my garden being invaded by either a rabbit or groundhog & I realize I might end up losing this battle, lol.

You can see that I think outside the box, so to speak. Oh - check stores to see if they have veggies & fruits that are past their prime for discounts - esp. in the upcoming summer when things ripen faster. Certain places I've found have discounted produce that are as good or better than the regular priced produce in other stores.

In the end, even if you can't find ways to cut down costs - look at it this way: it's a very small price to pay for your health. You would have paid much, much more if you went to one of those expensive spas to lose weight, and it still wouldn't have taught you how to continue afterward as you are now doing!!

JennLifts

I have to agree. I changed where I was shopping, which made it cheaper.. but I easily hit 450 a month! Insane---there's only one of me!

ChitownFoodie

It can be a lot, so I try to get as much as I can at the local supermercardo. They have most fruits and vegetables for cheap, like cantaloupe is 2 large for $3. Their meats are reasonable too. Unfortunately, if I can't find it there, I'm paying an arm and a leg for it somewhere else. Yesterday, I went shopping at the Farmer's Market and already spent $35 for what seemed like nothing.

shelbyfrootcake

I do buy other fruits and they are cheaper than cherries, blueberries etc but to keep my diet varied I wanted to add some other fab superfoods too. I was simply drawing a comparison thats all. I don't have a garden so cannot grow my own.

When I was married it was never a bother to me but since I am on my own I have to be careful of money spent. I do cook meals from scratch for my son and I and he has special needs so I'm already very careful with what he eats.

Do you have windowbox space? Strawberries and raspberries grow well in those (or so goes the gospel according to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall).

Funnily enough, I was reading the wiki page about superfoods today (after having edamame beans for lunch) and it does not sing the praises of the superfood umbrella. :S

louiseei

Flipin' heck, where are you buying your cherries M&S? - I got a small punnet at Asda for £1. It did about 3 servings.
I find I'm spending more on fresh, but saving what I would spend on wine and convenience style foods.

Quorn's a good option, low fat and you can get 3 bags for £5 - each bag's enough for me to do a bolognese/lasagne etc for a family of 3.

feliciapeters

you need to buy whats IN SEASON at the market, different places have different season
you need to shop the SALES
i have 3 grocery stores on my way home, i check the sale ads online & stop by & get what that store has on sale
someone almost always has a buy 1 get free bagged salad
tomatoes, cukes are almost always cheaper this time of year
watermelon, cantelope, honeydew are in season where i am so thats what i get
if apples are whats in season thats what i get
you have to be flexible

27strange

At first I found it was quite a bit more expensive to be more healthy, each trip to the grocery store was costing so much more. But then as I adjusted to eating less in general, found that healthy stuff goes further, and quit eating out so much, our food bills (combo of eating out and grocery bills) have decreased quite a bit. Fruit is expensive but it fills you more and goes further than the junk stuff like chips, snack cakes, etc. Our cupboard are way more bare now -- cleared out all the processed stuff taking up so much space -- and we go to the store and farmers market way more often to restock fresh stuff and overall its going great and we are saving money. Its gotten to the point now that I am like "why did we not do this way sooner? Its not that difficult once the lifestyle changes begin to set in."

whiskey9890

morrisons have got cherries in at the moment £1 for 250g and there were no stalks on them!!!!! but i agree it can be more pricey i don't have a local green grocer in my town just the supermarket and everything there is pre packaged which drives me nuts knowing that there is a good chance that half the packet won't be eaten before it turns. thankfully i prefer vegies but fruit is easier for packet lunches i find. oh its so frustrating at times lol

erikazj

Flipin' heck, where are you buying your cherries M&S? - I got a small punnet at Asda for £1. It did about 3 servings.
I find I'm spending more on fresh, but saving what I would spend on wine and convenience style foods.

Quorn's a good option, low fat and you can get 3 bags for £5 - each bag's enough for me to do a bolognese/lasagne etc for a family of 3.

Cherries have literally just come into season so for the next two weeks or so they should be a bit cheaper. Tesco have got punnets for 90p at the moment...they are very expensive the rest of the year mind.