Eating healthy is privilege of the rich?

marzahl68

Not sure if I should agree or disagree. I buy different foods now. I don't have much time to cook (daugther is on a vegan phase, hubby eats normal and I count calories) so most of the time it has to be something fast. Example: bag of fresh spinach $2.18, makes for three meals. Michelinas Lean Gourmet meals $1. I can get by with one of the Michelina meals and a cup of spinach with tuna and fat free ranch for two meals. I eat Great Value Cereal bars $2 for 6 bars for snacks, also fat free mini pretzels $2 a bag. I try to buy local and seasonal food. Not going to pay $6 for a pint of strawberries in August when they're only in season around February. Won't buy watermelons around Christmas either because they're too expensive.

I buy different foods but I can't say the grocery bill went up.

fteale

The thing is, although supermarkets may sell junk food for less than fresh fruit and vegetables, there are other places to shop. That is one of the better things about thinking about what you eat, you start thinking about where your food comes from as well as what is in it. If you go to a street market or farmers market, they always sell their stuff off for very little at the end of the day. I once got 5 punnets of raspberries for £1, and there are always baskets of vegetable going for almost nothing. My mother just got albs of nectarines for £1 on a fruit and veg stall. It isn't all about supermarkets. You just have to think outside what you can pick off a shelf in a huge air-conditioned aircraft hanger.

Or grow your own. I may have mentioned that option!

sarad777

the Wife and Myself spend about $1000.00 a month in food. We always have fresh meals including vegetables and fruit, and lots of fish. Im kind of addicted to subway as well. lol. I view our spending on food an investment of our well being. Your health IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN YOUR LIFE!!!!! REMEMBER THAT!!

Holy cow! $1000 a month? I thought our budget of $400 was extremely high! What the heck are other people paying?

AlsDonkBoxSquat

disagree, the local farmers market is way cheaper than the grocery store. Staying out of the aisles has really saved us money, honestly it's the gluten free that has killed our pockets.

duckpond11

the Wife and Myself spend about $1000.00 a month in food. We always have fresh meals including vegetables and fruit, and lots of fish. Im kind of addicted to subway as well. lol. I view our spending on food an investment of our well being. Your health IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN YOUR LIFE!!!!! REMEMBER THAT!!

Holy cow! $1000 a month? I thought our budget of $400 was extremely high! What the heck are other people paying?

Unfortunately, this number is accurate for us as well. I saved all my recipes one month and figured it out and was blown away. I will say though that we don't do a lot of coupons and other stuff to save money, and we spend some portion of that on non-neccessities like alcohol.

fudgebudget

For those who find it cheaper to buy fresh food than packaged, you must not be anywhere near a food desert. The difference in the price of fresh produce between where I grew up and where I now live is staggering. I pay almost twice as much for fresh produce here as I do when I go home to visit my family.

It's really difficult to make generalizations on how much more or less expensive fresh food is when the cost varies so wildly. You can't dismiss one person's struggle with affording fresh foods as laziness or not wanting to put the time in when you don't know where they live or what they have access to. Just my two cents.

laurasnyder411

I would not say its a privilege of the rich, but I do agree that those in poverty cannot afford to eat healthy food. To make meals that will feed their entire family, they must resort to processed foods that can be stretched (hamburger or tuna helper, ramen noodles, mac-n-cheese, etc.) My budget is stretched to the limit keeping us in fresh fruits, veggies and low-fat meats - and we don't buy chips and other snacky processed foods.

I also agree with this. It's tough trying to find food that will last and make enough meals to eat on cheaply throughout the week. It's all about your perspective. For example: You only have $20 in your budget for food for three people for a week. Are you going to buy a bunch of vegetables or cheap meals that will double for lunches? When you say "You'll save on health bills down the line" you obviously are thinking of the projected savings down the road....which is great if you aren't living paycheck to paycheck (have you ever actually had to sit down and budget to the last penny on your paycheck?). I think many Americans have not had to survive on a small enough income to really understand that healthy foods are quite expensive.. In fact if you look at the cheese aisle you will notice that the cheapest brand of cheese is an immitation substitute that is made out of vegetable oil. Not healthy, not even cheese, but if you are poor enough it will suffice.

PS-Anyone that has any healthy week suggestions for what to buy that will last for 63 meals on $20 let me know! I'd be interested to see what you guys do too!

poseyj88

It's hard to say for me because I've always eaten lots of produce which CAN drive up a grocery bill.

HOWEVER, avoiding unhealthy snacks like chips, cookies, crackers, and soda makes the bill cheaper. I'm okay not spending $4 on a bag of potato chips.

We spend about $80 per week on groceries for the two of us. And we eat a LOT of produce. It would probably be cheaper if our tastes were more aligned, but alas.

I have also noticed though, that groceries vary from region to region. Where I am now is at least 1.5 times more expensive than where I lived before.

lizziebeth1028

Here in the burbs of Chicago it's expensive and not always easy to find whole food stores. Managing your weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle on a budget is difficult!! But I try to make the healthiest choices a can afford!

27strange

Disagree. At first it seemed healthy eating was way more expensive. But one you learn the ropes of shopping cheap and healthy and once your portion sizes are adjusted, I find its actually cheaper.

LMorrison1009

I always thought it would be more expensive to eat healthy and that was one of my main excuses for being fat... But I have found that with some slight planning it really isn't more expensive. For example, my supper tonight will be grilled chicken, broccoli, and brown rice. To feed my family of 4, I'm using 1 pound if chicken at $1.99 on sale, one 1lb. bag if frozen broccoli at $1 on sale, and brown rice which is $4 for the package, but I'm only using less than half. So my family's dinner will cost about $5. For a family of 4. Instead of before, where I would be spending $14 on a couple of frozen pizzas, or even $7 on a pound of ground beef and a box of hamburger helper... For desert we will have a $2 cantaloupe instead of a $4 package of oreos. For breakfast I can make everyone an omelet for less than $3, using 2-3 eggs and one slice if cheese per person. Same price as a box of pop tarts. And much healthier. It's all about HOW you shop I think. My kids love baby carrots. We can make that a snack after school and eat a while bag for $1.50. And its even less expensive to buy whole carrots and cut them yourself. But either way its cheaper than a bag of doritos.

Sophie983

I disagree.
In our supermarkets healthy food in normally quite expensive. However, we are a small country and we have a lot of eco farms where we can buy organic fruit, veggies and meat that doesn't contain antibiotics and other crap.
If we buy bigger amounts of veggies, we get a discount. People just have to connect with friends and family and order it.

But they are normally full of excuses. I cannot listen to them anymore.

And the other thing is ... I am not rich enough to buy cheap things.

If we eat cheap unhealthy crap all the time, our health will suffer.
Diabetes, heart conditions and so on ... Especially in USA, because their health system is very strange (our is almost free, thank god).

Anyway, in my country poor people CAN eat heathy food. They just need to move their *kitten* and look for cheap solutions.

baisleac

I would not say its a privilege of the rich, but I do agree that those in poverty cannot afford to eat healthy food. To make meals that will feed their entire family, they must resort to processed foods that can be stretched (hamburger or tuna helper, ramen noodles, mac-n-cheese, etc.) My budget is stretched to the limit keeping us in fresh fruits, veggies and low-fat meats - and we don't buy chips and other snacky processed foods.

I also agree with this. It's tough trying to find food that will last and make enough meals to eat on cheaply throughout the week. It's all about your perspective. For example: You only have $20 in your budget for food for three people for a week. Are you going to buy a bunch of vegetables or cheap meals that will double for lunches? When you say "You'll save on health bills down the line" you obviously are thinking of the projected savings down the road....which is great if you aren't living paycheck to paycheck (have you ever actually had to sit down and budget to the last penny on your paycheck?). I think many Americans have not had to survive on a small enough income to really understand that healthy foods are quite expensive.. In fact if you look at the cheese aisle you will notice that the cheapest brand of cheese is an immitation substitute that is made out of vegetable oil. Not healthy, not even cheese, but if you are poor enough it will suffice.

PS-Anyone that has any healthy week suggestions for what to buy that will last for 63 meals on $20 let me know! I'd be interested to see what you guys do too!

I'll buy a bunch of vegetables that I can turn into meals (including lunches) for the week. Beans are also great when you're working with a tight budget.

joseph9

I always thought it would be more expensive to eat healthy and that was one of my main excuses for being fat... But I have found that with some slight planning it really isn't more expensive. For example, my supper tonight will be grilled chicken, broccoli, and brown rice. To feed my family of 4, I'm using 1 pound if chicken at $1.99 on sale, one 1lb. bag if frozen broccoli at $1 on sale, and brown rice which is $4 for the package, but I'm only using less than half. So my family's dinner will cost about $5. For a family of 4. Instead of before, where I would be spending $14 on a couple of frozen pizzas, or even $7 on a pound of ground beef and a box of hamburger helper... For desert we will have a $2 cantaloupe instead of a $4 package of oreos. For breakfast I can make everyone an omelet for less than $3, using 2-3 eggs and one slice if cheese per person. Same price as a box of pop tarts. And much healthier. It's all about HOW you shop I think. My kids love baby carrots. We can make that a snack after school and eat a while bag for $1.50. And its even less expensive to buy whole carrots and cut them yourself. But either way its cheaper than a bag of doritos.

That's so awesome I couldn't resist quoting the whole thing!

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

DISAGREE! If you're making wise decisions on what to buy, you can save a lot of money. You don't have to buy all of the diet stuff, you can still eat normal foods. Stay away from processed foods & eat whole foods instead.

maemiller

im 50/50 on this topic

lean hamburger 97/3, or certain meats are more expensive...BUT, we dont eat out as much because its healthier to cook my own foods and cheaper too

8rules

3 dollar lunch that is amazing, compared to a big mac

http://thejourneycanada.blogspot.com/2011/08/two-500-calorie-lunch-options-for-work.html

Circa1964

Disagree...

After eating healthy you won't have to go to the doctor as much. You may not need certain prescriptions anymore. Also, you lessen your chances of having heart attack, stroke, heart disease etc... That can make your medical bills go high.

So, you can buy Easy Mac and Ramon Noodles and save $$ on your grocery bill, but you better stock it away for when you need to get care at the doctor and/or hospital.

I agree with this statement, it will cost you more one way or the other.

michedarnd

I believe it can go both ways. My preference is to ratchet up my protein with a lot of fish. That's expensive. Also, if you typically eat a lot of "filler food" such as white rice and noodles -- well, those are fairly cheap. However, beans, in-season, local fruits and vegetables, and lots of basic ingredients tend to cost less than pre-prepared foods. If you are cooking from SCRATCH, it will tend to balance out.

2Bgoddess

definitely costs us more to eat properly, especially in the winter months. at this time of year, we have fabulous produce, being very close to areas that grow stuff (foodland ontario, etc) but over the winter, the prices climb and climb, and there is some stuff that you simply cannot get.

8rules

definitely costs us more to eat properly, especially in the winter months. at this time of year, we have fabulous produce, being very close to areas that grow stuff (foodland ontario, etc) but over the winter, the prices climb and climb, and there is some stuff that you simply cannot get.

I have the same problem, living in North Bay. Your fresh food is now always trucked in from the USA so costs a bit more, however, I can still get a huge head of cabbage for 1 buck, a huge bag of raw baby spinach for 3 bucks, etc... I would bet I only spend 10 bucks more every 2 weeks total as a result of following seasonal foods. Family of four.

I think, in the winter, grain products seem to get very inexpensive, so the fresh foods seem more expensive by comparison as well.

becka63

I don't agree. My grocery bill for two adults is about £30-40 per week (not including non-food items). This gets us a whole lot of fresh fruit, we have an allotment so I'm hardly buying any veg at the moment and my freezer is full of veg I have frozen.

Meat is more expensive if bought fresh rather than frozen, but check out offers in supermarkets, the quantity of meat we eat has dropped when I started upping the veg content on the plate, last week I made a chicken dish using 2 large chicken breasts from the butchers and it fed 6 adults, comfortably- that's got to be good value for money!

Also if you can, find a good local butcher. Invest in some of the cheaper cuts of meat, that although have more fat content, are tastier and I would say healthier than meat that has been pumped full of water and god knows what to ensure it freezes and can be cooked from frozen! We regularly buy breast of lamb, for about £5 for two - we get about 5-6 meals out of that! I used to buy mince from the supermarket and I would use about 500g for two adults, because there was no fat on it and it would be swimming in water when cooked, now I get it from the butchers, 1kg (about 2lb) for £5 and per 2servings I use 150g, so that is much more cost effective.