Think it's too expensive to eat healthy?

itsafrappe

are people in here seriously defending mcdonalds and trying to justify the cost or something. i dont care which is cheaper. if i want my car to run well im going to put good fuel in it not fuel that has been watered down so they can make it cheaper. that ruines your engine. you put s@#$ food in your body and it ruins your body. i dont care if you do exercise all the time. your body needs/deserves healthy food. isnt it worth the money?

Tropical_Turtle

Guess those who complain eating healthy is expensive have never seen Jamie Oliver's food revolution. It is all how you shop, sales, farmers markets, couponing. It is possible.

It just comes down to the fact people are LAZY they do not want to prepare their food, they want someone else to do it because it is EASY. They want the easy way out, hence why our country is FAT!


My theory is stop making excuses because I eat better than I ever on very little $$ - it is all how you shop.

ajalcazar

As others said before, prices are very different depending on where you go. Where I live, It doesnt even cost $20 to feed my family of 6 at Mcdonalds. On the flip side, I can't even buy 2 chicken breasts for $6 let alone a whole damn chicken. I also agree and disagree with everyone saying that everyone can make time. MOST people can make time on MOST days but choose not too. There are times however when that is just not possible. Being a full time parent/student, working 2 part time jobs, being a cub scout leader and highly invovled with my kids' extra-curriculars, I have a few days a week where I "have no time." But, being that foresight and time management are huge with me, I almost always have a meal prepared beforehand so I do not succumb to the cholestorol filled, heart attack ready deliciousness that is fast food.

LilacDreamer

We typically spend about $160-240 a month on groceries for the 2 of us (my husband and myself) (we live in New Jersey)

that breaks down to $40-60 a week. sure this can change if we need some extras, but I'm an excellent shopper (i always find a bargain)

I try to buy only healthy foods, and organic when it's available and I usually prefer to shop at trader joes and occasionally shoprite.

I'm also going to check out this store that i've heard about called Aldi's (they claim its cheaper)

knk1553

I don't think eating out is any cheaper than eating at home, depending on what you buy. My main thing about eating healthy being expensive is if you look at the price of cheap unhealthy grocery store items. You can get frozen pizza for $1, Ramen for like $.05, Mac and cheese for like $.70, where as you pay a TON more for fresh fruit and produce. I know for a fact that I could shop for super cheap at the grocery store, I know many peopl who can buy 2 weeks worth of groceries for $20 for themselves, however, for myself and my mom for a week, I believe we spent $100ish, granted we had some stuff already and that included stocking up on chicken because it was on sale, but still, its expensive. However, eating out is more expensive. I pack my lunch for work everyday and short of my greek yogurt which is expensive comparatively, I think even including that I spend less than $3 a lunch. My biggest problem is that everything is cheaper in bulk and when you shop for one person you tend to have to buy stuff thats more expensive, and cooking for 1 person is incredibly hard, so a lot of times until recently I ended up eating out, or cooking something frozen. So no, its not super expensive, unless you're shopping at like whole foods or fresh market, but I don't think it should be expensive as it is.

Philis64

Who care what McD cost. Of course it is more expensive if you eat out. But it's all a trade. If I don't buy cookies, I can by good fruit & vegies. If I am eating less in general is should be less expensive over all. And long-term, much cheaper than by-pass surgery.

jodycoady

I just don't know why this has turned into such an argument. Must be all the MCD lovers on here.

bm99

I agree with whoever said that if they only had $4 they would buy beans, rice and frozen veg. You do the best you can with what you have.

Sometimes crap food is cheaper per calorie, but you are totally ignoring nutrition.

CM9178

We typically spend about $160-240 a month on groceries for the 2 of us (my husband and myself) (we live in New Jersey)

that breaks down to $40-60 a week. sure this can change if we need some extras, but I'm an excellent shopper (i always find a bargain)

I try to buy only healthy foods, and organic when it's available and I usually prefer to shop at trader joes and occasionally shoprite.

I'm also going to check out this store that i've heard about called Aldi's (they claim its cheaper)

I live in NJ too.. I'm very curious how you could possibly survive on $40/week on groceries for two people.
I spend at least $25 just on produce for the week.

I''m not cooking or buying anything organic, extravagant or crazy.
For example, this week I made the following dinners:
Chicken breast with balsamic and shallots w/potatoes
Garlic chicken stir-fry with white rice
Griled Pork chops with string beans
Stuffed Cabbage

For breakfast, the husband eats cereal, I have a granola bar.
For lunch, he gets a salad at work, and I bring at turkey sandwhich and chips.

Our groceries are typically about $150/week, I shop with coupons - take advantage of sales when I can, and shop at Shop Rite (the cheapest store around here).

So please, do share with me how you can survive on $40/week for groceries for two people.

DGK12

When I eat healthier food, I buy less crap, and the food I eat tends to be more filling. So people can argue that heathier is more expensive, but get rid of the medical bills, and the junk food cost, plus the benefits of more nutrients, and taking better care of my body....you get my drift.

CM9178

My main thing about eating healthy being expensive is if you look at the price of cheap unhealthy grocery store items. You can get frozen pizza for $1, Ramen for like $.05, Mac and cheese for like $.70, where as you pay a TON more for fresh fruit and produce.

I agre with this 100%.. People here are saying "oh, well you don't spend as much on junk food and medical bills, so therefore eating healthier isn't more expensive.

But I'm talking about a side by side comparison of food in the grocery store.
As you said, mac & cheese or ramen noodles (unhealthy) is A LOT cheaper than fresh produce and lean meat. Period.

Also, it is very difficult when you are only cooking for one or two people, because you can't neccessarily buy some of the items in bulk. For example, when trying to lose weight, we don't eat potatoes as often as we used to, so if I buy a large bag of potatoes, chances are they will all go bad before I am able to use them all. So I'm unable to save the money by purchasing a large bag of potatoes, and instead, I must purchase a few loose potatoes, at a much higher cost. When we weren't trying to eat healthy, I could buy that large bag of potatoes and use it before they went bad (and save that money as compared to buying the loose ones).
Potatoes are just one example of this.

LilacDreamer

We typically spend about $160-240 a month on groceries for the 2 of us (my husband and myself) (we live in New Jersey)

that breaks down to $40-60 a week. sure this can change if we need some extras, but I'm an excellent shopper (i always find a bargain)

I try to buy only healthy foods, and organic when it's available and I usually prefer to shop at trader joes and occasionally shoprite.

I'm also going to check out this store that i've heard about called Aldi's (they claim its cheaper)

I live in NJ too.. I'm very curious how you could possibly survive on $40/week on groceries for two people.
I spend at least $25 just on produce for the week.

I''m not cooking or buying anything organic, extravagant or crazy.
For example, this week I made the following dinners:
Chicken breast with balsamic and shallots w/potatoes
Garlic chicken stir-fry with white rice
Griled Pork chops with string beans
Stuffed Cabbage

For breakfast, the husband eats cereal, I have a granola bar.
For lunch, he gets a salad at work, and I bring at turkey sandwhich and chips.

Our groceries are typically about $150/week, I shop with coupons - take advantage of sales when I can, and shop at Shop Rite (the cheapest store around here).

So please, do share with me how you can survive on $40/week for groceries for two people.

Just because you disagree or don't understand how something can be done, that does not give you the right to respond in such a rude manner.

Not everyone eats the same things that you do, nor do they have the same dietary necessities. Everyone is different, and I'm not about to scan in receipts just to prove a point. I was just stating that it can be done. That's all.

CM9178

We typically spend about $160-240 a month on groceries for the 2 of us (my husband and myself) (we live in New Jersey)

that breaks down to $40-60 a week. sure this can change if we need some extras, but I'm an excellent shopper (i always find a bargain)

I try to buy only healthy foods, and organic when it's available and I usually prefer to shop at trader joes and occasionally shoprite.

I'm also going to check out this store that i've heard about called Aldi's (they claim its cheaper)

I live in NJ too.. I'm very curious how you could possibly survive on $40/week on groceries for two people.
I spend at least $25 just on produce for the week.

I''m not cooking or buying anything organic, extravagant or crazy.
For example, this week I made the following dinners:
Chicken breast with balsamic and shallots w/potatoes
Garlic chicken stir-fry with white rice
Griled Pork chops with string beans
Stuffed Cabbage

For breakfast, the husband eats cereal, I have a granola bar.
For lunch, he gets a salad at work, and I bring at turkey sandwhich and chips.

Our groceries are typically about $150/week, I shop with coupons - take advantage of sales when I can, and shop at Shop Rite (the cheapest store around here).

So please, do share with me how you can survive on $40/week for groceries for two people.

Just because you disagree or don't understand how something can be done, that does not give you the right to respond in such a rude manner.

Not everyone eats the same things that you do, nor do they have the same dietary necessities. Everyone is different, and I'm not about to scan in receipts just to prove a point. I was just stating that it can be done. That's all.

I was not being rude in any way, so please do not get all bent out of shape over nothing. You said that you are an excellent shopper and only spend $40/week on groceries for two people. Being from the same state, I was curious how that is possible. I gave you a list of typical meals I make during the week and I know how much my groceries cost. It would be interesting to see what meals you are cooking every day for $40/week, because I'd sure like to save $100/week on grcoeries if it is possible as you said.
Trader Joe's is expensive for every day groceries, so that makes this even less believeable for me. I'm not asking you to explain yourself, but I want to know what I can cook for two people on $40/week, and manage to shop at Trader Joe's.

mcarter99

i dont care what anybody says. IT IS MORE EXPENSIVE TO EAT HEALTHY.
When can you just buy 4 pieces of bread for .75? and 4 baking potatoes for 2.98? I dont think so.
This is misleading.

This.

You can't buy 55 cents worth of salt and pepper. Try buying four slices of bread too- see how the grocery store likes that.

Why would you want to buy 4 slice of bread and 5 cents worth of salt? Even if you're homeless you can store a loaf of bread.

I buy most food at Costco and it's cheap. Five heads of romaine is $2.99. Dried beans and rice are pennies per meal. It would cost me $300/month for McDonalds dinners for two, and that's off the value menu. I doubt I spend that on total groceries. I do spend a few hours on Sunday batch-cooking, and probably 30 mins/day max, but I find it hard to believe people can't spare that much time. Turn off the tv. Drive-thrus take as long as cooking, practically.

bcattoes

But I'm talking about a side by side comparison of food in the grocery store.
As you said, mac & cheese or ramen noodles (unhealthy) is A LOT cheaper than fresh produce and lean meat. Period.

Of course if you take the very cheapest processed food available and compare it to the most expensive healthy food, the processed food will be cheaper. But, they opposite is also true.

Compare old fashioned rolled oats to Lucky Charms or Apple Jacks. Oats are cheaper.
Compare canned tuna to baby back ribs. The fish is cheaper
Compare a high end frozen pizza or lasagne to dried beans and brown rice. The beans and rice are cheaper.
Compare frozen pollock, talapia or haddock to ribeye steak. The fish is cheaper.

Just because some processed foods are cheaper, does not mean you can't eat healthy without breaking your budget. It just means you need to shop more carefully.
[/quote]

mlynnea03

Damn it! Now I want a double cheeseburger.

LOL, I'm glad I have eaten already.

seamadden

aahh yes! i hate when people say it's expensive to eat healthy
vegetables and things like beans are dirt cheap and they'll last a week or two (if it's just you, less for a family obviously)
the only time it gets expensive is when you start buying protein powder and only organic food etc
healthy food doesn't have to be expensive at all, people need to know this

bm99

But I'm talking about a side by side comparison of food in the grocery store.
As you said, mac & cheese or ramen noodles (unhealthy) is A LOT cheaper than fresh produce and lean meat. Period.

Of course if you take the very cheapest processed food available and compare it to the most expensive healthy food, the processed food will be cheaper. But, they opposite is also true.

Compare old fashioned rolled oats to Lucky Charms or Apple Jacks. Oats are cheaper.
Compare canned tuna to baby back ribs. The fish is cheaper
Compare a high end frozen pizza or lasagne to dried beans and brown rice. The beans and rice are cheaper.
Compare frozen pollock, talapia or haddock to ribeye steak. The fish is cheaper.

Just because some processed foods are cheaper, does not mean you can't eat healthy without breaking your budget. It just means you need to shop more carefully.

[/quote]

Well said!

It sounds like a lot of excuses from people clinging to the idea that healthy food must be more expensive.

ttate002

i dont care what anybody says. IT IS MORE EXPENSIVE TO EAT HEALTHY.
When can you just buy 4 pieces of bread for .75? and 4 baking potatoes for 2.98? I dont think so.
This is misleading.

I agree. They have BOGOS all the time on ice cream and chips, but I've never seen a BOGO deal on any type of fresh produce or even on lean meat. (Eating healthy foods is still worth the long-term investment in our health, but it is not cheaper for my family.)

There must not be a Winn-Dixie or Save-A-Lot where you are located because they have excellent deals on meat. Winn-Dixie has BOGOs every week on meat, usually boneless, skinless chicken breasts, center cut pork chops, and various cuts of steaks. Also, Save-A-Lot has great deals on turkey based items. They usually have Butterball turkey bacon and 12 oz. packages of ground turkey for $1.

ttate002

We typically spend about $160-240 a month on groceries for the 2 of us (my husband and myself) (we live in New Jersey)

that breaks down to $40-60 a week. sure this can change if we need some extras, but I'm an excellent shopper (i always find a bargain)

I try to buy only healthy foods, and organic when it's available and I usually prefer to shop at trader joes and occasionally shoprite.

I'm also going to check out this store that i've heard about called Aldi's (they claim its cheaper)

I live in NJ too.. I'm very curious how you could possibly survive on $40/week on groceries for two people.
I spend at least $25 just on produce for the week.

I''m not cooking or buying anything organic, extravagant or crazy.
For example, this week I made the following dinners:
Chicken breast with balsamic and shallots w/potatoes
Garlic chicken stir-fry with white rice
Griled Pork chops with string beans
Stuffed Cabbage

For breakfast, the husband eats cereal, I have a granola bar.
For lunch, he gets a salad at work, and I bring at turkey sandwhich and chips.

Our groceries are typically about $150/week, I shop with coupons - take advantage of sales when I can, and shop at Shop Rite (the cheapest store around here).

So please, do share with me how you can survive on $40/week for groceries for two people.

Is there are farmer's market close to you? Not sure what your prices will be, but ours are much cheaper than at the grocery store. I just picked up 6 bell peppers, two packages of mushrooms, and a package of organic salad for $5. Subscribe to the weekend edition of your newspaper and sign up for online coupon sites as well, so you get the circulars of grocery stores in the areas and you can get as many coupons as possible (I have over 5 coupons for Silk milk products, love the almond milk). Only shop during sales and base your shopping on what you have coupons for. I shop at Winn-Dixie and they constantly have Buy One Get One Free sales on meat. Not sure if you have a Wal-Mart Supercenter close, but they match competitors prices (if you can't get to a store that's just too out of the way, they usually put a 50 mile radius on the store) and accept competitors coupons.