Think it's too expensive to eat healthy?

carloc

**** i **** even if you put sugar on it.

Whether its cheaper or not, eating crap like McDonalds, Wendys, Burger King, Taco Bell and all the other fast food places. Your still just filling up on crap. Save a few dollars now but pay for it later in life.

Eating good food that is tasty, is investing in yourself and your future, the future of everyone in your life as well. A small price to pay for a better life..........

Don't defend fast junk food. Lets educate those around so that they can also hopefully make better choices.....

paigemarie93

Uhhhh

2 Big Macs = 3
1 Cheeseburger = 1
1 6pc nugget = 2.50
2 medium fries = 3
2 small fries = 2
2 medium cokes = 2
2 small cokes = 2

Total cost: $15.50

What, did they leave a $12.39 tip for the guy in the drive through?

In the UK that would cost
2 Big Macs & Medium Fries with Medium cokes = £9.00
1 Cheeseburger = £1.00
1 6pc nugget = £2.00
2 small fries = £2.00
2 small cokes = £2.00

Total cost: £16.00

So yeah, something's not right here...

k8blujay2

i also disagree with those who say people arent busier than those in the past. we are busier today.

for one housing costs have gone up to the point where if you have a family and you're in a couple, both parents have to work to pay for their mortgage. also urban/suburban sprawls means people are spending more time time in their cars.

kids are also more active in extracurricular activities than before so you have to cart little johnny off to piano lessons, karate lessons, soccer practice and games. also more mothers are involved in more hobby type activities than they were in the past. so mom has to fit in yoga class, book clubs, etc.

finally in general the american worker spends more time a work now than they did back in the 80's and 90's.

While this may be true in a sense... my grandparents both worked full time (because they had to) while my mom and her siblings (they were latch key kids in the 60's and 70's) were growing up (same with my dad's family)... there was no shortage of extra-curricular activities... what with sports year round, band (both marching and symphonic), drama... all of it... while they both had clean homes and home cooked meals... and like I stated before, this was before the advent and wide use of microwaves and slow cookers... While, they didn't have the urban sprawl to contend with like we do, they had to drive a considerable distance towards their jobs... my grandmother's drive wasn't any shorter than mine is.

jogglesngoggles

honestly who cares about the cost!! It may be high, it may be low...look at the quality of the "cough" food...that alone makes me not care how much being healthy costs..I personally think that it costs a little more to be healthy being that ramen noodles cost under a quarter for 2 servings...just depends on what you want to do to your body and what you want it to do to you!!!

myfitnessnmhoy

i dont care what anybody says. IT IS MORE EXPENSIVE TO EAT HEALTHY.

This math may be misleading, but I can buy fat, protein, and quality carbohydrates a LOT cheaper at my local grocery or farmer's market than I can at McDonald's. I may be able to buy a MEAL cheaper at Mickey D's, but in terms of the amount of time before I must eat something again, preparing my own food is always cheaper. Maybe not by as much as they state above, but still cheaper.

I know you don't care what anyone says, but I can prepare a chicken dinner for four people with frozen chicken breasts, frozen vegetables, fresh spinach, olive oil, and rice or whole wheat pasta using two pans for well under $15 and there will be plenty of leftovers and no one will leave the table hungry. That's MY idea of "fast food" because it takes about 10 minutes to prepare. That's cheaper than my wife and I and my daughter can eat at a fast food restaurant and not be hungry again an hour later.

bagge72

NOBODY is arguing that it is healthier, and cheaper medical wise to eat healthy, it is a moot point so I don't know why people are bringing it up. We are just saying that it is cheaper to eat unhealthy. That doesn't mean we do it, so I don't know why people are acting like the people who are proving the OP wrong are unhealthy slobs, because they can do math.

grannynj

Think again:

This must be an old picture or not from the northeast coast. Milk cost $3.50 a gallon here, bacon when on sale is $6 a package, romaine lettece is $3.99 a bag (3 heads in it)....i could go on. While I could go to mcdonalds and get the dollar menu, I don't but eating healthy is extremely expensive

Ditto that.

NoMoreJellyRolls

YUM , Sweet tea!

farmers_daughter

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. Period, I dislike it when people do this comparison.
It is healthier to eat healthy, it unfortunately won't be cheaper.

usernamejoe

Missing puzzle piece - the cost for medical coverage after years of eating unhealthy -

Jacole18

I don't think those original prices are spot on, but I get the point of the thread. Eating healthy CAN be pricey, but it all evens out in the long run. Plus, eating healthy means I get to live longer to make more money to spend on food lol

i_am_losing_it

The prices are pretty accurate for where I live. The biggest cost for unhealthy food is the cost of what it does to your body, I don't think anyone can argue that the McDonald's food costs a lot more to your health than the other choices.

nikinyx6

Uhhhh

2 Big Macs = 3
1 Cheeseburger = 1
1 6pc nugget = 2.50
2 medium fries = 3
2 small fries = 2
2 medium cokes = 2
2 small cokes = 2

Total cost: $15.50

What, did they leave a $12.39 tip for the guy in the drive through?

Which McDonalds are you buying at? BicMacs are $4.59 each here.../.

tajmel

A lot of you are making comments like, "A pack of bacon isn't that cheap! Who buys four pieces of bread?!" Sort of ridiculous. Yes, a loaf of bread costs around 2-3 dollars, but you're eating it for multiple meals. So you factor a fraction of the loaf of bread into your cost. Stop being so ridiculous.

I haven't been to McD in four or five years, but a Sonic meal easily costs my family over $30. I also have an entire repertoire of healthy meals I can cook for less than $10. When it comes to saving money (and we're on a very tight budget), healthy home-cooking wins every time. Find some other way to justify your crappy diet.

CrystalX82

I agree with the posters saying in the long run it is cheaper... but does anyone have good ideas for those wanting to eat healthy foods? I cook dinner every night... on top of working and being a full time student. The amount of debt i'm in brings me to tears quite often. I have to go to the supermarket at least once a week, usually every week and a half four our big shops. Luckily I have a bf to split the cost with, otherwise I wouldn't be able to afford it. I shop at Kroger so we can get the gas points. We average about $160-$200 a food shop with an average savings of about $30. While the savings are great, I'm still not able to buy the amount of fruit and produce that I really want. I tend to purchase frozen veggies quite often. I just went to Fresh Market today and was in heaven. The produce looked so beautiful but $7 for a pound of cherries is just not feasible lol... sooo yeah anyone have any ideas? and i don't have time to extreme coupon lol... i just use what's given to me in the mail and with my receipts.

wareagle8706

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 don't think the point is buying 4 pieces of bread. It's about buying a loaf of bread being cheaper long term than buying meals outside of your home all the time. In my opinion, it's cheaper to buy groceries because you're getting more for your money which lasts you longer. When you buy one meal at a restaurant that's all it is, one meal. When you buy groceries it's multiple meals.

MzMiller1215

I can't belive how may naysayers are on this site. You will make adjustments if you really want to change what you eat. It's all about where you shop when it comes to finding inexpensive healthy food. I buy frozen vegetables most of the time which tastes as good as fresh vegetables.

Bottom line, the cost you will pay for bad eating habits will far exceed any healthy foods grocery bill!

Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim

bump

MisdemeanorM

Assuming that if they didn't eat that they would be eating McDonalds and paying more. For my family our meals need to be about $2-5 per meal to keep in our budget. Often fresh foods don't fall well within that budget. We try but... $9-$13 for a meal is EXPENSIVE!!! Even if you can keep breakfast and lunch cheaper than eating out (say a very healthy meal for $4 and lunch for $5) that's still $630 a month on food..... what can you eat healthy for about $2 for breakfast, $2/3 for lunch, and $5 for dinner? That's about $240-300 a month on groceries and more affordable (though still on the stretch end of the budget!). Unfortunately it means a lot more Spaghetti Os and a lot less chicken breast.

Bev_Q

Eating healthy is much more expensive! I get mad about it quite often.

But eating fast food is much more expensive in the long run...in the form of heart attacks, cancer, diabetes, generally feeling crappy and 10-15 years lost from your life span.

As Kris Carr says, the produce section is her pharmacy. So it may seem pricey, but in the long run it's much cheaper.

I am a raw vegan, I am very cheap and eat on a tight budget. I spend about $15 a day to eat, but that's bare bones in the form of green smoothies, fruits and veggies for meals, salads and the occasional green juice. I never make anything special and I rarely buy the expensive-er vegan foods like nuts, seeds and oils or any specialty items.

I never shop the middle aisles of a grocery store---just the produce section. I also live in a small town and the only place to get groceries is Walmart, so I am getting the cheapest food out there.

So imagine how expensive it would be for a family of 4 to eat healthy? It's ridiculous. Imagine if you wanted to shop organic? Nearly impossible for any middle class household.

Jessamine

McDonald's is cheaper than that where I live.

It's more expensive up front to buy healthier foods at the grocery store, but those supplies will go a LONG way if you don't let it go bad! So in the long run, if you're smart and resourceful, it is much, much cheaper to buy healthy foods -- even in bulk!

I've been having a field day at my local grocery store. For the past couple of months they've been having incredible sales on their produce AND were giving me $3 off every $10 of produce (1 per day). I've been paying $10-$15 for 1-2 weeks' worth of fruits and veggies.

MisdemeanorM

Uhhhh

2 Big Macs = 3
1 Cheeseburger = 1
1 6pc nugget = 2.50
2 medium fries = 3
2 small fries = 2
2 medium cokes = 2
2 small cokes = 2

Total cost: $15.50

What, did they leave a $12.39 tip for the guy in the drive through?

Which McDonalds are you buying at? BicMacs are $4.59 each here.../.

Big Macs are $0.99 where we used to live (Tennessee). It was a promotional price, but the promo was always active.

mrmanmeat

I'd rather pay money to build my health than to waste it on McDonalds. I'll gladly give up something to afford eating healthy.

Amama622

In the long run, it is MORE EXPENSIVE TO EAT LIKE CRAP. Spend less money on junk now, spend more money on healthcare later after you develop diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc. Common sense, people.

kylTKe

Carbs are a lot cheaper to produce than meats and vegetables. That said, you can find good food cheap and you can also find bad food cheap. I think it's a little silly to try and create these obfuscating examples of one food stuff versus another.

One thing is pretty universal though, you can save some money by drinking tap water instead of bottled water, soda, juice, etc...

One last thing. For our nation as a whole it is obviously much much more expensive for people to eat garbage food because it gets reflected in health care costs.

amystyran

Healthy meals in England are so expensive! When I used to shop normally, buying unhealthy food for 2 people for 1 week was about £50-60, but now we're dieting, its costing £70+ a week. Vegetables and healthy alternatives are ridiculously expensive and are hardly ever on offer, whereas fatty stuff is - but I suppose that's just what the supermarkets want you to do...eat fatty foods and buy more and more as you get bigger and bigger because it's so cheap!

Giantess

Speaking as someone living right on the teetering edge of poverty, you can still eat healthy food.

You just have to spend the time to do your research, shop for sales, and drive around to bunches of stores getting the best deals. Buying in bulk helps us stay off food stamps, too.

That said--some stuff is just out of our price range. No seafood (sad! I love fish!), no organic stuff, no fancy fruits or veggies. I know raspberries are some of the best foods for you--but they're damn expensive! Apples and oranges will have to do. No chicken breasts--thighs are cheaper. Brown rice is still a good deal. No deli meats. Buy a ham, carve it, freeze it, thaw as needed. Same for turkey.

It's a lot of work, and I still sigh at the bags of beautiful, organic, pre-cut romaine and butter lettuce as I get my head of iceberg (much cheaper!), But we still eat pretty well.

We let ourselves each choose one "luxury" item every two weeks. This week it was bulk seaweed from Costco for me. Mmmm.

Bobby_Clerici

Great post!
People snivel about the cost of whole foods, but most of the drivel is just an excuse to continue to eat lousy, processed foods.
KEEP PUNCHING!

denisebme

I don't think its more expensive to eat healthy. I know changing the way I shop has saved me money, not cost me money, and I've actually started shopping at a store that is a bit more expensive than a traditional grocery store so I can get hormone, steroid and nitrate free meat.
Letting go of Soda, sweet tea, flavored water, and all sorts of processed food has been saving us in the grocery line. Shopping at the farmers market, or the local "fruit stand" type store has saved us money on fruits and veggies.

MisdemeanorM

In the long run, it is MORE EXPENSIVE TO EAT LIKE CRAP. Spend less money on junk now, spend more money on healthcare later after you develop diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc. Common sense, people.

It doesn't matter what the future costs are if you don't have the $ currently to pay for something better. You can tell someone all day long that eating poorly will cost them medically down the road, but that doesn't give them a raise, give them more money to buy better groceries, or cut down the price of gas. If you live paycheck to paycheck you have to worry about how you're going to buy groceries NEXT WEEK not how you're going to pay medical bills in 10 years.