Think it's too expensive to eat healthy?

bagge72

Lots of things wrong with this. 1st why are you comparing going out to eat with eating at home? Wouldn't you compare the price of McDonalds with the price health food while eating out? 2nd see how much it cost to feed a family of four on the dollar menu, not a whole lot. 3rd you can feed a family of four with some Chef Boyardee, and milk for about $5.00 so that is cheaper than all of your heathy options. The truth is that you can always find an unhealthy processed food cheaper than a healthy clean food.

abbeyl11

Try and prepare a McDonalds-like meal at home and then we'd have a comparison to start from.

Okay let's do that. We'll use avereage US prices, since if the price of the ingredients goes up, so will ikely the price at McD.

In May 2012, ground beef cost $2.95 per lb. Whole wheat bread was $2 per lb. American processed cheese was $4.25 per lb. I really don't know how many slices you'd get from that, but even if it were only 25 slices, the price would be 17 cents for one slice.

Assuming we ate a 1/4 burger on a 1/4 bun with a slice of cheese, the base burger would cost $1.42. We could get the price of 3 or 4 drops of mustard and ketchup, but it's pretty obvious the burger made at home is still going to be cheaper than the McD quarter pounder with cheese. And it will be on a whole grain bun, so be more nutritious. The price would drop to 1.27 if we used white bread. (and let's face it, we wouldn't really be using a 1/4 lb bun!).

With the actual cost of a slice of cheese and bun, we'd likely be able to add a slice of tomato, onion and lettuce to our homeade burger and still not cost more than McD.

Want fries with that? I can buy a 3 lb bag of potatoes for the same price as a large order of fries at McD. Or, I could buy 3-4 potatoes from the bulk bin and a small bottle of oil to fry them in. If they are in season, I could even substitute sweet potato fries and really up my nutrition.

THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

therealjanelle

To me healthy = organic and non-GMO. A lot of people don't realize what sort of chemicals and harmful ingredients are in commercially produced non-organic and GMO foods.

Eating this way will be more expensive but it will also be less detrimental to your health and the Earth's.

SoDamnHungry

I eat off the dollar menu...so it's considerably cheaper than the McD's tally up there. And consider if you're cooking for one person. It costs the same as cooking for four people, but you have to eat four meals of it to use up the leftovers. I certainly can't buy four pieces of bread at once. Where do you guys do it?

I'm not trying to rain on this parade or anything, because it's true that if you shop right, you can do alright monetary-wise.

meshashesha2012

Where I live a loaf of 100% Whole Wheat bread is at least 30 cents cheaper than white bread.... a gallon of milk is cheaper than soda... per serving, buying a big bag of store brand pasta, a package of cheese, a some ground beef (even the leaner varieties) is cheaper than buying hamburger helper... and a pound of bananas is cheaper than buying 1 candy bar. I spend around $200-$300 a month on relatively healthy (it would be more if I bought all organics or something) food for 3 people.

i need to move where you are. for me, 1 person i easily spend $300 a month just for me. and i'm not even buying the organic stuff :laugh:

i normally spend $75-$90 a month on food, and that's just the basics. that's not including any extras i might buy like wine, ice cream, chocolate.

bcattoes

To me healthy = organic and non-GMO. A lot of people don't realize what sort of chemicals and harmful ingredients are in commercially produced non-organic and GMO foods.

Eating this way will be more expensive but it will also be less detrimental to your health and the Earth's.

Organic and non-GMO may be desirable, but it is not necessarily required for healthy eating. Eating non-organic GMO vegetables is still likely to be better for your health over eating fast food. There is no evidence that GMO or organic improves health.

Fitfortat

I think everyone is missing the point by arguing that it doesn't cost that much to eat at McDonalds. Whether it does or doesn't, in the long run it costs way more, in obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and just general poor health. Thats y we are all here on MFP! So quit arguing schemantics and agree that fast food is HORRIBLE for us and our children! EAT LESS MOVE MORE SMILE OFTEN AND LIVE FULLY!

bagge72

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.

My fiance, and I spend $40.00 - $60.00 dollars a week on groceries, it really is very easy to do, especially if you buy meat, and your grains in bulk.

NaomiDollar

This picture is subject to where you live. I agree eating healthy is more expensive but you have to make the choice that you want to eat healthy.

k8blujay2

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.

It depends on where you live and how you shop. I definately can buy 4 pieces of bread for 75 cents and 4 baking potatoes for $3. And the McDonalds is dead on, too. And if I go to a warehouse store I can usually cut that cost down, too.

Woah! I can buy 5 pounds of potates for $3 (even at Safeway)... and a typical loaf of white bread (well the thin slice anyway) has enough for 11 sandwiches (not including the butts of the bread) and costs around $3 for the whole loaf here as well, so that breaks down to about $0.56 cents for 4 slices... though bread is not quite $3 a loaf here)... and like I said in a previous post, 100% whole wheat is about $0.30 cheaper than white, at least this is true at target.

RunEloiseRun

I usually spend more when I am eating bad food because it doesn't make me full. I have to eat more and more often. A value meal at McDonald's, even large sized, leaves me hungry about 30-60 minutes later.
The good thing about eating healthy is a meal makes do as a meal. I end up spending less because I am not constantly starved (or "feeling hungry"), though my hubby likes to argue that eating bad is less expensive.

deadstarsunburn

Where I am it IS cheaper to buy fresh fruits/vegetables from local farmers, or a bag of rice, pasta, potatoes is also very cheap.
I don't know about other places but in this area when people say "it's too expensive to eat healthy" I know for a fact that's not the truth.
These are usually the people who have loads of weight related health issues that require constant doctor visits and medication.
Yup...these people are super educated.

gigiangelique

THE TRUTH!!!!!!

shanice_22

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 was at Aldi's today, some things are really cheap, I bought. Yoghurt okay to try it, the brands are different to anywhere else but so far mst of the stuff I've bought as been good

The UK Aldi adverts say 'it's like brands but cheaper' and it is. It's all the same stuff just with a different label, and most of the labels have been designed to look like the expensive brands.

A lot of food gets made in the same factory anyway, regardless of whether it's an expensive brand or value brand. I know someone who works in a factory that makes and packages pies, sausage rolls, etc and he said that when they make a batch of sausage rolls for various supermarkets, such as Asda, Tesco and M&S they're all exactly the same in every package. The only ones that differ are the M&S ones as it's different pastry, but the meat is the same for every store and the pastry doesn't differ between the other stores.

Debbe2

Think again:

I love this! Never being a fast food junkie myself I still understood that eating healthier would save us money in medical bills, doctor visits and medications alone! Great post.

PaveGurl

For many, it's the cost in time that's prohibitive. Shopping, getting the food home, getting produce that's not beat up or wilted, taking the time to prep/ cook/ package lunches... it adds up. I'm lucky in that I have a 9-5 job and have the time to do this. Do I always want to? No, not after commuting and everything else, not always. But I have that as a luxury.

Please keep in mind that not all neighbourhoods have access to good produce - the veggies and fruit at my local store are usually pretty battered and gnarly. Because I am lucky enough to have my own car, I can take the time to drive an additional 15 minutes to the other store and get nicer produce and slightly higher end items.

It can stack up really, really quickly - that's an extra half hour just to have access to the veggies. That's a privilege not often examined.

NavyKnightAh13

Trust me, I go work, go to college, have a baby at home to take care and a house, and miraculously we get home cooked because i cook them (because if I don't then the hubby either gets fast food or schwan's which has made me sick fairly recently) Prices as far as veggies go depends on where u get them from here in my part of Ohio: if yo get it from the farmers market,u can get it in bulk, if not then Kroger fresh veggies are the next best thing.

While it can be expensive, people have to decide on whether getting healthier is better or not. hell, our son has started on solid foods fairly recently, and we have the baby bullet, so we can make purees naturally and he will eat that contently vs eating the oatmeal and banana from gerber.

SoDamnHungry

I think everyone is missing the point by arguing that it doesn't cost that much to eat at McDonalds. Whether it does or doesn't, in the long run it costs way more, in obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and just general poor health. Thats y we are all here on MFP! So quit arguing schemantics and agree that fast food is HORRIBLE for us and our children! EAT LESS MOVE MORE SMILE OFTEN AND LIVE FULLY!

Of course it's bad to eat fast food instead of good food. We all probably agree with you there. But I think it's good for people to be calling out the fact that this totally misrepresents in some areas. There was obviously an agenda (and a very good agenda at that) when the person made this image to illustrate the point, and it should be represented honestly. The "cost" they illustrate here isn't the lifetime cost, but the monetary cost of a meal.

k8blujay2

Where I live a loaf of 100% Whole Wheat bread is at least 30 cents cheaper than white bread.... a gallon of milk is cheaper than soda... per serving, buying a big bag of store brand pasta, a package of cheese, a some ground beef (even the leaner varieties) is cheaper than buying hamburger helper... and a pound of bananas is cheaper than buying 1 candy bar. I spend around $200-$300 a month on relatively healthy (it would be more if I bought all organics or something) food for 3 people.

i need to move where you are. for me, 1 person i easily spend $300 a month just for me. and i'm not even buying the organic stuff :laugh:

i normally spend $75-$90 a month on food, and that's just the basics. that's not including any extras i might buy like wine, ice cream, chocolate.

I am very fortunate where I live... In the area of Texas that I live we do not have a shortage of grocery stores... within 5 miles, we have a Super Target, Super Walmart, Aldi, Kroger, Safeway (which is Tom Thumb here), Albertsons (though they seem bare compared to the others)... and that's not to even mention the smaller chains like Fiesta and others I can't remember off the top of my head.... HEB is also trying to force it's way in, we got our first Trader Joe's in Ft. Worth, we have a Central Market (in Fort Worth), a Sprouts (in Cedar Hill) and a Whole Foods (in Arlington) but these are all outside of 5 miles...and numerous farmers markets.... we really have no shortage of food around here and it's super easy to eat healthy and cheaply, if you are willing to do it... In my opinion, around here, there really is no excuse to not eat healthy... I buy milk from Braum's (because they say they don't use Hormones on their cattle) for about $0.30 more per gallon than what they sell at Target.. and because my 1 year old is the one drinking it the most, it's worth it.

meshashesha2012

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.