Is eating healthy really more expensive?

dumb_blondes_rock

I went to Mcdonalds a few days back and ordered a medium meal....almost $7.50....So it really bugs me when fat people (i'm fat myself, so nobody freak out) use the excuse they can't eat healthier because it costs too much. Also, before i started measuring my food, I would use a whole chicken breast as my portion size. Now i cut one in half and me and my dad share it, so there is cost going down just from portion control too. And I also have gotten a lot of "scratch" foods instead of already packaged things, which is cheaper as well. Is eating healthy more time consuming? sure....you have to plan out your meals and actually go grocery shopping and prep/measure your foods....is it more expensive? To me, not really. Also, for the financial struggling people out there I LOVE this website!!! You should def check it out!


http://www.5dollardinners.com/

creature275

I agree a healthy lifestyle is not more expensive its actually cheaper, people who smoke and like to drink spend a lot of money on that kind of stuff when you live healthy you avoid alchohol because of the empty calories, staying away from restraunts saves money and understanding how much your body actually needs saves you from overeating your spot on keep up the good work...except for the fast food...

dumb_blondes_rock

I agree a healthy lifestyle is not more expensive its actually cheaper, people who smoke and like to drink spend a lot of money on that kind of stuff when you live healthy you avoid alchohol because of the empty calories, staying away from restraunts saves money and understanding how much your body actually needs saves you from overeating your spot on keep up the good work...except for the fast food...

Lol well...last week i was NOT being calorie conscious....but i still will eat out, jsut in a better way. I just don't like people who make excuses of not eating better because of economical issues

crazyjlyn

I find it much much cheaper actually! Fruits and veggies are really inexpensive, and I don't buy much pre packaged crazily processed stuff.

IMHO, its just an excuse (it use to be one if mine)

kmshred

half a chicken breast?? what the!!? i eat at least two a day.

carloc

Aside for either being cheaper or the same cost, I have found that going to the store and thinking about what you are going to eat, how you are going to cook it etc teaches us so much about the reasons we eat the food we do. Learning about the annotates of eating healthy is a great education. And I have found that I am enjoying cooking cooking and spending the extra time in the kitchen and as a result I enjoy the food even more.

In the end it's a choice we make, better to spend extra in good food and avoid potential expensive medical bills in the future.

dumb_blondes_rock

half a chicken breast?? what the!!? i eat at least two a day.

Well i measure it out to a 6 ounce serving....and the typical chicken breast is usually 10-12 ounces

hbunting86

I think it is a common misconception that eating healthy is expensive. Sure if you want to eat faux 'healthy' branded processed rubbish like Lean Cuisine, Jenny Craig or whatever the latest fad 'health' food is.

However if you have half a brain, the most investment eating healthy is going to cost you is time - and in my opinion it's time well spent. So what if you can throw a lean cuisine in the microwave... it's full of rubbish. Takes no effort to make an interesting and healthy salad, or cook a hearty healthy and natural dinner! Pulses are cheap and powerhouses for nutrition too. As are whole grains, nuts, seeds, you name it basically.

Fast food has been the undoing of our generation in my opinion!

kdeaux1959

I agree and have often thought about this. There is an inexpensive and an expensive way to do just about anything. What most people think about when making this comment are the pre-packaged deals like weight watchers and lean cuisine.. There is a multi-million dollar diet industry just begging for you hard earned cash.. Add to that all the Plexus slim and Advocare products as well as the South beach, atkins, etc... you get my drift. But eating a healthy meal really does not have to be all that expensive ... if you do it the old fashioned way... Excuses are a dime a dozen... Thanks for debunking one more excuse ...

dumb_blondes_rock

I think it is a common misconception that eating healthy is expensive. Sure if you want to eat faux 'healthy' branded processed rubbish like Lean Cuisine, Jenny Craig or whatever the latest fad 'health' food is.

However if you have half a brain, the most investment eating healthy is going to cost you is time - and in my opinion it's time well spent. So what if you can throw a lean cuisine in the microwave... it's full of rubbish. Takes no effort to make an interesting and healthy salad, or cook a hearty healthy and natural dinner! Pulses are cheap and powerhouses for nutrition too. As are whole grains, nuts, seeds, you name it basically.

Fast food has been the undoing of our generation in my opinion!

One thing i do love thats freezer food is lean pockets....but i couldn't do lean cuisine because i would still be hungry after eating it because it has like 3 little cubes of chicken and 5 pieces of pasta....only a toddler could get full off of one of those

DesireeLovesOrganic

My grocery bill is about 900 a month (sometimes more) for a family of 4 but I buy everything organic so that ups it right there. We rarely eat out so that includes all food for the month (lunches get packed for work and school.) I'm vegan but my family is not so I do buy free range grass fed organic meat for them occasionally ($$$.) We eat a TON of produce too. I just bought $60 worth at a local farm and it was gone in 2 days. LOL

It's worth it though, think of it as health insurance. In the LONG RUN, it's cheaper to eat healthy. It will save on prescriptions and a bunch of other crap unhealthy people will end up having to pay for...

taunto

eating healthy to me = more home-cooked meals.

Fruits don't cost alot.

Produce don't cost alot especially if you hit farmers market but even if you don't its still not that much

Chicken don't cost alot. You don't have to just buy chicken breast you know? drumsticks are what 99 cents per lb? chicken legs are like 79 cents /lb?

Eating at home and eating healthy is very cheap. You just gotta know what to cook. I make an AWESOME! lentil soup that I often eat as a meal because its very earthy and even with TONS of fiber, its low on calories. The dang thing costs me like 20-35 cents per serving

My typical meals are about 75-90 cents per meal btw

bazfitness

Good post :- Some junk food is cheap of course, but whether eating healthy is expensive or not, you'll save a lot more money in the long run by giving yourself a far better chance of avoiding health problems and being able to function better in life by eating properly.

Oh - one thing I will disagree with - eat as much chicken breast as you like - that's got virtually no fat, just protein. Unless you got kdney problems, then that's a great food to eat both to fill you up and conserve your muscle when trying to lose fat.

dumb_blondes_rock

Good post :- Some junk food is cheap of course, but whether eating healthy is expensive or not, you'll save a lot more money in the long run by giving yourself a far better chance of avoiding health problems and being able to function better in life by eating properly.

Oh - one thing I will disagree with - eat as much chicken breast as you like - that's got virtually no fat, just protein. Unless you got kdney problems, then that's a great food to eat both to fill you up and conserve your muscle when trying to lose fat.

well....sometimes every once in a while ill have a whole breast, if ive worked out and saved up enough cals for the day. But most days i don't have the cals to spare

dumb_blondes_rock

a little bag of chips costs $1....but there is not way you get full off a small bag of chips and it has 180 cals. So, some may be cheaper, but you have to buy more to fill you up. Now things like mcdoubles or other dollar menu items I can see people making the arguement over....but you get that, a soda and a fry and things add up, then times by 4 or however many you have in the fam, it gets expensive.

alanajoelle

I disagree with everyone who disagrees that eating healthfully is cheaper.

At least where I'm from, if I try to buy "healthy" food for a few days, like fruit, meat, vegetables, whole grains, my budget is gone before I know it. This isn't from Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, etc. It's from buying whole foods to cook and prepare at home (which also costs a lot--in time, and in money to buy the equipment, not to mention the gas and electricity to cook). Unhealthy stuff is so much cheaper, and there's a simple reason: because our government subsides corn, wheat, and soy, while fruits and vegetables are considered specialty items that cost a lot more to grow, and then to buy.

It's not a myth that junk food is exponentially cheaper--it's a fact.

LaurenAOK

I agree that it seems to be cheaper. One of my favorite dinners is lentils with sauteed veggies. Pretty sure it comes out to under $1 for my whole dinner that keeps me full for hours! Compare that to the $4 I used to spend on dinner from fast food places all the time.

However, there is something I do find interesting here. I know a while back people were criticizing people on food stamps for using them to buy unhealthy foods. So a professional chef did a study in which he tried to cook healthy meals with the amount of money people on food stamps were getting. He couldn't do it! Apparently he proved that they really couldn't afford to buy healthier foods. I wish I had the link to the study on hand. Honestly I don't get it!

Jamee_J

My initial cost of changing lifestyles sucked! But, that being said I have gotten more meals out of what I buy. Not just prossessed junk crap. The amount of money we save on eating out easily makes up the difference. Oh and the amount we save on soda pays for my gym membership! And a few other things. Where there is a will there is a way!

spdaphne

hmmm, i think it depends if someone has access to fresh produce. i think you just gotta be creative and learn how to bargain shop to really stretch that dollar to make tasty, healthy meals.

don't get me started on organic though cuz not everyone can afford financially to eat organically.

TadaGanIarracht

Is healthier food cheaper than McD's? Yes but I don't know anyone who has fast food every day.

Now compare the healthier stuff to the processed junk you can get at your local grocery store like Ramen, Hamburger Helper, Mac and cheese.. etc., is the healthier foods more expensive compared to those? Yes.

TravisBurns

When you are like me and have no idea how to cook, it is very expensive. I spent more money than i'd like to say on just a few bags of groceries

dumb_blondes_rock

I agree that it seems to be cheaper. One of my favorite dinners is lentils with sauteed veggies. Pretty sure it comes out to under $1 for my whole dinner that keeps me full for hours! Compare that to the $4 I used to spend on dinner from fast food places all the time.

However, there is something I do find interesting here. I know a while back people were criticizing people on food stamps for using them to buy unhealthy foods. So a professional chef did a study in which he tried to cook healthy meals with the amount of money people on food stamps were getting. He couldn't do it! Apparently he proved that they really couldn't afford to buy healthier foods. I wish I had the link to the study on hand. Honestly I don't get it!

My aunt gets $450 dollars a month in food stamps for her, her 11 yr old son, and her 7 yr old son. If i had that kind of money for my dad and i, we would be eating GREAT the whole month. Rice and beans are cheap and healthy, potatoes are healthy, and you don't always have to eat meat. Chefs are so used to all the different ingredients they use to make things, that they sometimes don't know how to simplify a recipe to make it budget friendly. I love Jaime Oliver's food revolution becuase these lower income families don't really know how to cook, or some just don't have the time. I work two jobs, and have managed to create meals in about 15-30 mins for a full dinner. You just adapt. Also, it doesn't take much time to look in your local grocery store to see if there are things on sale. I shop at walmart for my groceries, and its 45 mins away, but if i were to shop at my local albertsons we would starve all month long because albertsons is WAY expensive

myfitnessval

in the context of eating at home with wholesome cooked meals vs cheap fast food yes its cheaper but when it comes down to it when i'm really super broke my default groceries are mainly pasta and packaged meals because they are cheaper to prepare at home than eating healthier whole grain type of pastas and lots of produce. i will say though that its an expense i'm willing to incur because id rather be healthy than unhealthy paying tons of money on medical bills and bigger clothes.

friendthegirl

I am spending more, now that I'm eating healthier. I wasn't eating at restaurants a lot before though, if someone was eating restaurant meals and expensive fast food meals a lot, it could be more expensive to eat unhealthy food. I also like having my Vitamuffins now, and my Laughing Cow cheese, which are both a bit expensive. My snacks cost more than unhealthy ones do, but my meals cost less.

fragilegift

Fruits don't cost alot.

Chicken don't cost alot. You don't have to just buy chicken breast you know? drumsticks are what 99 cents per lb? chicken legs are like 79 cents /lb?

My typical meals are about 75-90 cents per meal btw

Here in Tasmania, Australia the average price per kilo for apples (and we are the "Apple Isle" so they shouldn't be imported) is...4$ per kilo (2$ a lb). That is about 6 apples. Cherries were 13$ a kilo. Ok bananas are on special for 89c a kilo (45c a lb). But there is no way I'd say our fruit is CHEAP. Nor are vegetables.

Chicken DOES cost a lot. 13$ for a whole 1.6 kilo (5.6lb) bird. Drumsticks are about 5$ a kilo. Thigh meat? averages out at 10$, breast, a lot more. I'm not sure on the exact cost, because they are too expensive for me.

MY meals cost say..on average, about 5-8$ - depending on what t is of course. At that rate, a 5.95 Dominos pizza is actually cheaper.

So while eating healthier might cost more where YOU (generically) live, it isn't the same everywhere. Attacking people who say it is dearer to eat healthily can be way off base.

bulbadoof

The way I heard it described was that you can have your food easy, cheap, and healthy - but you can only pick two of the three adjectives. Personally, since I don't have much money, I pick cheap and healthy (raw vegetables, plain meats, etc.) and just do the prep work myself.

kissedbytheocean

It isn't always cheaper. I think it depends on how much money you have and how many people you have to feed.

These past few months, we've been struggling a lot to feed my family of 3 on just one income. At times, we really did have to settle for unhealthy, but cheaper things just to get by; e.g. white bread was on sale for $1, compared to whole wheat that was $2 - 3. Every cent counts sometimes.

I think it's stupid to say that eating healthier is cheaper *in all cases*. In some cases, it's just not. If I have to feed my family for a month, but only have $50, buying fresh produce just isn't going to last as long as a bag of white rice or a huge sack of potatoes. And to be honest, when you're that broke, eating healthy is not typically on one's top priority list; it's feeling full and meeting calorie needs in whatever way one can.

This article explains my point a little better. http://www.fatnutritionist.com/index.php/if-only-poor-people-understood-nutrition/

Ejwelton

I find planning meals for the week and shopping with a list helps. We mostly cook from scratch and generally find the shopping a little cheaper.
We also shOp at Costco for bulk items like toilet and kitchen roll. We also buy weetabix, tinned tomatoes and tuna/mackerel in bulk too.

dumb_blondes_rock

Fruits don't cost alot.

Chicken don't cost alot. You don't have to just buy chicken breast you know? drumsticks are what 99 cents per lb? chicken legs are like 79 cents /lb?

My typical meals are about 75-90 cents per meal btw

Here in Tasmania, Australia the average price per kilo for apples (and we are the "Apple Isle" so they shouldn't be imported) is...4$ per kilo (2$ a lb). That is about 6 apples. Cherries were 13$ a kilo. Ok bananas are on special for 89c a kilo (45c a lb). But there is no way I'd say our fruit is CHEAP. Nor are vegetables.

Chicken DOES cost a lot. 13$ for a whole 1.6 kilo (5.6lb) bird. Drumsticks are about 5$ a kilo. Thigh meat? averages out at 10$, breast, a lot more. I'm not sure on the exact cost, because they are too expensive for me.

MY meals cost say..on average, about 5-8$ - depending on what t is of course. At that rate, a 5.95 Dominos pizza is actually cheaper.

So while eating healthier might cost more where YOU (generically) live, it isn't the same everywhere. Attacking people who say it is dearer to eat healthily can be way off base.

Well, for you its different,....i'm talking about people in my area. I li
ve in a county where a lot of the country's produce comes from (in cali)....we have farmers markets even in my little tiny town, and we have a farmers market 45 mins away. But like someone said earlier, when there is a will there is a way, they have those pots now where you can grow veggies/fruits on your porch or even window seal. One day soon id like to grow a pot garden(not cannibus, but tarrocatta) so then i can just pay for the water and seeds and be good to go for the season

TadaGanIarracht

I think a calorie is a calorie no matter where it comes from.

Mark Haub's study is a perfect example of that.

dumb_blondes_rock

It isn't always cheaper. I think it depends on how much money you have and how many people you have to feed.

These past few months, we've been struggling a lot to feed my family of 3 on just one income. At times, we really did have to settle for unhealthy, but cheaper things just to get by; e.g. white bread was on sale for $1, compared to whole wheat that was $2 - 3. Every cent counts sometimes.

I think it's stupid to say that eating healthier is cheaper *in all cases*. In some cases, it's just not. If I have to feed my family for a month, but only have $50, buying fresh produce just isn't going to last as long as a bag of white rice or a huge sack of potatoes. And to be honest, when you're that broke, eating healthy is not typically on one's top priority list; it's feeling full and meeting calorie needs in whatever way one can.

This article explains my point a little better. http://www.fatnutritionist.com/index.php/if-only-poor-people-understood-nutrition/

Contrary to popular belief, white rice and potatoes aren't bad for you....white potatoes actually have tons of potassium in them, and serve their health purpose as well.