Why is healthy eating so expensive?

andivaclavicek

For me, where I shop is key. It's all about Wegmans and Trader Joe's. I'm spending so much less AND eating better.

GnochhiGnomes

Don't bother buying quorn, it's overpriced. I get dried soya protein from holland and barret for a huge bag and half the price! Same stuff!

Soya protein =/= Quorn.

taunto

I'm from PEI, it's an Island on the east cost of Canada, takes about 2 1/2 hours to drive from end to end.

I know folks living in remote areas like islands (can this be considered remote area?) usually have to pay a higher amount and bravo to you for still trying to eat healthy despite the higher food costs. However, there are always ways around it. I live in MI and in Mackinaw Island in MI everything is expensive and the worst part is, I used to travel 4 hours just to get my ethnic spices. The fruits here are expensive + most of the fruits that come from southern states are tasteless in MI because they're picked before they're ripe (for longer travel and shelf life). I managed to make it work. Beans, chicken drumsticks, LENTILS etc. You have to get creative with your food and if you're poor enough you WILL get creative. Don't pay extra dollars for the label "organic". Don't buy minute rice (Rice is fairly easy to cook). If you got local farmers market, check them out. Even Mackinaw had one in summer.

opuntia

What about coupons? We don't really have them in the UK, at least not to the extent that Americans seem to have them, but I'm often reading about Americans who collect coupons and use them to pay for the majority of their grocery shopping. Are they also an option in Canada?

contingencyplan

Depending on what you do to eat healthy, it isn't. Here's how I keep my shopping bills cheap-o while eating healthy. My staples:

Whole grain pasta
Brown rice
Lentils
Canned no salt added tomatoes
Spinach leaves
Big bag of frozen tilapia
Coconut oil
Bananas
Granny Smith Apples
Jar of minced garlic in water
Store brand whole grain bread
Natural peanut butter
Real fruit jelly
Large bags of mixed frozen vegetables
Boneless skinless chicken breasts (frozen, large bag)
Sweet potatoes
Many healthy cereals
Old fashioned oats

magj0y

@iiEllie

Mind if I ask where you are from? Sounds so crazy high there!
What are the prices for rice, beans, oats, and such? Those are my staples xD
Curious

I'm from PEI, it's an Island on the east cost of Canada, takes about 2 1/2 hours to drive from end to end.

Rice, beans, oats - It depends what kind you're buying, a large box of brown min rice is 12$ Haha.
Most of the beans are only canned, those are pretty cheap, 2-3$ a can depending on the bean.
I just bought two bags of quick oats, 1pound bags, 7$ for two.

How much is a medium dominos pizza or quarter lb meal at McD's? And wouldn't driving to the mainland to buy food there cut costs, especially if you carpool with other people. I'm sure the cost of gas would off set the cost.

iiiEllie

I'm from PEI, it's an Island on the east cost of Canada, takes about 2 1/2 hours to drive from end to end.

I know folks living in remote areas like islands (can this be considered remote area?) usually have to pay a higher amount and bravo to you for still trying to eat healthy despite the higher food costs. However, there are always ways around it. I live in MI and in Mackinaw Island in MI everything is expensive and the worst part is, I used to travel 4 hours just to get my ethnic spices. The fruits here are expensive + most of the fruits that come from southern states are tasteless in MI because they're picked before they're ripe (for longer travel and shelf life). I managed to make it work. Beans, chicken drumsticks, LENTILS etc. You have to get creative with your food and if you're poor enough you WILL get creative. Don't pay extra dollars for the label "organic". Don't buy minute rice (Rice is fairly easy to cook). If you got local farmers market, check them out. Even Mackinaw had one in summer.

We have a farmers market, I had said early, the prices are 2-3 times higher than in store. - Chicken here, 30$ for 6 breasts. Because we're on an island it's 45$ by bridge to even leave. - Fruit here is INSANELY expensive, half a pint of blackberries is 4.99 - Bananas are about the only cheap fruit. Meat is OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive. - When not on sale 5$ for a pound of chicken thighs when you catch the deals.

tinabell153

Look for deals at different stores! And also try Coupon.com for coupons or the company brand websites and facebook pages. They always have a promotion going on.

iiiEllie

@iiEllie

Mind if I ask where you are from? Sounds so crazy high there!
What are the prices for rice, beans, oats, and such? Those are my staples xD
Curious

I'm from PEI, it's an Island on the east cost of Canada, takes about 2 1/2 hours to drive from end to end.

Rice, beans, oats - It depends what kind you're buying, a large box of brown min rice is 12$ Haha.
Most of the beans are only canned, those are pretty cheap, 2-3$ a can depending on the bean.
I just bought two bags of quick oats, 1pound bags, 7$ for two.

How much is a medium dominos pizza or quarter lb meal at McD's?

I have no clue, I haven't eating at McDs since highschool, and dominos is horrible. Our fast food is overpriced as hell as well here though. But then you look at the few healthy options for eating out we have and it ends up costing 35$ for two people.

Kryssaxo

It's really disappointing to be on a website were people are supposed to support you and then ask you about fast food prices. Is that an intentional slap in the face or just people trying to be rude and encourage us to buy that over healthier options?

Drop_it_Like_Its_Hawt

I can understand the frustration. My husband is out of work right now, and it's been tough making sure our fridge is stocked with lean meats, fresh produce, etc. instead of the cheap TV dinners and ramen (or fatter/cheaper cuts of meat). Plus it doesn't help that we're in an expensive area, where groceries tend to run high. I end up driving a little farther to a canned food outlet to get the non-perishable stuff like brown rice, low-sodium soups, etc, clip coupons when I can and just really watch for the produce & meat/fish deals in the weekly flyer to make sure I'm getting the best deal. Sometimes it takes an extra trip or two to get the right prices, but it's often worth it.

meggonkgonk

Try adding your "going out to eat" budget into your groceries

framingthewheels

We buy frozen chicken and put it in the crockpot with inexpensive ingredients like corn, beans, salsa or barbecue sauce. A few breasts will create a fair amount of food and have enough for leftovers. My husband and I go meatless once a week and the crockpot is a godsend for that as well. A few kinds of beans, can of tomatoes, jar of salsa and bag of frozen corn create a hearty meal that will make great leftovers (tacos, egg scrambles) later in the week. Beans are a great way to get in fiber and protein without spending a lot of money.

WaterBunnie

Would you rather pay slightly more now, or alot later on when you're having to fork over thousands in health care costs after years of eating tv dinners. Think of it that way.

That doesn't work if you live in a country where you have a NHS. :ohwell:

It does if you factor in lack of earning power if you have to give up working early due to poor health!


I'm spending much less now I'm not eating as many calories or buying chocolate, biscuits etc at all.

magj0y

It's really disappointing to be on a website were people are supposed to support you and then ask you about fast food prices. Is that an intentional slap in the face or just people trying to be rude and encourage us to buy that over healthier options?

I think pointing out that raw bulk foods typically cost less than prepacked stuff that has less servings. That is all.

taunto

It's really disappointing to be on a website were people are supposed to support you and then ask you about fast food prices. Is that an intentional slap in the face or just people trying to be rude and encourage us to buy that over healthier options?

The reason it was asked was because if the health foods are costing so much AND the fast foods are costing so much, then either way you're paying alot so, and this I'm sure you will consider rude too, suck it up and deal with higher cost or move.

I came from another country where I can spend $10 and buy an entire months grocery for me and another person and eat very well. You have no idea how much it hurt when I had to pay 100 to 200 a month for groceries. But you have to adopt to your surroundings. You have to find ways. I had to find ways to lower my grocery bill because if I kept buying healthy food at normal cost I would be broke and if I ate outside or unhealthy everyday I would be 600 lbs now.

Nobody is trying to slap you in the face, this is a discussion and to be honest, you're getting extremely defensive over nothing

melsinct

You do realize that pricing like that doesn't exist everywhere right?

The first picture alone, strawberries where I'm from are 3.99$ a pound when ON SALE.
1 pound of lean ground beef is 8$ when ON SALE
Everything on that list is at least two times more expensive, up to 4 times more expensive where I'm located.

As the pictures go on the items are even more expensive here. Ground turkey - I might as well cut off my arm and trade it instead of paying 12$ for it. I WISH we had prices like that.

I am *extremely* familiar with PEI and really, the prices there aren't much different than in Nova Scotia. For instance, at the Atlantic Superstore you can get the same $6/lb haddock filets and $5/lb chicken breast that you can get in Halifax. Chicken is always expensive in the Maritimes compared to the US, but your seafood is infinitely cheaper than most places in the US. Like anyone on a budget, buy what fits the budget. I can't afford to eat tenderloin steaks regularly, so I don't. If chicken breast is too expensive for you, eat it as a treat, not regularly.

iiiEllie

Your prices in NS are MUCH cheaper than here.

Our chicken breast is no where near 5$ When it's on sale it IS 5.49 a pound. Otherwise it's double that.
A head of lettuce at our superstore is 3.99
Berries are horribly overpriced even though we grow most of them here.

When you get into healthy options it cost a ton more.

NS has a lot more options for shopping than we do. Cosco for example, which we are expecting here next year (yay)

Oh and as for haddock, we eat a ton of it, where my mother works she gets me bags of 40 filets for 25$ - Only certain seafood is cheaper here, a lot of it is just as bad as anywhere else in Canada.

themommie

I think it depends on what you are buying, where you are buying and how you look at it etc. I see people think nothing of buying a big bag of potatoe chips $4 and a 12 pack of soda $4 and a 12 pack of beer $6 but then they think spending $8 on a bag of peaches, some grapes and some broccoli expensive. I used to think like this also I would think it was expensive to spend $6 on artichokes but think nothing of spending $6 at taco bell for a few tacos and burritos. I am actually spending a little less now because I am not buying soda, eating out as much or buying as much processed foods.....

Halleeon

I agree that smarter shopping (while time consuming) can pay off...

But I say "Fight the Man!" Ever wonder why all the unhealthy food is so cheap? It keeps people under the thumb of The Man (whomever that is to you, big government, pharmaceutical companies, "name branded" foods, etc".) They want us sick (not all of them, stay calm) and ignorant. Keep up the good fight. :P