Why is it cheaper to eat unhealthfully...
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One way I keep myself from eating that chocolate cake is I remind myself that yes it cost less than fresh raspberries, but when I am paying for diabetes supplies I will have wished I ate the raspberries.
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Healthy eating on a budget takes more planning, but it is possible. The cost of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, orthopedic problems, sleep apnea, and other obesity-related diseases is still much higher than the cost of a healthy diet.0
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Everybody (or most) are missing the point!
A package of 93% lean ground beef is MORE EXPENSIVE than the same size package of 80% lean beef.
A package of multigrain or whole wheat bread is more expensive than a loaf of White wonder bread.
A gallon of skim milk is more expensive than a gallon of whole milk.
These are straight up facts - same package sizes, but cheaper for the "less healthy" items.
How can you say that isn't true??
I am not talking about how much it costs overall to feed my family with healthy foods, vs. fast food.
I'm talking about the one-to-one comparision of buying these healthy items vs. unhealthier items.
That's nowhere near the original comparison, but I'll bite.
80% vs 93% ground beef - drain it, or cook it in a way that the fat can be removed (skillet cook it before putting it in baked dishes, grill it, etc). Also, if you're in an area with (non-factory) farms nearby, you can get far, far better meat (in fat content and quality), for cheap, because you can buy it direct from the farmers or butchers.
Multigrain vs White - I'm not sure I'd even classify Wonder bread as actually being food, but aside from that... last time I was at Aldi (which, granted, has been a while), wheat bread was only about 10-20 cents more than white bread. There's also the option to make your own. Seriously, bread is dead simple to make - yeast, sugar, flour, water - mix together, let rise, bake. Want whole wheat bread? Buy whole wheat flour.
Skim vs whole milk - again, I've never seen more than about a 30 cent difference. And that depends on the state (in some states, milk prices are regulated; in PA, skim milk ($3.27-$3.48) is cheaper than whole milk ($3.64-$3.85) - http://www.mmb.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pricing_information/4744 ). If you're so poor that you're sweating over a 30 cent difference on milk, then perhaps you should be looking at canned or powdered milk (or rethinking your milk usage altogether; the same goes for bread).
And yep, I've been there. Most of my family is still there (my mom, as well as my aunt and uncle, hover in that no-man's land where they make too much for assistance programs, but not enough to really get away from living paycheck to paycheck). They've handled it by cooking at home, growing their own stuff and/or getting food from other growers, and doing crazy things with coupons (my aunt is borderline extreme couponer; most of the stuff, I personally wouldn't eat, but I can't deny her effectiveness on getting stuff that they eat for literally next to nothing).
80% lean beef is DISGUSTING. If you are trying to eat healthy, draining the fat from it is not enough. And who is going to start making their own bread every week? Should we buy cows and make our own milk and butter too??
I'm not saying that there aren't ways around the price differences, I am just trying to point out that there are clear differences in price between the healthy and unhealthy food options in the GROCERY STORE. I'd say the majority of people don't have access to non-factory farms or cheap farmer's markets. We have to shop at the local grocery store chains, and have no choice on the prices. Sure, I could drive 40 miles to a farmer's market, but I'm not saving money when I need to pay for my gas.0 -
If I see this one more time, I think I may throw up.Healthy eating on a budget takes more planning, but it is possible. The cost of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, orthopedic problems, sleep apnea, and other obesity-related diseases is still much higher than the cost of a healthy diet.0 -
I wasn't debating the reason WHY these items are more expensive. I understand why they are more money. But everybody keeps overlooking these facts!Everybody (or most) are missing the point!
A package of 93% lean ground beef is MORE EXPENSIVE than the same size package of 80% lean beef.
A package of multigrain or whole wheat bread is more expensive than a loaf of White wonder bread.
A gallon of skim milk is more expensive than a gallon of whole milk.
These are straight up facts - same package sizes, but cheaper for the "less healthy" items.
How can you say that isn't true??
I am not talking about how much it costs overall to feed my family with healthy foods, vs. fast food.
I'm talking about the one-to-one comparision of buying these healthy items vs. unhealthier items.
That's because it's more expensive for a company to use real ingredients instead of man-made chemical *kitten*. It costs more or them to use real ingredients, so they pass that on to the consumer. That's why it's important to avoid processed food as much as possible and just cook it yourself!
And as far as milk goes, I've never seen skim cost more. But, it's possible since it requires more processing.
I don't choose to overlook these facts, I just choose to make the investment in my health and my longevity instead. I'd rather pinch pennies elsewhere (e.g. entertainment budget, clothing, no cable etc).0 -
I wasn't debating the reason WHY these items are more expensive. I understand why they are more money. But everybody keeps overlooking these facts!Everybody (or most) are missing the point!
A package of 93% lean ground beef is MORE EXPENSIVE than the same size package of 80% lean beef.
A package of multigrain or whole wheat bread is more expensive than a loaf of White wonder bread.
A gallon of skim milk is more expensive than a gallon of whole milk.
These are straight up facts - same package sizes, but cheaper for the "less healthy" items.
How can you say that isn't true??
I am not talking about how much it costs overall to feed my family with healthy foods, vs. fast food.
I'm talking about the one-to-one comparision of buying these healthy items vs. unhealthier items.
That's because it's more expensive for a company to use real ingredients instead of man-made chemical *kitten*. It costs more or them to use real ingredients, so they pass that on to the consumer. That's why it's important to avoid processed food as much as possible and just cook it yourself!
And as far as milk goes, I've never seen skim cost more. But, it's possible since it requires more processing.
I don't choose to overlook these facts, I just choose to make the investment in my health and my longevity instead. I'd rather pinch pennies elsewhere (e.g. entertainment budget, clothing, no cable etc).
THAT"S NOT WHAT I"M SAYING.0 -
ITS WHATS IN HIGH DEMAND, SO ITS CHEAPER & MAKES PEOPLE SICK & FAT! BUT THEY LUV IT!:drinker:0
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Sadly you have to really look for healthy foods in your price range. I go to the farmer's market once a week and stock up my fruits & veggies for cheap. I also stock up on whole grains when i see them on sale. Like breads, pasta & rice. It's possible and once you're used to it it'll come easily :-)0
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To prove a point, from my local grocery store:
1/2 gallon of Skim Plus - $3
Gallon of Whole Milk - $3.99
loaf of 100% whole grain bread (Arnold's) - $4.49
loaf of white bread - $1.99
75% lean Ground beef (value size pack) - $3.89/lb
93% lean Ground beef (not available in a value pack size) - $5.79/lb
These are way more than a 30 cent difference. Again, this has nothing to do with the costs of long term health, etc.
I am just comparing apples to apples here, and the price differences are very obvious. But yet people keep saying this isn't true. Maybe it isn't true for you if you have access to farms and who knows what, but for many people, this is reality.0 -
Spending money on groceries for a week is way cheaper than going out to eat every day and night!!
Its all about trying to find the right things to buy at the grocery store. you can never go wrong with boneless skinless chicken breasts i use those at least a few nights a week- talk about protein!!! and compare that to going to burger king 3 nights a week... that crap gets so expensive!!!! 0 -
It depends where you live. Fresh produces varies in price from what I've seen by location.
Here in Montreal, I find it rather expensive, and it's hard to find good farmers markets, since our autumn/winter's are so cold.
I tend to shop on sales, or the price reduced rack for veggies. as for meats like chicken, their damn expensive.0 -
I feel very fortunate to live in the San Francisco bay area. We can get fruits, veggies, and meat all for a pretty good deal since the central valley is so close. I imagine eating right on a budget is much tougher in, say, Hawaii
I live by the bay area too, near Fairfield/Vacaville. We have so many farmer's markets and what not out here, it's great. Otherwise it's pretty expensive BUT i do use coupons to help me save on items i don't need to pay full price for so i can use it to buy produce. My kids tear it up, half our fridge is stocked with fresh things.0 -
It is perhaps more convenient to eat junk but not less expensive.
At McDonald's you can spend 6-8 dollars on ONE meal.
At the grocery store you can buy organic chicken breast, veggies and brown rice for just about the same and have up to FOUR meals.0 -
It takes more time, money, and energy to put out healthy food. The people who supply food products need to spend more of their money to provide a healthy product than it does to throw together an unhealthy product. Clone beef is cheaper than farm raised beef because they actually put out an effort to make a better product. Don't think of the "good food" as more expensive, think of the "bad food" as cheap. When you go to the grocery store expect to spend more money because you want to eat healthy. Don't go cheap, because you will spend much more in the future on medical bills due to deteriorating health.0
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I've found that it's cheaper... I bought a $12 pack of organic chicken which is enough for at least 4 meals. I would've spent that on ONE large meal of fast food.
Whoa, where are you buying fast food?
I have found that when I plan ahead, shopping healthy is cheaper. I've learned how to do this now and don't eat out all that much. However, I've never spent $12 on a fast food meal.0 -
Last night my family of four had Sesame Greens over quinoa with fresh apples.
Cost: Swiss Chard $2.00, 1T olive oil $0.22, 2 tsp vinegar $0.13, 2 tsp agave nectar $0.16, 2 T sesame seeds $0.15, 1 cup organic dry Quinoa $1.66, Sea Salt $0.02, 3 Apples $2 (I didn't have one because I was full)
Total meal cost $6.34, per person $1.59
Just a point of reference.0 -
Prepackaged & prepared foods seem cheaper, but the ultimate costs in the long run (medical bills, physical toll, mental toll) are way higher. People don't know how to cook anymore. Bread, pasta, rice sides (ala rice-a-roni or uncle ben's sides) used to be made everyday at home with flour, milk, butter, and oil. Making food at home is cheaper and healthier - you control the amount of sodium, what kind of oil, and home cooks don't use preservatives or polysyllabic chemicals. Yes, you can buy more calories for the money - the ding dong and hohos of the world are full of processed sugars and preservatives - but you need to realize that quality over quantity is WAY more important. If you eat a package of ding dongs, you'd be getting enough calories for a meal, but you'd be missing protein, nutrients, and healthy fats, all while spiking your blood sugar and getting hungry an hour later.
I can give you my favorite "free" recipe for chicken broth (which could easily be beef or veggie): buy all your meat on the bone - it's cheaper & more flavorful, cook it on the bone, and save those bones in a freezer bag. Add onion ends & skins, celery leaves & roots, carrot tops (including the greenery!), garlic papers, herb stems - every veggie peel, top, & bottom (except asparagus & peppers - too strong!). When a gallon size bag is full, put it all in your largest stock pot, cover to the top with water, and boil it down for a couple of hours. You get super flavorful broth, full of calcium from the bones, that's only got the salt you've added with no MSG. Freeze it in portions. And best of all, it's FREE.
Good luck on your journey. I hope this helps!0 -
I wasn't debating the reason WHY these items are more expensive. I understand why they are more money. But everybody keeps overlooking these facts!Everybody (or most) are missing the point!
A package of 93% lean ground beef is MORE EXPENSIVE than the same size package of 80% lean beef.
A package of multigrain or whole wheat bread is more expensive than a loaf of White wonder bread.
A gallon of skim milk is more expensive than a gallon of whole milk.
These are straight up facts - same package sizes, but cheaper for the "less healthy" items.
How can you say that isn't true??
I am not talking about how much it costs overall to feed my family with healthy foods, vs. fast food.
I'm talking about the one-to-one comparision of buying these healthy items vs. unhealthier items.
That's because it's more expensive for a company to use real ingredients instead of man-made chemical *kitten*. It costs more or them to use real ingredients, so they pass that on to the consumer. That's why it's important to avoid processed food as much as possible and just cook it yourself!
And as far as milk goes, I've never seen skim cost more. But, it's possible since it requires more processing.
But you're still talking about processed foods. Processed foods are going to be more expensive no matter what. Like I said in an earlier post, I bought my husband five days worth of the healthiest processed foods I could find to take on his camping trip. Five days of processed food for one person cost as much as a week's worth (that often lasts more than 7 days) of fresh "ingredients" (fruits, vegetables, a little meat, cheese, milk, juice, etc.) for my entire family of five.
Eat more whole foods than processed and you can easily save money while eating a whole lot healthier.0 -
I wasn't debating the reason WHY these items are more expensive. I understand why they are more money. But everybody keeps overlooking these facts!Everybody (or most) are missing the point!
A package of 93% lean ground beef is MORE EXPENSIVE than the same size package of 80% lean beef.
A package of multigrain or whole wheat bread is more expensive than a loaf of White wonder bread.
A gallon of skim milk is more expensive than a gallon of whole milk.
These are straight up facts - same package sizes, but cheaper for the "less healthy" items.
How can you say that isn't true??
I am not talking about how much it costs overall to feed my family with healthy foods, vs. fast food.
I'm talking about the one-to-one comparision of buying these healthy items vs. unhealthier items.
That's because it's more expensive for a company to use real ingredients instead of man-made chemical *kitten*. It costs more or them to use real ingredients, so they pass that on to the consumer. That's why it's important to avoid processed food as much as possible and just cook it yourself!
And as far as milk goes, I've never seen skim cost more. But, it's possible since it requires more processing.
But you're still talking about processed foods. Processed foods are going to be more expensive no matter what. Like I said in an earlier post, I bought my husband five days worth of the healthiest processed foods I could find to take on his camping trip. Five days of processed food for one person cost as much as a week's worth (that often lasts more than 7 days) of fresh "ingredients" (fruits, vegetables, a little meat, cheese, milk, juice, etc.) for my entire family of five.
Eat more whole foods than processed and you can easily save money while eating a whole lot healthier.
I agree with this... when I primarily processed foods (healthy or not) I come home with WAY less and spend WAY more... whereas if I buy canned produce and packaged cheese as the most processed, then it stretches much farther, both in money and in our stomachs.0 -
It's not cheaper in the long run...0
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I find that it's not, you have to go to the market more often though which is why most people probably think that it is more expensive. They are used to buying in bulk, even when they are at a regular grocery store. So...they purchase more than they can actually eat before it does what perishable food does and goes bad.0
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loaf of 100% whole grain bread (Arnold's) - $4.49
loaf of white bread - $1.99
I'm dirt-broke, and I buy Arnolds. I check the circulars online before I go shopping and regularly get Arnolds for half price. Sometimes buy one, get TWO free. I freeze two loaves right off the bat. I'll only buy what's on sale, and when it's not on sale, I buy the store brand version of the same bread for $2.59.
And for all that 95% beef is supposed to be a better cut, and it is lower in fat and higher in protein... I really don't like it all that much, so I usually get 85% or 80%. If I do get 90% or higher, it's when it's on sale for only a 30 cents or more than more fatty.
What everyone is saying is that you CAN eat healthy on a budget. Granted, higher quality products will always cost more than inferior quality ones, whether it's food or an automobile. But the original post was about why is fast food cheaper than groceries, and it's clearly not.0 -
It costs less money to produce unhealthy food in bulk. This is why Mcdonalds has $1 meals and stuff like that.
Actual fresh food that is grown, I suppose is higher for obvious reasons. A dollar looks like a "Deal" at first, but it really isn't when it comes to your health.0 -
It's actually much much much cheaper to eat wholesome healthy foods. It will just take you a While to figure it out. It seems like a learning curve everyone has to go through.
I agree with this
Chicken breast, oats, rice, beans, lentils all cheap
Thanks (both) for opening my eyes to that! I was just pining over how cheap fast food is in comparison to healthy food myself. But that definitely makes sense :drinker:0 -
To prove a point, from my local grocery store:
1/2 gallon of Skim Plus - $3
Gallon of Whole Milk - $3.99
loaf of 100% whole grain bread (Arnold's) - $4.49
loaf of white bread - $1.99
75% lean Ground beef (value size pack) - $3.89/lb
93% lean Ground beef (not available in a value pack size) - $5.79/lb
These are way more than a 30 cent difference. Again, this has nothing to do with the costs of long term health, etc.
I am just comparing apples to apples here, and the price differences are very obvious. But yet people keep saying this isn't true. Maybe it isn't true for you if you have access to farms and who knows what, but for many people, this is reality.
This is only true where you live. Where I live a 4L jug of whole milk is $4.29 whereas a 4L jug of skim milk is $3.99. Sorry but it really DOES depend where you live.
Furthermore a package of 2 pieces of chicken breast costs $10.00 whereas 2lbs of ground beef costs $8.00. Poultry is definitely NOT the cheaper option here. Beef is. But then we're cattle country which may have a part in that.
Bagged popcorn (the kind you heat up by throwing it into the microwave) costs $4.00 for a pack of four bags.
A bag of whole popcorn kernels costs the same amount but can make you at least twice the amount of popcorn, plus you get the added benefit of only preparing as much as you need/want as opposed to having the set amount per each bag.
Fresh whole wheat bread is $1.89.
Fresh white bread is $1.89.
I mean, I could go on. I work in a grocery store. But the bottom line is it may or MAY NOT be more costly to eat healthy. Just depends where you live and what options are available to you.
Where I live there are three grocery stores. The one I work in is one of the more expensive but even so I can get by with $40.00 for groceries a week and I eat no prepackaged, processed junk. It's all healthy fruits, vegetables, meat. *shrug*
PS: I brought up the popcorn because it's my alternative to chips.
Don't even get me started on how much a bag of chips costs here. The popcorn is way cheaper. 0 -
For most Americans, food is the first or second largest item in the budget. It takes lot of planning, careful shopping and home cooking, to eat healthy foods cheaply...especially until you get used to it. There are many helpful websites-- check out moneysavingmom.com . Hope that helps. As Debbie says, if you have to start factoring in medical care, even $1.50/pepper foods start to look cheap. Good luck.0
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I disagree. It's just easier to buy unhealthy, already prepared food.0
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I always thought this was the case but I find it's the opposite now, shop sales, look at your flyers, I buy chicken and fish when it's on sale and cooking at home is a heck of a lot cheaper, I went out to dinner with my friends friday night, my portion of the bill was 30 bucks for the one meal and for 30 dollars I can cook at home for an entire week.0
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Everybody (or most) are missing the point!
A package of 93% lean ground beef is MORE EXPENSIVE than the same size package of 80% lean beef.
A package of multigrain or whole wheat bread is more expensive than a loaf of White wonder bread.
A gallon of skim milk is more expensive than a gallon of whole milk.
These are straight up facts - same package sizes, but cheaper for the "less healthy" items.
How can you say that isn't true??
I am not talking about how much it costs overall to feed my family with healthy foods, vs. fast food.
I'm talking about the one-to-one comparision of buying these healthy items vs. unhealthier items.
That's nowhere near the original comparison, but I'll bite.
80% vs 93% ground beef - drain it, or cook it in a way that the fat can be removed (skillet cook it before putting it in baked dishes, grill it, etc). Also, if you're in an area with (non-factory) farms nearby, you can get far, far better meat (in fat content and quality), for cheap, because you can buy it direct from the farmers or butchers.
Multigrain vs White - I'm not sure I'd even classify Wonder bread as actually being food, but aside from that... last time I was at Aldi (which, granted, has been a while), wheat bread was only about 10-20 cents more than white bread. There's also the option to make your own. Seriously, bread is dead simple to make - yeast, sugar, flour, water - mix together, let rise, bake. Want whole wheat bread? Buy whole wheat flour.
Skim vs whole milk - again, I've never seen more than about a 30 cent difference. And that depends on the state (in some states, milk prices are regulated; in PA, skim milk ($3.27-$3.48) is cheaper than whole milk ($3.64-$3.85) - http://www.mmb.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pricing_information/4744 ). If you're so poor that you're sweating over a 30 cent difference on milk, then perhaps you should be looking at canned or powdered milk (or rethinking your milk usage altogether; the same goes for bread).
And yep, I've been there. Most of my family is still there (my mom, as well as my aunt and uncle, hover in that no-man's land where they make too much for assistance programs, but not enough to really get away from living paycheck to paycheck). They've handled it by cooking at home, growing their own stuff and/or getting food from other growers, and doing crazy things with coupons (my aunt is borderline extreme couponer; most of the stuff, I personally wouldn't eat, but I can't deny her effectiveness on getting stuff that they eat for literally next to nothing).
80% lean beef is DISGUSTING. If you are trying to eat healthy, draining the fat from it is not enough. And who is going to start making their own bread every week? Should we buy cows and make our own milk and butter too??
I'm not saying that there aren't ways around the price differences, I am just trying to point out that there are clear differences in price between the healthy and unhealthy food options in the GROCERY STORE. I'd say the majority of people don't have access to non-factory farms or cheap farmer's markets. We have to shop at the local grocery store chains, and have no choice on the prices. Sure, I could drive 40 miles to a farmer's market, but I'm not saving money when I need to pay for my gas.
The store brand breads go on sale for the same price for the healthier or less healthier. Whole milk isn't less healthy than skim, in fact, many people would argue the opposite of that, you just have to portion properly for the calories. The 'healthy' vs. 'non-healthy' snack packs just switch out chemicals for chemicals. You are just lowering the amount of calories. There are many options throughout the store to make the same foods you enjoy without paying more.0 -
loaf of 100% whole grain bread (Arnold's) - $4.49
loaf of white bread - $1.99
I'm dirt-broke, and I buy Arnolds. I check the circulars online before I go shopping and regularly get Arnolds for half price. Sometimes buy one, get TWO free. I freeze two loaves right off the bat. I'll only buy what's on sale, and when it's not on sale, I buy the store brand version of the same bread for $2.59.
And for all that 95% beef is supposed to be a better cut, and it is lower in fat and higher in protein... I really don't like it all that much, so I usually get 85% or 80%. If I do get 90% or higher, it's when it's on sale for only a 30 cents or more than more fatty.
What everyone is saying is that you CAN eat healthy on a budget. Granted, higher quality products will always cost more than inferior quality ones, whether it's food or an automobile. But the original post was about why is fast food cheaper than groceries, and it's clearly not.
All of this. You just need to be aware......and take some extra time for shopping. Go look around the perimeter of the grocery store. I went from 300 a month in groceries to less than 200. I lost weight doing it and I eat good quality and HEALTHY foods. Plus I went to mostly organic (meat and produce) since I was saving so much money.
Seriously? HOw can you compare making your own bread to buying a cow and making butter/milk? Whoever said it earlier is right...it's like a 5 ingredient recipe and only requires a little hands on time.....It's not brain surgery to make bread (or butter for that matter).
You also can't compared a full gallon of whole to a half gallon of skim.... smaller packaging = more expensive . Try looking at gallon prices on both.
Eating healthier is just as cheap without special stores or markets, but you have to actually put some work into it.0
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