Why is healthy eating so expensive?

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  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,012 Member
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    chicken is usually < $3 / lb. I don't understand the dilemma.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    I dont find it expensive at all... I only purchase fresh vegetables (frozen will do when prices are too high for fresh but it doesnt happen often), real meats but purchased in bulk. I bought a 50# case of fresh boneless chicken breasts for $1.68/lb last month. A 40# case of 80/20 for $1.99/lb, pork center cut for $1.99/lb (approx 15#), pork ribs - a cryovac 20# pkg at $1.78/lb...

    You have to be really good at knowing where the sales are, who has the best deals.. and do yourself a favor.. dont use that "Quorn" stuff.. get real foods...
  • TheNewo
    TheNewo Posts: 239 Member
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    I'm on the fence when it comes to this topic.
    On one hand I look at a box of macaroni and cheese for $1 and it appears that it is indeed cheaper to eat junk...but perhaps I'm just not looking in the right places. After all, I can get a few tomatoes or a couple apples for the same price, right? Either way, the bottom line is that the cost of your healthcare after eating a steady diet of cheap, over processed, preservative packed meals is going to be astronomically higher than if you try to eat healthier food. I'm terrified of the doctor so this argument wins it for me every time. Got a good article below for cheap healthy food:
    http://eatthis.menshealth.com/content/healthiest-cheap-food-america
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    Also, if you want a garden, but don't have a yard you can get a small plot of land in a community garden (if that is available). It might be late in the season for that, but something to look into.
  • willia123
    willia123 Posts: 60 Member
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    I spend less. I know because I've tracked it very carefully since nov 2011 when I started this. I buy so much less filler and junk food....soda...etc....our meals are really simple. When I was baking I would buy so many ingredients for each meal. Now, it's a head of broccoli or a couple of zucchinis and some lean meat...maybe a sweet potato. We grow a few different veggies but that doesn't really add up to that much savings.
  • ihateroses
    ihateroses Posts: 893 Member
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    Also crockpot+canning!
  • iiiEllie
    iiiEllie Posts: 224 Member
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    We spend about 400$ a month for just myself and my boyfriend to eat healthy, and that's with me buying sale items. Where I'm from food is overpriced as heck because it's an island and everything has to be brought in. We grown almost nothing but potatoes on island. A package of 6 chicken breasts is typically 30$
  • shock2920
    shock2920 Posts: 4 Member
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    Well I always like this saying... " If you think eating healthy is expensive, have you priced cancer lately?' I know it sucks but you tend to stay healthy longer and away from the doctor if you eat healthy and spend less money paying the doctor and getting to enjoy yummy amazing food that you know is real. =0)

    Definitely agree.

    I like a lot of the suggestions that others have made around ways to reduce the cost, but if there's anything you can do to increase your food budget, I think that's also important. It might hurt a little at the cash register every month, but what you spend now you'll save later on in healthcare costs and quality of life.
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
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    I spend close to nothing on my food bill anymore

    I buy lots of rice, beans, oats, chicken breast and such
  • margojr4
    margojr4 Posts: 259 Member
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    All good info from previous posters! We normally buy in bulk and catch sales often. I know certain areas can be pricier than others (Hawaii vs Ohio for example)

    Our cheap go to foods..

    Rice
    Dry beans
    Bananas that are turning (peel and freeze for smoothies- cook for muffins)
    Eggs
    Salsa
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    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.
  • xoyasminxo
    xoyasminxo Posts: 132
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    I buy chicken breast and canned tuna for meat and fresh produce. Eating a cup of cauliflower is quite filling with a chicken breast.
  • Damiilla
    Damiilla Posts: 66
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    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!
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    Try good quality meat, REAL meat, and tell me it isn't worth the price... You can also buy yogurt in bulk (not single serve yoplait). I make a lot of salads or soups so I use meat and produce that will last me through a week. Think in terms of stretching out your cooking over a few days. Your yogurts and quorn whatever are single-serve packages that aren't economical
  • lanie37
    lanie37 Posts: 204 Member
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    we all complain about the cost of healthy eating....but people think nothing of spending a pound on a bar of chocolate, infact they think its a bargain and get 2. They see a punnet of berries or grapes and think its expensive. I have totally gone back to basic and make more or less everything from scatch. Today I made a Spag Bog, and made enough to freeze for later in the month.
  • LiviLou2011
    LiviLou2011 Posts: 437 Member
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    I get lowfat yogurt for like 10 for 4 dollars...i dont think thats expensive at all..I dont think eating healthy is really expensive..i do think eating organic is expensive though.

    and look for fruits on sale! we get blueberries and stuff for about 2 dollars for a little box of them..Meats that are cheap like manager specials..and veggies that are in season like everyone else said.

    Do you know anyone that has a garden? my mom has friends that give her stuff out of there garden, and we get Jalopenos and cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes...its really nice, you can also start like a little box garden its fun u would get some exercise and have veggies for free!!
  • opuntia
    opuntia Posts: 860 Member
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    i don't find it expensive to eat healthily. I buy the basics, rather than processed food, so I can cook from scratch. I tend to go to the supermarket at the end of the day when food that is about to go out-of-date is reduced in price - I get most of my fruit and veg that way, often for 10p or 20p per pack. Fruit and veg generally lasts longer than its use-by date. Also, you can get meat and fish really cheap that way and freeze it.

    Pulses and lentils tend to be cheap, and they are healthy. Also, pulses, lentils and rice tend to be a lot cheaper if you go to a small Indian or African shop and buy in bulk.
  • ModoVincere
    ModoVincere Posts: 530 Member
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    Cheap, healthy foods
    Tuna
    turkey
    flash frozen chicken
    frozen fish like salmon and tilapia
    beans & rice
    fresg fruit in season
    frozen fruit out of season
    fresh veggies in season
    frozen veggies out of season

    edit: and oatlmeal.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    we all complain about the cost of healthy eating....but people think nothing of spending a pound on a bar of chocolate, infact they think its a bargain and get 2. They see a punnet of berries or grapes and think its expensive. I have totally gone back to basic and make more or less everything from scatch. Today I made a Spag Bog, and made enough to freeze for later in the month.

    So true!!!!
  • tinytoyjess
    tinytoyjess Posts: 139 Member
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    Because not enough people do it. If more people were to buy real food it would be less expensive.

    Aso consider that you're actually getting more food for your money, because what you are buying is 100% real food vs. the mixture of "food" and chemicals in the processed stuff.

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