Why is it cheaper to eat unhealthfully...

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  • kooltray87
    kooltray87 Posts: 501 Member
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    I hear what you're saying. I think you just didn't state it well with the McDonald's reference.

    Yes, if you're struggling to get by it's a lot easier and cheaper to make a family meal from a 99 cent box of mac and cheese then it is to work the produce section, let alone the organic part.

    However, if you learn to shop in bulk instead of on demand, learn to cook in bulk and preserve, it gets easier. But, more importantly, if you can break away from the cravings for the bad stuff completely it gets even easier. I don't want the mac and cheese cuz it's crap. But even more important, I don't want the cheese - mac or not - cuz it's major crap. So yay! I can now leave the dairy behind. More money for the good stuff.

    But even beyond that, if you truly, truly want to advocate for your own health and your body - and your family - stop even considering things like McDonalds. If you truly want to advocate, don't eat anything you didn't make yourself. Drive through is for banking, not nutrition.

    The most helpful thing I've read yet!....My bf and I always eat out, so to be more healthy and "so we thought" save money we went to the store.....For chicken fajitas we got chicken breasts, veggies, cheese, tortillas, and some side I can't remember. All that was $30 something bucks....needless to say we continue to eat now, but buying in bulk does seem like good cost saving solution.
  • LAWSBIGGAL
    LAWSBIGGAL Posts: 47
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    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

    There are entire websites and blogs dedicated to learning how to shop and eat healthy, fresh foods from the local grocery store. Some of them are well worth reading.

    Can you post a couple of the really good ones? I'd like to learn! :)
  • kwlkr76
    kwlkr76 Posts: 9 Member
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    When you make a full recipe at home with healthy foods you are most likely to get 4 + servings for around $10. At McDonalds you only get 1 maybe 2 servings + a pile of fats for that price. Unless eating off the $1 menu in which case you may order more just to fill you up. If you are cooking only for one it is probably cheaper. However if you cook a full recipe you can usually freeze the leftovers to be eaten at a different time in which case you are getting more food for your money than at McDonalds.
  • Grlnxtdr0721
    Grlnxtdr0721 Posts: 597 Member
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    There are also a ton of websites that compare grocery ads to recipes. In fact, depending on your area, I have a friend who has a blog doing just that. She lives in the Raleigh, North Carolina area, so she uses those ads. I use her recipes. (Her site: http://www.coupon-kitchen.com/) Granted, they aren't always health conscious, but it's a start and we can always tweak ;) I also suggest, as some have already, planning your meals and trying to buy things to freeze. For example, I keep a bag of frozen chicken tenders in our freezer (about $7 a bag) and use it to make grilled chicken salads with. I can usually make 4-5 salads out of a bag, depending on if it is just the hubby and i (our 3 year old wont eat salad, but gets some of the chicken). And I also stock up on SeaBest frozen fish fillets (4-6 in a bag). These are great and come in all sorts of varieties. Our favorite is the tilapia or salmon. They thaw out quick and don't take long to fix. Also, look for coupons because they are out there and can be really good deals.
  • greedygirl118
    greedygirl118 Posts: 37
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    Studies have shown that, as a proportion of income, Americans spend far less than, say Europeans. Only around 10% of income, compared with around a third fifty years ago. The truth is that you need to spend more to get good quality food - just ask the French or the Italians.

    And lean ground beef is more expensive because it's coming from a more expensive cut. Personally I'd use the fattier version to make hamburgers because you need the fat content to make them juicy. Just eat them less frequently!
  • srpm
    srpm Posts: 275 Member
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    To prove a point, from my local grocery store:
    ...
    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 annoyed me, mainly because I have never seen skim milk cost more per GALLON than whole. In fact it is usually less, and 2-1/2 gallons of anything almost always cost more than 1 whole SOOOOO from my local grocery store...lets compare apples to apples so to speak:
    ...

    Where do you live! I haven't seen milk under $3 on sale in years and bread isn't under $2 here. You may want to find out the area of the original poster because obviously it matters.

    Now, I don't buy fast food anymore. I hate that a bag of apples and oranges is $6.99 (that was yesterday!). But I try to buy as little processed as possible. I use coupons, sometimes the farmers market and my church has fresh veggies donated sometimes. Luckily, my mother has a good sized garden:)

    My real point was that 1 gallon of whole milk does not cost less than 1 gallon of skim milk, likewise 1 loaf of a healthier version of the same brand/type of bread is not going to be that different in price. It doesn't matter where you live, the ratio of cost should be comparable, yes I expect corn to be cheaper in Illinois since that is where it comes from and potatoes to be cheaper in Idaho but overall bread is going to be the same price relative to itself in a given location. $1 in one city is worth more than it is in another, that is part of living in a country as large as ours however if something cost $1 in VA and the healthier version is 30% more then I would expect the same item to cost roughly 30% more than the unhealthy option in another location (i.e if $2 then $2.60)

    I live in Virginia, currently, I also compared the prices to those where my mom lives (KY) and some friends (Atlanta) and while they obviously are different (KY lower, ATL higher) they are all comparable differences between the healthy option and the unhealthy one. but just so everyone is happy:
    According to the food emporium website (I have no clue what level grocery store this is, I just picked one in New York City (since food prices there are among the highest in the US) that had prices posted for online ordering. I used the 14th and Park location)
    Natures Pride Bread-All types-- $3.99
    Generic Americas Choice White Bread $1.59
    Do not have Generic Wheat Brad posted

    Milk
    1gallon
    whole $3.59
    2% $3.59
    1% $3.59
    skim $3.59

    Milk
    1/2gallon
    whole $1.99
    2% $1.99
    1% $1.99
    skim $1.99
    Almond $3.99
    Soy $4.49

    Beef
    Ground Round $4.29/lb (2.99 if a member) fat % not listed
    80% ground $6.99/lb
    Butcher ground beef $7.99/lb fat % not listed but would be the healthier option in my book, totally worth $1


    And to take it 1 step further:

    Eat Smart Veggie Chips $3.99/7oz bag
    Goya Plantain Chips $1.89/5oz bag
    UTZ potato chips-Kettle cooked $3.49/8.5oz (this is the cheapest brand they have)
    UTZ Ripple Chips $.99/3.75 oz bag
  • kumitekg
    kumitekg Posts: 61
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    Don't worry ...SOMEONE here hears what you are saying ! (Me!)
    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 wasn't debating the reason WHY these items are more expensive. I understand why they are more money. But everybody keeps overlooking these facts!

    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.

    Don't worry ...SOMEONE here hears what you are saying ! (Me!)
  • kumitekg
    kumitekg Posts: 61
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    The OP's logic is flawed. For the price of a 1/4 lb cheeseburger meal at McDonalds, one can buy 1/2 lb ground round, 1/2 lb low fat cheese, and a bag of buns. Potatoes are dirt cheap. If you go all out and buy enough for 8 meals, the cost per meal is far less than the cost of the McDonalds meal, and the ingredients are a higher grade.

    I'm not sure where you shop, but I cannot buy all that food for the cost of a cheeseburger meal at McDonalds.

    Besides, you missed the OP's point. It's more than just about McDonalds. It's the fact that a bag of apples costs more than a bag of chips. A pound of lean meat costs more than a pound of non-lean meat. The healthier versions of foods, in general, do cost more.

    Of course there are ways to plan and shop to keep the costs down. But for someone who has never done this, when you only have 30 minutes to get the grocery shopping done, it's cheaper to buy chef boyardee than it is to buy the meat, flour, tomotoes, etc. needed to make ravioli.

    I agree with this...
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    fit people say its cheaper to eat healthy
    overweight people say its not

    discuss
  • Muddy_Yogi
    Muddy_Yogi Posts: 1,459 Member
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    fit people say its cheaper to eat healthy
    overweight people say its not

    discuss

    I'll chime in here....Fit people know that they do not need to buy the junk and overweight people are looking for as many excuses as possible to not eat healthy!
  • harlanJEN
    harlanJEN Posts: 1,089 Member
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    Its NOT. In more ways than one.

    Real foods are not necessarily expensive and the health benefits short and longterm are tremendous. Food is medicine . treat your body well and it will take better care of you.
  • kumitekg
    kumitekg Posts: 61
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    fit people say its cheaper to eat healthy
    overweight people say its not

    discuss

    I'll chime in here....Fit people know that they do not need to buy the junk and overweight people are looking for as many excuses as possible to not eat healthy!

    I am NOT overweight and do not (nor have not really in the past either) buy "junk", but my experience lately has been that (at least where I live), buying fresh, whole grain, non-processed, low fat choices has been costing me more. Sure, as other people have said, there are ways around it and cheaper options sometimes available (if you have markets in your area, for example), but, that said...these differences can add up. No excuses here !
  • BeetleChe13
    BeetleChe13 Posts: 498 Member
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    It certainly seems like that unhealthy food is cheaper at first, but after eating cleaner for a few months, I know that eating healthy is actually cheaper and has been saving my husband and I some serious money! We can go to Wendy's and each get a single meal for $15, or we can go to the grocery store and get food for 2 or 3 days with that $15.
  • MyM0wM0w
    MyM0wM0w Posts: 2,008 Member
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    fit people say its cheaper to eat healthy
    overweight people say its not

    discuss

    I'll chime in here....Fit people know that they do not need to buy the junk and overweight people are looking for as many excuses as possible to not eat healthy!

    /signed
  • needamulligan
    needamulligan Posts: 558 Member
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    fit people say its cheaper to eat healthy
    overweight people say its not

    discuss

    Now we're getting ridiculous. I'm not fit, yet. But I know how to manage my resources and my pantry to feed my family healthy meals. We didn't all come here for the same reasons but let's not draw these ignorant conclusions. There is NO junk food in my house and rarely has been, to the displeasure of my teenagers. Disease, injuries, menopause, pregnancy weight gain, depression, and putting ourselves at the end of a long to do list can bring us here just as fast as quickly as poor nutritional choices.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    fit people say its cheaper to eat healthy
    overweight people say its not

    discuss

    Now we're getting ridiculous. I'm not fit, yet. But I know how to manage my resources and my pantry to feed my family healthy meals. We didn't all come here for the same reasons but let's not draw these ignorant conclusions. There is NO junk food in my house and rarely has been, to the displeasure of my teenagers. Disease, injuries, menopause, pregnancy weight gain, depression, and putting ourselves at the end of a long to do list can bring us here just as fast as quickly as poor nutritional choices.
    [/quote]

    stop responding as though I said
    fit people eat perfect and are better with money
    overweight people only eat crap and and have awful food budgeting

    nothing in my short sentence has anything to do with your rebuttal.

    All you said was you know how to have a budget and you feed your family healthily. You didnt even say anything about how much it costs you.

    Im also assuming you exercise regularly.... doesnt that make you one of the fitness-oriented ones?

    So you are popping off because what? because you fall in the fit category and you dont like it?

    my bad.
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,738 Member
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    fit people say its cheaper to eat healthy
    overweight people say its not

    discuss

    Now we're getting ridiculous. I'm not fit, yet. But I know how to manage my resources and my pantry to feed my family healthy meals. We didn't all come here for the same reasons but let's not draw these ignorant conclusions. There is NO junk food in my house and rarely has been, to the displeasure of my teenagers. Disease, injuries, menopause, pregnancy weight gain, depression, and putting ourselves at the end of a long to do list can bring us here just as fast as quickly as poor nutritional choices.

    You're right, ridiculous as usual. There are fit people who think it's more expensive to eat healthy and there are overweight people who don't think it is. What an irrational conclusion.
  • ryanherbert
    ryanherbert Posts: 79 Member
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    It is simply not cheaper to eat unhealthy food.
    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

    Any reasonable person would just buy the cheaper version of those products, as the variation in nutrition is minimal and not worth the price differential. What should be compared instead is the price and nutritional value of a meal made from scratch versus prepackaged/takeaway food.

    If you make all your meals from scratch, they work out significantly cheaper than unhealthy food!

    What I do every Saturday morning is work out every meal I'm going to eat for the week. Then I go to the market (great quality and half the price of a supermarket) and buy all the raw ingredients to make those meals. I normally spend about AUD$100 which gives my wife and I 6 dinners and 6 lunches for the week (and the buying power in Australia is a lot less than the US). For example, minestrone soup is a regular at our table; it's really tasty, nutritious and it costs about $5 to make 6 serves!

    If I bought a takeaway meal for my wife and I here, it would cost $25 for one meal and I'd be hungry in an hour.

    Ok, you eat white bread and drink whole milk everyday and we'll see who loses weight.

    I do eat white bread and drink whole milk every day.

    That food isn't going to be the difference between losing and gaining weight. It's going to be the rest of your diary that will decide that. Which is my point above..... it just takes a little effort but eating healthy is cheaper overall.

    I'm also 6 foot, 78kg (171lbs) and I don't need to lose weight.

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