Is Healthy Food Really More Expensive?

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ellelit
ellelit Posts: 806 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
i had a co-worker of mine lament that eating healthy is so much more expenisive. i really don't think it is... if you portion control and only shop the perimeter of the grocery store it is so much cheaper. what do you think?
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  • ellelit
    ellelit Posts: 806 Member
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    i had a co-worker of mine lament that eating healthy is so much more expenisive. i really don't think it is... if you portion control and only shop the perimeter of the grocery store it is so much cheaper. what do you think?
  • abroas
    abroas Posts: 1
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    I completely agree with you, pus there are so many great markets out there that sell fresh produce for a fraction of the price as chain grocery stores. If you are looking at the price of a bag of chips and a bag of carrots, carrots are usually cheaper!
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
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    For me its cheaper too. SERIOUSLY cheaper. no more $20 meals from pizza joints or mcdonalds. I mean really, a cut of lean meat, a baked potato and some greens, prepped at home is gonna cost you like 3 bucks, waaaaayyy less if you shop carefully. Come on, people who say its too expensive are looking for an excuse.
  • lacy100
    lacy100 Posts: 19
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    Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy more expensive to eat healthy!!!!! Think about it... Fresh meat, non-processed, fresh veggies, fruit etc... way more expensive than a box of mac and cheese and hot dogs. I
  • nmonkey
    nmonkey Posts: 66
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    More expensive for sure. The other day I went to buy the Fiber One bars and they are almost $6! The Fiber One cereal is also expensive. Whereas the sugar filled snack bars are $2.
  • maverickyanda
    maverickyanda Posts: 422 Member
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    For me its cheaper too. SERIOUSLY cheaper. no more $20 meals from pizza joints or mcdonalds. I mean really, a cut of lean meat, a baked potato and some greens, prepped at home is gonna cost you like 3 bucks, waaaaayyy less if you shop carefully. Come on, people who say its too expensive are looking for an excuse.

    where do you shop???
  • ellelit
    ellelit Posts: 806 Member
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    i find it is cheaper only if you eat clean... get fiber from whole grains, not from processed bars, clean and cut your own veggies and salad green instead of buying the pre-washed kind... saves me alot of moola
  • beep
    beep Posts: 1,242 Member
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    Depends on whether you eat organic or not, and whether you can put that extra time in to say... cut up your own chicken, grind your own hamburger from sirloin; whether you really have the time to comparison shop; and whether you have the money to buy up things when they are on sale and freeze them; and................. whether you can afford a subzero freezer to keep those things frozen without destroying them.............. :laugh:

    so, the answer is................ it depends:laugh: :laugh:
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
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    For me its cheaper too. SERIOUSLY cheaper. no more $20 meals from pizza joints or mcdonalds. I mean really, a cut of lean meat, a baked potato and some greens, prepped at home is gonna cost you like 3 bucks, waaaaayyy less if you shop carefully. Come on, people who say its too expensive are looking for an excuse.

    where do you shop???

    I shop at a grocery store, where else? If you eat 3 oz of fresh meat, 1 medium potato and 1 cup of say green beans and make it at home that is CHEAP. Buy in bulk, choose frozen veggies, and pay attention to sales.

    And I agree, eating refined things like those bars, while nutritious, ARE more expensive and I do tend not to eat them, unless as a treat. But I was mostly pointing out that in my experience, the people who say that it is too expensive to eat healthy, go out for fast food at least every other day. THATS expensive. Eating anything is expensive, really, I don't think eating healthy is more expensive than eating unhealthy.
  • maverickyanda
    maverickyanda Posts: 422 Member
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    It's more expensive for me.
    But I can't afford to spend $3 on a meal!

    :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway:
  • maverickyanda
    maverickyanda Posts: 422 Member
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    For me its cheaper too. SERIOUSLY cheaper. no more $20 meals from pizza joints or mcdonalds. I mean really, a cut of lean meat, a baked potato and some greens, prepped at home is gonna cost you like 3 bucks, waaaaayyy less if you shop carefully. Come on, people who say its too expensive are looking for an excuse.

    where do you shop???

    I shop at a grocery store, where else? If you eat 3 oz of fresh meat, 1 medium potato and 1 cup of say green beans and make it at home that is CHEAP. Buy in bulk, choose frozen veggies, and pay attention to sales.

    And I agree, eating refined things like those bars, while nutritious, ARE more expensive and I do tend not to eat them, unless as a treat. But I was mostly pointing out that in my experience, the people who say that it is too expensive to eat healthy, go out for fast food at least every other day. THATS expensive. Eating anything is expensive, really, I don't think eating healthy is more expensive than eating unhealthy.

    Well i shop at a grocery store too and I attribute about 20 per cent of my weight loss to the fact that I'm poor.
  • maverickyanda
    maverickyanda Posts: 422 Member
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    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/a-high-price-for-healthy-food/
  • maverickyanda
    maverickyanda Posts: 422 Member
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    And while I'm at it:

    http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/story?id=3807128&page=1


    Also, some of us can't eat the additives in frozen veggies and some of us can't afford the high prices of club memberships.

    kthx.

    All that being said...I eat a heck of a lot less in my house and a lot more bland than other folks do just so my son can eat more!
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
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    I feel that it can be more expensive depending on your hunger and caloric needs. When you need up near 2000 calories, you go through healthy food pretty fast! I would LOVE to fill it with jars of peanut butter LOL, but I also track macro ratios. When you have to get that 'picky', it can get pricey. I don't buy organic or anything, but a lot of fish and frozen veggies and natural PB and stuff...it's less calorically dense than something like a Big Mac (ew) so I have to spend a lot to eat enough. Maybe I should just do less so I can spend less :laugh:
  • BlazinEmerald
    BlazinEmerald Posts: 842
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    For US, it's more expensive to eat healthy. You can get a box of pasta for 99cents or a box of rice for 2 bucks. I think it really depends on how many people you are feeding. We feed 4 people nightly and 6 on the weekends when my step girls come. Pasta, ww of course, is ALWAYS something we cook on those weekend , it goes alot further than a meat and veggie stirfry with no rice. Or we do hamburgers on the grill, which can be healthy. We just have to cook in bulk. So where 1 thing of salad greens might last you 4 days to a week , it'll last us 1 meal.
  • AJCM
    AJCM Posts: 2,169 Member
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    I don't think anyone can argue that eating healthy is harder on a tight budget (when I think of my brother back in University - he and his friends ate cereal and Kraft Dinner for days!). We choose to spend money on organic produce, and whole foods, but I completely appreciate that not everyone can do that.

    But, in my area, it's DEFINITELY cheaper to eat some broiled fish and steam up whatever veggie happen to be in season, than to buy a "combo" at a fast food joint, or order a pizza to the door.

    It's sort of like the gas prices - it really effects people for whom a $10 or $20 weekly increase is a big deal. Those years back when I was in University and then grad school, "healthy food" and gas would have killed my budget! (hey... so why was I slim back then... hmmm). :wink:
  • GinaB30
    GinaB30 Posts: 725 Member
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    It's wayyyy more expensive for me too....
    Just the other day I went out and got grapes, fresh cherries *YUM btw!* and some yogurt and some weight control oatmeal and just THOSE four things was $20!!!!
    It's mainly ME trying to eat healthier right now, and the kids eat a little of everything...but it costs a lot for me to go stock up on fresh skinless boneless chicken breasts and extra lean anything lol
  • jamie77
    jamie77 Posts: 101
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    It's way more expensive for me as well. I only get paid once a month and last month when I was broke and still had two weeks until payday, I added up my grocery costs.....$800 in one month!:noway:
    I buy my meats and frozen veggies in bulk and all of my fresh produce from the farmer's market. I haven't went out to lunch in about 3 months and still 800 bucks!!!
    Way more expensive!
  • GinaB30
    GinaB30 Posts: 725 Member
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    It's way more expensive for me as well. I only get paid once a month and last month when I was broke and still had two weeks until payday, I added up my grocery costs.....$800 in one month!:noway:
    I buy my meats and frozen veggies in bulk and all of my fresh produce from the farmer's market. I haven't went out to lunch in about 3 months and still 800 bucks!!!
    Way more expensive!

    Yikes!
    I don't add mine up like that...but I am SURE it costs darn close!! There are four of us to feed, lunches to be made for Kaleigh (my lil girl in school) and fresh produce and all that just adds up wayyyy fast.
  • sindyb9
    sindyb9 Posts: 1,248 Member
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    I dont have a car and have to go to stop and shop. Way more expensive. But to me it is worth it I feel good. Work on a tight buget but what can you do. I am going to start looking into the fresh stands in Boston and have my son meet me there I think I can save more on fresh veggie that way. :bigsmile:

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