Eating healthy is expensive...

TeachTheGirl
TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
in Food and Nutrition
...or so they say.

I remember saying this to myself as an EXCUSE for why I should eat a dollar menu cheeseburger instead of something that would be better for me. I lied. I realized today while cooking dinner for my family...I know why I don't want to eat healthier...

...because it would be a drain on my TIME. As I washed and peeled vegetables and then parboiled and then baked them...everything seemed to take forever. But I knew the end result would be worth it. I looked back on some of the times I tried to justify getting fast food instead of making something nutritious for my family and there was only one reason why I would do that - because I was LAZY.

Learning to be a better me is learning when to put aside whatever crap is going on and actually make time to make a good meal for me and my family. My pocketbook doesn't mind the expense, my 'personal time' can suck it up and my diet can feel SO much better about the choices I'm making.
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Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    Yay. You're right. And just think, you burned a couple calories peeling and dicing and cooking and washing up.

    I can eat homemade meals for $5 a day. So much tastier and better for me.

    Good job!!
  • Queen_JessieA
    Queen_JessieA Posts: 1,059 Member
    It certainly CAN be expensive. I shopped just for a salad the other night and it was $21! For a salad for my family! Of course, it was a main meal but it got pricey!

    But well worth it :)
  • leighann881
    leighann881 Posts: 371
    Making Sunday a prep day has been a huge help for me. I plan out dinner and slice and dice all my veggies and bag them. So really... it's not so time-consuming.

    You're right. Eating right is about making the effort. I personally know that I don't have the will power to put together a whole foods dinner from scratch after work... so I plan and plan and usually I end up only standing at the stove for 10 minutes and then VOILA dinner!
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    I save a lot of time by eating healthy at Taco Bell, Subway, and McDonald's quite often ;)
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
    Yup. You have the REAL reason nailed. Thank you for saying it. Shopping, preparing, cooking takes time away from the couch and TV.
  • dianatogo
    dianatogo Posts: 37
    I have to remind myself the true cost of "cheap, fast" food. Kind of that "junk in, junk out" attitude. The right fuel might cost a bit more and take some planning, but isn't it worth it?
  • vlmay1955
    vlmay1955 Posts: 100 Member
    You need to check out some cookbooks like Sparkpeople and Cook This, Not That. They specialize in fast and easy meals. Cooking Light also has a fast meals cookbook. It doesn't have to take along time to eat healthy!
  • leighann881
    leighann881 Posts: 371
    I wasted a lot of money at first when I started changin ghow we ate because I shopped like I did before... threw a bunch of stuff in my cart with no plan. Now I shop once a week for specific meals. Before I was tossing out money from fresh foods that had spoiled.

    21 dollars for a salad??? What did you put in it??? Pine nuts can be expensive but they last me a whole month usually.
  • foraubs
    foraubs Posts: 263 Member
    Know what else are expensive? Funerals.
    Healthy eating all the way!
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
    Honestly the food costs more but here is the difference, I have stopped eatting out at resturants, thus saving money in the long run. as for prep time, we make large meals on the weekends and then eat on the leftovers all week.
  • crazybookworm
    crazybookworm Posts: 779 Member
    I take full advantage of my Farmer's Market. I go every other Saturday and spend no more than $50. That gets me 4 tubs up unsalted nuts(almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, dried cranberry) Butternut and acorn squash. 5 tubs of Strawberries($5 for 5) 4 tubs of Blackberries, 4 tubs of blueberries, Spinach, field greens, sweet potatoes, melons, kiwi, lemons, apples, bananas(.29 cents a pound) carrots, brocolli, cauliflower, oats, granola, grapes...The list goes on, and I have yet to go over $50!
  • Queen_JessieA
    Queen_JessieA Posts: 1,059 Member
    I wasted a lot of money at first when I started changin ghow we ate because I shopped like I did before... threw a bunch of stuff in my cart with no plan. Now I shop once a week for specific meals. Before I was tossing out money from fresh foods that had spoiled.

    21 dollars for a salad??? What did you put in it??? Pine nuts can be expensive but they last me a whole month usually.

    Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, boiled eggs (tho, those were free courtesy of my Mama's free range chickens), grilled chicken breast, mushrooms, blue cheese, turkey bacon....that was about it!

    Unfortunately, I don't buy a whole lot of nuts. My youngest is deathly allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. I will buy a container every now and then and eat some while he is at school, but the smell sets him off, so we avoid it while he is at home!
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    yup, and when i really don't feel like preparing food, and start considering what I can get that's fast and easy, I remind myself that I am worth the time, and I waste more time than that every day doing much less important things.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    I save a lot of money eating healthy foods because I get fuller faster eating lean proteins and fresh veggies/fruits...meaning I tend to eat less volume of food and what I buy lasts longer, or I just end up buying less. I can devour frozen pizzas and such in one sitting, but can't eat as much healthy food. Also, as someone else mentioned earlier, I don't go out to eat nearly as much which saves a lot of money as well. So does not spending money on drinks. Water from my faucet is free, lol.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    I wasted a lot of money at first when I started changin ghow we ate because I shopped like I did before... threw a bunch of stuff in my cart with no plan. Now I shop once a week for specific meals. Before I was tossing out money from fresh foods that had spoiled.

    21 dollars for a salad??? What did you put in it??? Pine nuts can be expensive but they last me a whole month usually.

    Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, boiled eggs (tho, those were free courtesy of my Mama's free range chickens), grilled chicken breast, mushrooms, blue cheese, turkey bacon....that was about it!

    But you didn't use it all on one meal. And the salad fed several people, even if you used 1/3 of that stuff. So, spread out the cost over the actual number of meals.
  • Queen_JessieA
    Queen_JessieA Posts: 1,059 Member
    I wasted a lot of money at first when I started changin ghow we ate because I shopped like I did before... threw a bunch of stuff in my cart with no plan. Now I shop once a week for specific meals. Before I was tossing out money from fresh foods that had spoiled.

    21 dollars for a salad??? What did you put in it??? Pine nuts can be expensive but they last me a whole month usually.

    Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, boiled eggs (tho, those were free courtesy of my Mama's free range chickens), grilled chicken breast, mushrooms, blue cheese, turkey bacon....that was about it!

    But you didn't use it all on one meal. And the salad fed several people, even if you used 1/3 of that stuff. So, spread out the cost over the actual number of meals.

    Actually, that was for one meal. It was our main :) It fed my family of 5. Yes, cheaper than eating out. Not my cheapest meal on eating at home, tho. Not complaining. It was great!! But it was pricey. So, yes, it can be expensive eating healthily at home :) The only thing we didn't eat all of was the turkey bacon. And that was only because I didn't cook it all.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    Calorie for calorie, even without taking into account preparation time, it is more expensive to eat healthy. But oh well, at least I don't feel all fat and awful and half dead anymore. Totally worth it.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    A dollar cheeseburger is usually less than a quarter pound, so let's do the math for 2 oz. this also assumes that a dollar burger only has ketchup, no veggies.

    1 lb. turkey burger @ 2.98/lb = .37 for 2 oz.
    2.50 per pack of sandwich thins = .31 each

    That is .68, leaving you .22, plus local tax, to dress your burger.
  • judydelo1
    judydelo1 Posts: 281 Member
    One way to help defray the cost of organic produce, chicken, eggs is to grow it yourself. We have 2 acres which gives us enough room for several gardens, a greenhouse, henhouse, many fruit trees, and 200+ berry bushes. You don't have to be this ambitious, but if you start growing at least part of what you eat you will save money. I know this adds to the amount of labor it takes to prepare meals . . . but it is very satisfying and there is nothing like home grown veggies, etc.
  • macphisto23
    macphisto23 Posts: 3 Member
    I take full advantage of my Farmer's Market. I go every other Saturday and spend no more than $50. That gets me 4 tubs up unsalted nuts(almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, dried cranberry) Butternut and acorn squash. 5 tubs of Strawberries($5 for 5) 4 tubs of Blackberries, 4 tubs of blueberries, Spinach, field greens, sweet potatoes, melons, kiwi, lemons, apples, bananas(.29 cents a pound) carrots, brocolli, cauliflower, oats, granola, grapes...The list goes on, and I have yet to go over $50!

    Where is this farmers market??!! Nuts are insanely expensive where I live($8 lb) - as are blueberries and blackberries
  • Nerdybreisawesome
    Nerdybreisawesome Posts: 359 Member
    Open heart surgery is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more expensive.
  • MariaHammer750
    MariaHammer750 Posts: 86 Member
    I do spend more money on groceries eating healthy but I also save money now since I am not eating fast food 2-3 times a week and not going out for dinners much. Also, the food I buy lasts longer because I eat less of it than I used to.
  • JeneticTraining
    JeneticTraining Posts: 663 Member
    But, it doesn't have to be.
    Buy in bulk. I buy my pitas and sandwich thins at Costco. I freeze them. I buy frozen veggies and fruits. For protein, I buy beans. You can get the same amount of protein in 3oz of beans as a 3oz chicken. Same calories, but less expensive. Also, I buy chicken in bulk and I freeze them. The freezer can be your friend. Use it. There are so many ways to cut costs. It really doesn't have to be expensive
  • acbabbitt
    acbabbitt Posts: 50
    Open heart surgery is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more expensive.

    Having paid for 4 of these, I can tell you this is 100% true!
  • metacognition
    metacognition Posts: 626 Member
    I do spend a crap load on food each month but a lot of healthy foods are cheap.

    Brown rice is under $1.00 / lb where I live, and dry beans are less than $2 a pound. 3 lb bunches of bananas are less than $1.40 at Costco (supplying a serving of fruit a day for a week). Apples can get pricey, as can clementines and salad greens. But you know what, I'm going to splurge and enjoy them anyway.

    A LOT of healthy foods are expensive and food in general has gone up a lot, but that prepackaged frozen crap is still FAR more expensive per pound.

    1, 12 oz bag of fried Banquet chicken nuggets = $7.99
    vs.
    1, 3 lb bag of boneless skinless chicken breast for 7.99 for four times the quantity and no trans fat added. Take 30 minutes to grill, bread or bake them to freeze in 100 calorie portions.

    It's pretty cheap to make some specialty foods from scratch, too. I made this tasty low carb ketchup last night for about .60 cents a bottle, when the store was charging me over 3 bucks each. It took 5 minutes and no cooking whatsoever. I can make my favorite chocolate granola cereal with less sugar for about $1.50 a box, and flavor it however I want! If I wanted to buy the ingredients in bulk I could probably make it even cheaper!
  • Justkeepswimmin
    Justkeepswimmin Posts: 777 Member
    It can be exhausting you're right - making 2-3 diff meals a day (veg/non veg) 2 different ways makes mass amount of dishes. My food processer is rarely ever not dirty, as when I'm done I use it again. Then of course entering the recipe on MFP (TWICE) once for me and once for hubby.

    Our health has become my job and I totally give kudos to those of you that work and do this too.
  • XxfitforeverxX
    XxfitforeverxX Posts: 144
    You can either use your money to eat healthy, or spend it all on doctor bills. You choose.
  • Lifting_Knitter
    Lifting_Knitter Posts: 1,025
    Exactly! It is about time and not to mention all the dishes afterwards.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Know what else are expensive? Funerals.
    Healthy eating all the way!

    This.^^^

    Also, heart disease, Diabetes, Ostioperosis, etc.
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,861 Member
    Eating healthy is expensive if you have expensive tastes. I spend a pittance on healthy food.

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