Why is eating healthier so darned expensive??

Do you have a Trader Joe's and/or Aldi close by? I spend a little extra gas/time every week to shop at Trader Joe's because their prices CANNOT be beat!

Try going to local farmers markets and buying produce from them. It's always cheaper for me!

It may seem like more of an upfront cost but I have actually saved money by eating healthier..here's how:

-only drinking water so not buying juice, pop etc.
-not buying junkfood
-rarely eating out (gets sooo pricey)

I just tell myself that even if it seems more expensive to live a healthier lifestyle that it is sooo worth it.

No doubt! Some of the staples are nice and cheap though, like brocolli and baby carrots!

Also, I'm eating (no joke) HALF what I was before. So the food lasts much longer. So, even though it's more expensive, it balances out due to the decreased quantity. AKA: I'm no longer shoveling food into my face hole.

haha

It's all worth it, anyway, right?

There IS ways around this. Buy yourself a good digital scale, and some snack baggies. I always buy a big bags of stuff and then portion out EVERYTHING. I do a lot of pretzels, nuts, strawberry shredded wheat, chicken breasts, etc etc... If you buy in bulk and then package stuff yourself its a LOT better and cheaper. You can also write the calories and fats on the food you eat too. This way, I know EXACTLY what im eating, and can log it much better. Also, if you go to farmers markets and stuff in the summer, you save a TON of money on fresh stuff!

Well the reason is that the healthy stuff doesn't "sell" as well as the "not-as-healthy" food. If more people bought the healthy food, would be cheaper. Also, the price of fuel is going up so that is increasing the costs. One of the big factors of that is produce as the stores have to pay to have it shipped to their distrubution centers then pay to have it shipped to the stores and due to the low shelf life of produce it is something that they can't order and have stockpiles of it. So if you notice, produce prices are going up.

Mmmmmm NO! Why do people keep saying this? I only spend $100-$150 a month on groceries for 2 people, $30 is diet pepsi (hubby's vice not mine) so that's a "junk" food or non essential food of sorts. Unless you are buying organic buying healthy is CHEAP!!

I can even give you a list of everything I buy in a month if you need proof. A person on here asked about a month ago how I spent so little so I kept that info in a document since it took a little bit of time to figure out.

So I went grocery shopping yesterday and was SO proud of myself for selecting good choices. No comfort foods, no snacky sins, just what was on the list (a miracle in and of itself) and yogurt, fruits, and vegetables. Feeling pretty good about myself, I sauntered into the checkout line, and once the tally was calculated, I about had a coronary. What in the world???

Has anyone else come into contact with this dilemma? And if so, how have you combated eating healthy vs. the economic price crunch??

Personally I find healthy eating for myself far less costly. I imagine it depends on what you buy. I don't purchase much in pkgs as that gets costly. I'm starting to make my own Greek yogurt which is very very low cost and far tastier. mmm

I purchase fruits only in season, same with veggies, I purchase legumes but buy them in bulk, and soak and cook them up myself, same with any other dry products that have that potential (split peas, brown rice, any type of legumes etc.). If you've not tried purchasing by bulk it can make a world of difference.

Eating healthy food shouldn't cost more than over processed snack food like Cheeto's, boxes mac & cheese, cookies, candies etc. None of that will keep us satisfied so it may seem cheap when we buy it but it won't sustain us so I never see boxed macaroni as cheap. I know some on here feel it's cheap so they purchase it but it's processed and doesn't keep a child or an adult full or healthy.

I don't know all the food items you purchased but sometimes easing into new purchases can help in adapting your meals. Less meat, more legumes (wonderful protein!), meat on sale or butchers special etc.

Planning meals out ahead of time before shopping makes a world of difference for myself I've found! Cooking up foods, portioning and then freezing into individual servings works well.

Hope you find tricks that work for you as time goes on!:flowerforyou:

I find eating healthy cheaper. fresh chicken is cheaper than pre packaged crap, fresh veggies that are in season can cost next to nothing. Try buying in season and/or on sale food instead. I find eating healthy actually costs slightly less, as you are not paying for all the packaging or the marketing of the products.

Even if it costs slightly more, you will save thousands on future doctor bills and prescriptions. Pay a little more today, to save a bunch tomorrow.

this is right on and let me add a few things ever look at the price per lb of junk food? and tell me would you be fuller longer on a protion of chips or and apple Also if you need to save money buy larger package and repackage snack packs yourself those 100 cal pack are crazy expensive (look at Price pre lbs) buy fresh chicken and burger in bulk and freeze it.
remember its your health and your body and you're worth it

mmm...I think eating healthier is much cheaper! The only issue I had was that my produce was spoiling quickly which = a waste of money. So now 75% of the veggies I buy are frozen, but a big bag of frozen spinach/peppers/beans at trader joes is only $1.99 and they last forever. You dont HAVE to buy organic if you cant afford it...