I've pondered this for awhile ,

Fast food and processed food is cheap because it's processed with additives, salt, fillers.. With all the junk they throw into it, the cheaper it is produce and also cheaper to buy. In all actuality, fruit, meat, and grains are relatively cheap. Sure if you buy brand name "health" foods it will be more expensive. But that's because they can set their own prices and people pay for it. Marketing. The best bet is to buy bulk, freeze portions for later, start cooking, etc...

You can eat healthy for cheap. My average meal at home is $1 per serving. Eating out and trying to be healthy is a different problem. Restaurants are going to sell what people want to eat. People like the taste of junk food and they also want their money's worth, so restaurants are going to load it with fat, salt, and everything else because people are buying it.

I find eating healthy far less expensive than when I used to eat junk. Simple carbs merely bring on more cravings and the cycle continues so there goes the money wasted on it as well.

Not sure what types of foods you're buying but packaged foods are pricey so cooking at home, growing your own veggies, using your local farmers markets, Community Gardens in your area, the sky is the limit.

I'm with you on that!

IMHO, the vast majority of Americans don't care what they're shoving into their faces. They want the fat-laden, salt-saturated, processed crap that passes as food these days. They want the convenience. (Granted, I still have some of that same food lurking in my cupboards. But it's slowly being consumed, mostly by hubby, and replaced with more real food choices.) Food manufacturers respond to that want by making more. When a relatively small group of people start requesting healthier choices, manufacturers have to develop new recipes and implement separate "processing" areas, which costs them more money. Being a profit-driven company, they have to pass that extra expenditure on to us. Thus the higher price for reduced fat/no sodium/whole grain/organic options. The larger the second group becomes, the more those items will become the norm and prices "should" start to switch in our favor. But we've got a long way to go! As health conscious individuals, we need to push that along faster by informing our friends and family about what we've learned. We need to get involved to bring about that change. Write letters, start petitions, force the government to do something about the obesity issue, instead of just talking about what a travesty it is.

BUT, take into account all the health care costs you will save down the line if you eat healthfully, not to mention the worth of you feeling better about yourself and being happier and healthier.

Good thinking!! This is very true!!

Fresh fruits and vegetables can be much cheaper if you buy them directly from independent farmers. We belong to a CSA that gives us a share of the farm through the summer. We get 1/12 of the produce each week. It's a big basket of vegetables (and this summer he's adding fruits, melons and berries) for about $33 which is plenty for our family of three. Whatever we can't use I cook and freeze for winter. Everything he grows is from heirloom varieties you pay a fortune for at Whole Foods and it's much fresher. It's also all grown organically. I love to put money in this man's pocket because he's doing a great job of providing for my family.

Do a google search for CSA's in your area and see what you can find. If you happen to live in the north Atlanta suburbs send me a message, I'll hook you up.

I haven't found it to be the case that healthy food is more expensive than junk.
I spend less money when I eat a whole foods diet.