Why is Healthy Eating So Expensive?

The bulk foods section also from whole foods/central market....it saves too! Also, try farmer's markets.

I actually find it's cheaper! Sorry can't help
Buy in bulk and buy seasonal!

Because it's a conspiracy.
Well, not exactly...I just view it that way. it really worries me.
You'll find that if you get coupons, and try to buy things on sale, it'll all be okay.

I do not uderstand those reports.

I find if I stay away from prepared, processed, frozen and canned foods my food bills are lower. Stay around the perimater of your supermarket - dairy, meat, fish and produce - and I would expect it to cost less.

I do not uderstand those reports.

I find if I stay away from prepared, processed, frozen and canned foods my food bills are lower. Stay around the perimater of your supermarket - dairy, meat, fish and produce - and I would expect it to cost less.

I agree, I cook most of my own meals, rarely eat out, and my grocery bill is pretty low. If you are stocking up on Lean Cuisines, Skinny Cow ice creams, and other boxed foods, and buying fresh produce in the middle of winter when it isn't in season, then yeah, you are paying more.

Stock up on fresh meats you like when on sale and freeze them.
Buy frozen vegetables- frozen at the peak of freshness and usually much, much cheaper than fresh.
Starches- whole grains, like brown rice, bulgar, etc. are pretty cheap if you aren't buying flavored boxed rice.

I'm on my local grocery stores' email lists so that their flyers/coupons get emailed to me every week, this helps.

There are three grocery stores within walking distance of me. Every Wednesday I look through their adds and only buy whats on sale. I think I've been spending 30-50 a week to feed two people.

Today I prepared a giant tray of balsamic roasted veggies and total it cost me about 6-7 bucks for probably a good 10 large servings of veggies. Frozen salmon baked with some spices, and 4 bucks worth of kale for sesame kale. So I made enough food for 2 people that'll last 2-3 meals and it was probably 15 bucks total. And that's with the "pricier" salmon. Substituting chicken breast (that I got at .99 cents a pound) and you'd have a ton a food for closer to 10 bucks.

I think it can be more expensive... when you are trying to fill up your plate with fresh veggies, and less calorie intense pasta and rice, it is more expensive. Granted, the prepacked frozen meals and boxes and boxes of snacks are expensive, so if thats how you were eating before than healthy eating isn't more expensive. But veggie burgers cost more than ground beef (and look at the cost difference between 80% lean and 95% lean! You pay at least twice as much!), tofu costs more than a chicken leg, and how about greek yogurt vs. regular? So unless the unhealthy eating you were doing before was severely unhealthy (take out chinese every night with icecream cake for dessert) i feel that the way we eat when we are trying to lose weight is more expensive than when we don't care.

It all depends on what everyone considers healthy/unhealthy.

Buying your own food and cooking for yourself is certainly cheaper than takeaway..
But buying a 99c bag of pasta and a $2 tin of Pasta sauce (with beef in it) is a whole lot cheaper than buying chicken and vegetables.

Now having my $2.99 pasta every day is not going to help me lose weight.
Now lets buy some chicken, it's about $5 for 1-2 chicken breasts (guessing roughly) then veggies, I could save money by going frozen but most people say to buy fresh.. that's now cost me another $5 ish.. so my Healthy meal is now around the $10 mark.. my Happy Meal from McDonalds would have cost me $4.95. But hey I still have my $2.99 pasta option which I find more filling and satisfying than McDonalds (I rarely it takeaway by the way, it makes me sick) but my pasta is not a healthy option when placed next to the chicken and veg.

So there is cheap eating - which is cheaper than takeaway but may not be any healthier
Than there is healthy eating which unless you have millions of different herbs and spices in your cupboards already you will probably find the food a bit bland without any seasoning, or you go buy seasoning and bam about $1-$2 has just been added.

I say Healthy Eating is cheaper and better than Takeaway.
But Healthy Eating is not cheaper than semi-healthy eating and unfortunately that Semi-healthy eating wont really help in the weightloss side of things (depending on how your body works).

It all depends on what everyone considers healthy/unhealthy.

Buying your own food and cooking for yourself is certainly cheaper than takeaway..
But buying a 99c bag of pasta and a $2 tin of Pasta sauce (with beef in it) is a whole lot cheaper than buying chicken and vegetables.

Now having my $2.99 pasta every day is not going to help me lose weight.
Now lets buy some chicken, it's about $5 for 1-2 chicken breasts (guessing roughly) then veggies, I could save money by going frozen but most people say to buy fresh.. that's now cost me another $5 ish.. so my Healthy meal is now around the $10 mark.. my Happy Meal from McDonalds would have cost me $4.95. But hey I still have my $2.99 pasta option which I find more filling and satisfying than McDonalds (I rarely it takeaway by the way, it makes me sick) but my pasta is not a healthy option when placed next to the chicken and veg.

So there is cheap eating - which is cheaper than takeaway but may not be any healthier
Than there is healthy eating which unless you have millions of different herbs and spices in your cupboards already you will probably find the food a bit bland without any seasoning, or you go buy seasoning and bam about $1-$2 has just been added.

I say Healthy Eating is cheaper and better than Takeaway.
But Healthy Eating is not cheaper than semi-healthy eating and unfortunately that Semi-healthy eating wont really help in the weightloss side of things (depending on how your body works).

Well said, and how I see it also.

start with a small change or 3.
#1 Drink water - don't buy the expensive single serving things go fill up a 5 gallon jug and just refill a SS container or glass/plastic whatever. This will end up saving most people $40 per month minimum and is arguably "healthier"
#2 if you eat out - stop getting the meal # deal thing you can get just the burger or whatever and skip the fries and drink (see drink water) this also saves money and is healthier provided you didnt need those extra fry calories to live.
#3 for coffee drinkers - make a pot and learn to drink it black. You can store the pot in the fridge and drink a cup or two a day. The cost savings here can be huge and without adding creamer/sugar etc IMO it is a healthy drink in moderation. On a side note I prefer kona coffee from kauai a bit more expensive but I can drink it black and enjoy it.

For most people these 3 adjustments are more than enough to also pay for your gym membership.

Its not..

its just an excuse for people who dont want to eat healthy

^ this too lazy to make an effort to make good meals

I think it can be expensive but you can find your way around it with coupons and sales and such.

But when I think of healthy eating as expensive I think of:
Whole grain bread is pricier than white
Whole grain pasta more than white
Brown rice more than white
Lean ground beef more expensive than regular
Almond/soy milk more than cow's milk (I don't necessarily think almond or soy is better than cow's but a lot of people do)
Romaine lettuce and spinach is more than iceberg lettuce
Greek yogurt is more expensive than regular
Chicken is waaay more expensive than beef or pork (here at least...)
The healthier cereals more than sugary cereals
Etc.

It's that kind of stuff that is expensive. I would love to be able to switch my pasta and rice to whole grain but it is more expensive so I just stick with white instead. I love almond milk because it tastes delicious but rarely buy it. I do buy spinach for my smoothies but I wait until it's on sale because it's very expensive where I live (and I only have ONE grocery store in my town).

ETA: Of course, I don't know if the grocery stores where you live look the same with the price differences but what I have listed IS more expensive in the grocery stores in my area.

However, I think my biggest problem is my boyfriend...he eats ALOT. He's a farmer/plumbers who works like 14-16 hour days usually (or rather his work day is just never over) and he's big (like tall and big frame) and it takes A LOT to fill him so there's no way in hell I'd be able to buy healthy things to feed him (a head of broccoli would be a snack to him, and loaf of multigrain bread would last a few days, half a 9x13 pan of lasagna for a half a meal, etc) so I try to keep the pricier healthy items to myself and whatever I can make a lot of for cheap for him.

If you cook for yourself, it's not!

That's what I thought too..but not anymore. I had an almost completely healthy shopping list, got about as much groceries as usual, and spent maybe half the cash as usual. Way cheaper than boxed meals and fast food.