Eating healthy is privilege of the rich?

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  • sarahsmom1
    sarahsmom1 Posts: 1,501 Member
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    It depends what you have to spend. At this moment I have to go to food banks for the majority of food. That means beans, rice, corn, applesauce, sometimes juice and bread. I have gone the last 2 Fridays to our local pantry CLOSED! Went to the government one yesterday and got a bag of rice and 2 purple onions. Sometimes you get a variety of canned foods. So you need to supplement with fresh veggies, meats etc. You need to watch you ads and be aware of sales use coupons. My daughter just wrote on her blog prettystrong,com about athletes and the reality of what an elite athlete goes through when in training for the Olympics, She is going to try and give help to people on tight budgets and recipes. It is easier for me I don't have kids to feed they are grown.
  • azsuzi
    azsuzi Posts: 1,169 Member
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    I would not say its a privilege of the rich, but I do agree that those in poverty cannot afford to eat healthy food. To make meals that will feed their entire family, they must resort to processed foods that can be stretched (hamburger or tuna helper, ramen noodles, mac-n-cheese, etc.) My budget is stretched to the limit keeping us in fresh fruits, veggies and low-fat meats - and we don't buy chips and other snacky processed foods.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,311 Member
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    ALSO you need a lot less of healthy food. And once you stop snacking you cut out a huge amount. There's just no way being healthy is more expensive. If you eat the same amount in volume/frequency but change what you eat, that I can see, but much of what people here are doing is simply cutting out the unhealthy bits (tap water is free, after all, so once you stop drinking other stuff you are healthier, and spending less).
    I eat the same as I did, but without the snacks. It's FAR cheaper.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,453 Member
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    I would not say its a privilege of the rich, but I do agree that those in poverty cannot afford to eat healthy food. To make meals that will feed their entire family, they must resort to processed foods that can be stretched (hamburger or tuna helper, ramen noodles, mac-n-cheese, etc.) My budget is stretched to the limit keeping us in fresh fruits, veggies and low-fat meats - and we don't buy chips and other snacky processed foods.

    I couldn't disagree more. Cooking your own is cheaper but a lot of people can't be bothered these days. And I speak from my own experience growing up not from an ivory tower.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,311 Member
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    Also, growing your own vegetables is a doodle. You can grow courgettes (zucchini) in a pot anywhere, and one plant will keep you in veg all summer. You can't STOP them growing!
  • PhoenixRising11
    PhoenixRising11 Posts: 245 Member
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    But you don't have to be RICH to spend a little more on your healthier choices. It could be as little as £10-15 a month and you benefit MASSIVELY in other areas.
  • inlander
    inlander Posts: 339 Member
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    Of course this is true. It's cheaper for a family of 3 to eat off the dollar menu at McDonalds every day than prepare three to six well-rounded meals for each family member on a daily basis. I've had to learn to cut my expenses in other areas in order to buy fresh produce/healthy items.
  • Nancymcgregor
    Nancymcgregor Posts: 150 Member
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    I totally disagree. I don't have much money at all and I feed a family of 6 on fresh veg, meat and fish. I can't afford processed food, it far too expensive for a large family. My kids hate it too.
  • azsuzi
    azsuzi Posts: 1,169 Member
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    I would not say its a privilege of the rich, but I do agree that those in poverty cannot afford to eat healthy food. To make meals that will feed their entire family, they must resort to processed foods that can be stretched (hamburger or tuna helper, ramen noodles, mac-n-cheese, etc.) My budget is stretched to the limit keeping us in fresh fruits, veggies and low-fat meats - and we don't buy chips and other snacky processed foods.

    I couldn't disagree more. Cooking your own is cheaper but a lot of people can't be bothered these days. And I speak from my own experience growing up not from an ivory tower.

    An edit to my post: I do cook my own now and I'm spending way more than I used to.
  • brittanyjeanxo
    brittanyjeanxo Posts: 1,831 Member
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    Also, even if in your area veggies and fruits are expensive, a lot of places will put discounts on fruits/veg that are close to being over-ripe or fruits/veg that are bruised.
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
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    I agree. how grocery bill has increased approx 100 every 2 weeks. But, I feel like it is money well spent.
  • azsuzi
    azsuzi Posts: 1,169 Member
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    I agree. how grocery bill has increased approx 100 every 2 weeks. But, I feel like it is money well spent.

    Totally agree that it is money well spent.
  • brittanyjeanxo
    brittanyjeanxo Posts: 1,831 Member
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    Of course this is true. It's cheaper for a family of 3 to eat off the dollar menu at McDonalds every day than prepare three to six well-rounded meals for each family member on a daily basis. I've had to learn to cut my expenses in other areas in order to buy fresh produce/healthy items.

    This is actually something I did research on and posted on another topic.

    "I actually disagree with the "fact" that it's cheaper to buy fast food than make, say, a salad. A head of iceburg lettuce that will easily feed 4 people costs about $1.79. Let's say you get one full-sized cucumber. That's anywhere from .79 cents to 1 dollar. Let's say croutons are 2 bucks. A bag of carrots is about $1.89. Let's say you even decide to do dressing, that's $3.00. You now have a salad to feed, let's even say just three people for a total of $9.68, but let's just round it up to $10.00 for the sake of argument.
    Now, this same family can go to McDonald's and (assuming this 3 person family is two parents and a child) they get two small meals, and one happy meal. Around here, though I know it's different in different states, a small chicken nugget meal is about $4.50 each. A happy meal is about $3.50. You now have an unhealthy meal for three, for about $12.50. Not only is that more expensive, but even if it were the same price, it's still massively unhealthy, and still takes the time of getting up, going to the drive thru, and going back home."

    And even off the dollar menu, people will still get a smaller burger for 1 dollar, small fries for 1 dollar, and a small drink for 1 dollar. Let's say that same family of three spends 3 dollars each, that's 9 dollars, only a dollar less expensive than a salad, and over-all, less filling than a salad. They will end up being hungry again later.
  • Michellerw1
    Michellerw1 Posts: 367
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    I disagree...when one buys the packaged "health" foods and low-fat this and that, etc. it is much more expensive, yes. BUT some of the most healthy foods are the least expensive. Such as, dried grains and beans, in-season vegetables and fruit, chicken, shrimp, etc.
  • Autumn15
    Autumn15 Posts: 213
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    I am on a small budget so I feel the pinch. It is more expensive to eat healthier in my opinion but you have to learn to budget well and since you shouldn't be buying all the previous junk foods and meal time extras you can balance out the expense some. And in the long run you can save yourself money in other ways with better health and buying smaller clothes since they charge extra for those X sizes. :wink: And the way eating right can improve your health and making your feel better are PRICELESS!
  • Michellerw1
    Michellerw1 Posts: 367
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    FYI if anyone is interested Eatingwell.com has tons of "budget" recipes that range from $1-3.50 per serving. I have good luck with their recipes and they are healthy with the nutrition info listed.
  • pen2u
    pen2u Posts: 224 Member
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    I think the problem is that there aren't a lot of markets that carry fresh meat and produce in poor areas. It takes a lot more effort (taking public transportation, etc.) for people who live in poor areas to get to the neighborhoods where supermarkets are plentiful, so they often just buy from the mini-mart (Slim Jims, donuts, chips and candy) or go to local fast food restaurants which are on every corner, it seems. There are movements starting to get Fresh n' Easy and other markets to take a chance on opening up in poor areas, but it's slow going.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    Disagree -- yes healthier foods are more expensive but they tend to fill you up longer and you eat less... processed foods are cheaper but you tend to eat more of them...

    This. People who have been on a diet of junk food do not realize that eating less of real food will fill you up more. It takes time for your body to adjust to a whole foods diet. For example, most people I know who have gone vegan had a couple of weeks of being absolutely ravenous all the time (if they were eating mostly whole foods, not packaged stuff). Then, your body adjusts. I don't know if it's scientific or not, but those are the experiences I have heard, like our bodies were working to relearn how to digest more nutrition-packed food or something. If one has been on a diet of junk food, they can eat a meal and feel full, but then are hungry again soon after because there is little nutritional value in their food and then they have to eat more junk. So really, I think it's the quantity of food one has to eat to feel full that makes healthy eating SEEM more expensive at first because they are eating the same amount of healthy food as they were junk food, but that will eventually decrease. That can turn people away from healthy eating, they don't realize their body will adjust and they will be able to feel full on less food.

    Additionally, the percentage of income Americans spend on food is ridiculous - most don't know the true cost of food because they are not paying it in dollars. I don't have the numbersright now, but maybe fifty years ago, we used to spend so much on medical care and so much on food, and now those numbers have flipped, so we're spending more on medical care and less on food.
  • frostiegurl
    frostiegurl Posts: 708 Member
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    I disagree...when one buys the packaged "health" foods and low-fat this and that, etc. it is much more expensive, yes. BUT some of the most healthy foods are the least expensive. Such as, dried grains and beans, in-season vegetables and fruit, chicken, shrimp, etc.

    This completely.

    I buy chicken breast in bulk pkg on sale for .99/lb. A serving is 4oz. That's ~.25 a serving. A giant pkg of field greens on sale is ~$4-5 and lasts me at least 3-4 days if I have two salads a day. I grow my own tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini ( initial cost about $30 for plants) and they produce abundantly all summer long with plenty to share with friends and neighbors. Seasonings run me about $2 a jar and last ages. I buy mushrooms on sale and get other veggies at the farmers market. Dried bulk beans, nuts, rice, etc are a helluva lot cheaper than any packaged box meal out there and a lb will last for a long long time. I do spen a bit more on Greek yogurt but, once again, buy it cheaply ( trader joes for ~4 for a huge container that lasts me a week). I can easily feed myself wholesome and nutrient dense meals every single day for a fraction of what it would cost to poison my body with processed convenience foods.
  • sgriddler
    sgriddler Posts: 22 Member
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    I have no idea about the us. But here in the uk it isn't the case. Our bill has gone down.
    I did laugh the other day when i say a news feature on just this thing. A family was moaning about just this. The young lad was sat there eating pre cut apple slices from a sealed container. Well if you do that instead of cutting up your own apple it will be.
    Stupidity knows no limits sometimes.

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