Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?
Mom2rh
Posts: 612 Member
Interesting article...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/opinion/sunday/is-junk-food-really-cheaper.html?pagewanted=2&_r=3&ref=opinion
I hope it hasn't been posted before. I just read it today.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/opinion/sunday/is-junk-food-really-cheaper.html?pagewanted=2&_r=3&ref=opinion
I hope it hasn't been posted before. I just read it today.
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Replies
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I believe in all actuality...it IS cheaper to eat unhealthy food than it is to eat healthy food. Anything that is good for you is always more expensive to purchase.
My grocery bill is higher now then when I was eating a lot of junk....0 -
bump0
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I'd say yes. Can't eat just a bunch of filler junk like mac n' cheese now.0
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What gets me is that it doesn't compare like for like. It basically says that eating out is expensive, even if it is only junk food. If you tried to get a healthy cooked dinner eating out, you'll likely pay more for the privilege, at least where I live.
It doesn't actually face the fact that if you're shopping in a supermarket, the fresh food costs more than the frozen/packaged.0 -
I read that article a few days ago. I think the bigger difference is, the junk has lots of fat in it and keeps you fuller longer. You simply eat more when it's healthy food because your body processes it faster. My grocery bill is definitely higher now that I'm making wiser food choices.0
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Awesome article! Thanks for sharing...
It was all so true...0 -
I'd say yes and in fact believe the profit margins are way better for manufacturers, distributors, and restaurants. My grocery bill has definitely gone up. Just look at the dollar menu. I can literally eat every meal there and it would probably run me about $5-7 for the day. Hell, I've done it (pre-MFP).0
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Interesting article. I really don't know whether it's cheaper or not, but I recently discovered a shocking fact about my lunchtime choices. I'm a student and often tired on the way home. There is a drive-through KFC on my way, so I used to stop by and get a "Fully Loaded Box Meal" containing a burger, piece of chicken, mash and gravy, fries and a can of Coke. That cost me R50 ($6.30). For $1.20 more, I could have pan-seared salmon on steamed Chinese greens at my favourite restaurant instead. That really put things in perspective for me, because my excuse was that I was tired (didn't feel like cooking) and it was cheap and convenient. The restaurant is close to my campus as well and it's so much healthier.
So for me, junk food turned out to be more expensive than I thought, in terms of cash as well as my health.0 -
I think eating really healthy is more expensive than eating really unhealthy, but there is, I'm sure a moderate middle ground. Fruits and veggies are really quite cheap, protein is probably the harder part to manage on a tight budget. Nonetheless nothing upsets me more than seeing a mother of obese children using government assistance to buy pure **** for her children. I don't ideologically support that, so I don't want to financially support it!0
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Good article. Thanks for sharing!0
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thanks for the share.. and in my experience it is more expensive to eat healthier.0
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Bumping this, because it's a fantastic article.0
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I believe that junk really is cheaper.
1 head of lettuce is generally around $1.00 and contains about 80 calories. That's $0.013 per calorie.
1 1/2 gallon of cheap vanilla ice cream is about $1.00 and contains about 600 calories. That's $0.0017 per calorie.
That means it is 7.6 times more expensive per calorie to eat the lettuce than the ice cream, and this is pretty common when comparing healthy food to junk.0 -
YES! Ever since we have cut out the junk food, chips, ect and replaced with healthier options our grocery bill decreased.0
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From the article: "Another argument runs that junk food is cheaper when measured by the calorie, and that this makes fast food essential for the poor because they need cheap calories. But given that half of the people in this country (and a higher percentage of poor people) consume too many calories rather than too few, measuring food’s value by the calorie makes as much sense as measuring a drink’s value by its alcohol content. (Why not drink 95 percent neutral grain spirit, the cheapest way to get drunk?) "I believe that junk really is cheaper.
1 head of lettuce is generally around $1.00 and contains about 80 calories. That's $0.013 per calorie.
1 1/2 gallon of cheap vanilla ice cream is about $1.00 and contains about 600 calories. That's $0.0017 per calorie.
That means it is 7.6 times more expensive per calorie to eat the lettuce than the ice cream, and this is pretty common when comparing healthy food to junk.
I could use your same logic to say that cheap booze is even cheaper.0 -
Thanks for sharing! :flowerforyou:0
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From another forum comment I made a while back, documenting how we have save a ton of money, buying healthy food.YES! Ever since we have cut out the junk food, chips, ect and replaced with healthier options our grocery bill decreased.
FROZEN VEGETABLES
Frozen veggies are typically a great value, and very nutritious.
BEANS
Crock pot (slow cooker) is great way to go. Cook 'em overnight and then freeze any surplus. If you go with canned beans, I would recommend rinsing them to cut down on the sodium. Some nice folks have even added the rinsed versions of most canned beans to the food database.
OATMEAL
Oatmeal is another great, cheap, healthy food.
COSTCO REAL EGG (EGG WHITES COLORED YELLOW)
The box of 6 cartons comes out cheaper than even Walmart's brand, and is a great low-calorie, protein-rich food.
GROCERY STORE PRICE MATCHING (WALMART)
We have been able to buy a lot more fruit and veggies (along with meats and other items) thanks to Walmart's price-matching policy on groceries. We check all of the special that come in the junk mail for local grocery stores, jot them down and head to Walmart.
The best fruit and veggie prices here are found in the Latin markets -- it's not uncommon for us to pick-up 6 lbs of oranges for $0.99, for example. Sometimes, though, the quality can be poor at the store offering the sale, so we just take that price to Walmart. It will also save you time and gasoline/bus fare. Walmart's price match policy is that you don't have to bring the ad -- just be able to tell them where you found the offer. They keep the local ads there, supposedly. We've never gotten any hassle though.0 -
I believe in all actuality...it IS cheaper to eat unhealthy food than it is to eat healthy food. Anything that is good for you is always more expensive to purchase.
My grocery bill is higher now then when I was eating a lot of junk....
Maybe it's a regional thing, but this has not been my experience at all. in fact, when my children were young we didn't eat a lot of junk food because as a single mom I simply couldn't afford it. We ate healthier out of necessity as much as desire. Not that I wanted to raise my kids on junk, but there were times I probably would have gone for the convenience of the easy junk I could.0 -
Well the real queestion is. DO you want to pay more for good healthy food now or do you want to pay for your health later. If you eat well and healthy your health bills will go down in the long run. So in the long run the choice is yours. Pay les for junk food or pay more for health care later on??? I also think fast food commercials should be banned from TV!
Just had to mention that.
Thank you0 -
From another forum comment I made a while back, documenting how we have save a ton of money, buying healthy food.YES! Ever since we have cut out the junk food, chips, ect and replaced with healthier options our grocery bill decreased.
FROZEN VEGETABLES
Frozen veggies are typically a great value, and very nutritious.
BEANS
Crock pot (slow cooker) is great way to go. Cook 'em overnight and then freeze any surplus. If you go with canned beans, I would recommend rinsing them to cut down on the sodium. Some nice folks have even added the rinsed versions of most canned beans to the food database.
OATMEAL
Oatmeal is another great, cheap, healthy food.
COSTCO REAL EGG (EGG WHITES COLORED YELLOW)
The box of 6 cartons comes out cheaper than even Walmart's brand, and is a great low-calorie, protein-rich food.
GROCERY STORE PRICE MATCHING (WALMART)
We have been able to buy a lot more fruit and veggies (along with meats and other items) thanks to Walmart's price-matching policy on groceries. We check all of the special that come in the junk mail for local grocery stores, jot them down and head to Walmart.
The best fruit and veggie prices here are found in the Latin markets -- it's not uncommon for us to pick-up 6 lbs of oranges for $0.99, for example. Sometimes, though, the quality can be poor at the store offering the sale, so we just take that price to Walmart. It will also save you time and gasoline/bus fare. Walmart's price match policy is that you don't have to bring the ad -- just be able to tell them where you found the offer. They keep the local ads there, supposedly. We've never gotten any hassle though.
Great tips. I buy mainly what is in season, which really reduces the price as well. We buy very minimal processed food and eat beans or rice (that is bought in bulk while on sale) with almost every meal.
I am also not sure that region is the culprit. I moved from San Antonio to San Francisco where food and basic cost of living is much more expensive. We spend less here on groceries due to our new eating choices.0 -
Fortunately, I don't have to choose. I can eat healthy food within my budget,and so can most folks, if they choose to do so. The article does a great job explaining why.Well the real queestion is. DO you want to pay more for good healthy food now or do you want to pay for your health later. If you eat well and healthy your health bills will go down in the long run. So in the long run the choice is yours. Pay les for junk food or pay more for health care later on???
A limit on speech? Do we need the government to be our nannies, and decide what messages we should and should not hear? I'll make my own decisions, thank you.I also think fast food commercials should be banned from TV!0 -
Yeah, of course it is. This is a no brainer.0
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Eating healthy is cheaper!!! if you stick to whole foods and dont buy all the diet packaged crap It is way cheaper! Fill your trolly with meat veggies and fruit and staple's and it is far cheaper!!
Stop eating things that come froma box and you will be suprised how much cheaper it is.....0 -
Eating healthy is cheaper!!! if you stick to whole foods and dont buy all the diet packaged crap It is way cheaper! Fill your trolly with meat veggies and fruit and staple's and it is far cheaper!!
Stop eating things that come froma box and you will be suprised how much cheaper it is.....
wow i said cheap and cheaper alot in that.... lol!! But it is!!! : D0 -
This.Eating healthy is cheaper!!! if you stick to whole foods and dont buy all the diet packaged crap It is way cheaper! Fill your trolly with meat veggies and fruit and staple's and it is far cheaper!!
Stop eating things that come froma box and you will be suprised how much cheaper it is.....0 -
I read that article a few days ago. I think the bigger difference is, the junk has lots of fat in it and keeps you fuller longer. You simply eat more when it's healthy food because your body processes it faster. My grocery bill is definitely higher now that I'm making wiser food choices.
Healthy food doesn't mean low fat. Fat is good for you as long as it's the right kind of fat.0 -
I have to disagree with those who said eating healthy is cheaper. Just compare the cost of hamburger, or regular ground turkey vs. lean ground turkey. I might be able to come out even if it was just myself, but I know that for feeding my family of 6, it is far more expensive now that I am trying to watch the intake than it was before.0
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I have to disagree with those who said eating healthy is cheaper. Just compare the cost of hamburger, or regular ground turkey vs. lean ground turkey. I might be able to come out even if it was just myself, but I know that for feeding my family of 6, it is far more expensive now that I am trying to watch the intake than it was before.
If this is true, it is definitely regional. I can buy 97% lean ground turkey for $2 a lb (less when on sale). The lowest priced ground beef (high fat) is $2.89 lb. Low fat beef is more than high fat beef but you are getting more meat.0 -
As food prices vary from country to country and even region to region, I can only speak from a UK perspective.
In the UK, Supermarkets pedal a lot of BOGOFs - but one, get one free - from anything to punnets of grapes to boxes of washing powder. If you are savvy and choose well, you can certainly eat for less. Otherwise there's always frozen cuts of meat and fish, fresh and/or frozen veggies. Tinned veg, tomatoes, beans are all reasonably priced as is tuna. I always have staples in my larder and they always help makes meals more interesting. I eat well at a reasonable cost and in general I just stay away from ready meals. By following a few basic tips, then you CAN eat both cheaply and wholesomely within a budget.
But you need to be prepared to do one thing.... COOK.
If you have a freezer, you can buy food when it's on offer and freeze it. Even fresh veggies can be blanched and frozen. And it's easier and less wasteful to cook for 4 than try and cook for one or two. Just freeze the rest.
Today in Tesco they were selling chickens at half-price. That's £3 or less for a whole chicken that would feed a family of 4. You can get 1kg packets of lean turkey mince for £3 too that would make at least 2-3 meals for 4 people. If you have a market in town you can save more on veggies by going later in the day when they are selling things off.
It is possible to make dinner for a family of 4 on £5 using wholesome ingredients. It would certainly cost a lot more to take them to McDonalds and you'd certainly not get anything as nutritious or satisfying.
What IS more expensive is getting prime cuts of meat from up-market butchers, eating so-called organic foods and being fussy about wholegrains and such like. If you can afford it, great, if not, it's no reason to fall back on Junk.
Take time to cook and you will see what you can create with basic ingredients and larder staples. Also, don't waste food. Freeze leftovers and don't be afraid to eat those veggies that look a bit limp. Cook them off with a little curry powder, then blitz them for soups or mix with mashed potato.
You just have to be a lot more creative... but it can be done and it's a lot more satisfying knowing you've saved money and eaten well.0 -
The graphic pisses me off more than anything else:
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2011/09/24/opinion/sunday/20110925_BITTMAN_MARSHgph.html?ref=sunday
Yes, it's cheaper for that one meal, but you don't buy oil by the 1/4 cup or salt by the teaspoon. Same with rice and beans. And I want to know where he found a whole chicken for under $6. I can remember when I was very poor and would have $5 to spend on food for the day, my only choices were ramen noodles or the Wendy's dollar menu. Also, his fast food meal isn't what most poor people are ordering, they order off the dollar menu like I did. Trust me, poor people know how to work those fast food dollar menus. I used to have a running count in my head of how much food I could get with x amount of dollars.
Sure if I had all of those dollars at one time I could have gone to the grocery store and bought real food, but I was a college student and a waitress living off tips and I put aside rent/bill $ every shift. I barely made enough $ to pay for my closet of a room in my rundown apartment in a bad neighborhood. I took public transportation everywhere and bought my clothes at thrift stores. I should have applied for food stamps but never had time to go down to the office, and then the one time I did I found out I didn't have all the paperwork I needed even though I had everything the website said I should bring. On the rare occasions that I did have enough extra $ to go grocery shopping, I stocked up on rice, dried beans/lentils, and frozen veggies. But those supplies would always be depleted much too quickly.
All this article does is perpetuate the myth that if poor people weren't so lazy they'd be better off. I worked HARD. I studied HARD. I managed to stay mostly on top of my bills and mostly on top of my schoolwork all the time. And yes, perhaps I watched an hour of tv a day (but not on a tv, I couldn't afford one. I watched tv on my laptop - what! A luxury item like a laptop for a poor person! I HAD to have it for school or I never would have made it through. I bought it with my first loan check, as well as a ton of groceries and a good coat for the winter), but I needed some sort of break from the grind of my day. Poor people aren't allowed to destress?
/rant0
This discussion has been closed.
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