I don't understand why people think healthy food is more expensive

When I think of "healthy" food I think of fresh fruit & vegetables, whole grains (like rice & bulgur), lean meats, and dairy.  None of these are even close to as expensive as processed junk foods.  When people talk about expensive "health" foods are they just referring to the processed, pre-packaged things like Lean Cuisine and the sort.  Or do these people live in some sort of alternate reality from the world I live in . 

Where I am, a 5 lb. bag or brown rice only costs $3 and can make a ton of servings; for $3 I can 2 or 3 apples; I get 2 big crowns of fresh broccoli for about $3 and the list goes.  That's not really too expensive.

Well it also depends on the state you live in and how many family members you need to feed.

I've always felt that if you're already spending $200 a week, you'd probably be spending a small percentage more for healthy alternatives.

Maybe some people don't have Costcos either, I save a crap load on meat there.

Maybe a lot of people are under the impression that they have to eat salmon filets everyday to be healthy? Or Asparagus?

If for some reason I couldn't afford a penny more than my set budget, I'd at least get 50% healthy foods and just eat a little less.

i think it may be because these fresh foods take a while to prepare &people are so busy with work, kids, etc. which is why people head towards processed foods. but i guess thats why we're overweight in the first place.

I do spend more money on food now than I did before I started eating in a more healthy manner.

Plain ground beef is dirt cheap- lean ground turkey is more expensive

Whole chickens also dirt cheap- boneless skinless chicken breasts are more expensive.

Store brand white bread cheaper than reduced calorie, low sugar whole wheat bread.

1 box of little debbies- $1.25 or 10 apples- $5 

For me, it is much cheaper to eat  junk food.

 

I agree with nocturne and danielle.

Also, it depends on your budget.  Those things can really add up sometimes =\

And while it may not necessarily be MORE expensive than unhealthy things all the time, it can still be expensive.  Again, depends on the person and their budget.

But I do know it's a heck of a lot more expensive to get natural PB and jam and quality bread than the unhealthy stuff.  That's to name a couple things.

I have had this discussion with a friend of mine that is very overweight.  She claims fresh fruit and veggies, grains, nuts, etc. are more than her processed 'instant' food.  But what she fails to realize is that the processed crap has less nutrition thus leaving her less satisfying leading her to eat more, which ultimately will cost the same if not more, which leads to more medical bills because she is being threatened with heart disease and diabetes. 

Sorry about the rant, I love my friend...but she doesn't get it.

I am very low -income,and {hate saying this ,poor}but,I have found a way to take dignity in my situation, I just eat nutritional things as much as I can when I can afford it ,once a month  , if I can't afford that all the time I eat rice or spagetti ,without the sauces & seasons, instead I eat  light salt & low fat margine. Genenric cereal, dry is a favorite . Canned fruit, raisins are real cheap& carrots . I just mix it in with the cereal. I try to cut out milk as much as possible{$6.57 a gallon} I have a Brita  water jug .I have elimnated  meat  all  together{4bls a week}  And chewing gum. I know that low income food is an excuse not eating  better foods for loosing weight or just changing your lifestyle,my sister is proof of that. Low-income is not a acceptable excuse.

I think when a lot of people talk about healthy food being more expensive, they mean things like organic or vegetarian food.  I know not all grocery stores have that stuff, but like quorn products, protein bars/drinks, soy milk/yogurt/ice cream.  Theres a healthfood store a few hours from me and I swear, every item in the store was at least $5.  Some of it was just like crackers, organic pb, and wheat/glutten free stuff.  But as far as like fruit/vegetables and stuff like that goes, it really isnt any more expensive. And I think its worth it.

OK, I can see the organic stuff.  But you don't have to buy organic to buy healthy foods.  There are plenty of healthy food that are inexpensive, just like there are plenty of unhealthy foods that are expensive.  You can definitely eat very healthy even on a tight budget.

Maybe the "all or nothing" atittude made it's way to healthy eating too?

I know we see it often, how people will go on crazy starvation diets, can't keep it up, figrue they failed, then go back to eating the way they use to and gain the weight back.

Maybe it's the same thing... If I can't afford all organic, whole foods, then I may as well keep eating the way I am?

i do think healthy food is expensive. why should the fat free or low fat versions of the og foods cost more??

I spend more now on groceries than we've ever spent before ... but we used to eat out (or get takeout) 5+ nights a week. Amazingly enough, we now spend a fraction on eating out compared to what we used to spend.

Some of the items I buy are pricy (ostrich burgers, sushi-grade yellowfin tuna steaks, fresh asparagus), and some are downright cheap (bulgur, millet, kamut, many other fresh veggies, etc.)  I spend a lot of time looking for things on sale and stocking up when they are..... that's what pantries and freezers are for! And some grocery stores are definitely cheaper than others. 

Of course, sometimes we sacrifice price for convenience ... buying broccoli florets instead of whole broccoli; buying boneless, skinless chicken instead of chicken with bones/skins, etc.  I have a friend who bakes her own bread and does it very inexpensively for really  healthy bread ... she makes her own soups and pasta sauces, too. (And she has a garden!)  She also used powdered milk rather than buying it in the carton.  (She's feeding a husband and 6 kids.)

The bottom line? I can either eat larger quantities of healthy foods, or lower quantities of cheaper, unhealthy food ... and I'm opting for buying healthier stuff.

=^..^= MOLLY

When did veggies become cheap? A container of strawberries comes close to $5 dollars where I live. And preference also plays a factor. You may not like the apples that happen to be on sale. Also you are obvioulsy eating for one since 2 or 3 apples and 2 crowns of broccoli would last about a day in a household of four people. No matter if you are trying to eat healhty or not, grocery bills are climbing higher and higher. I mean I see buying the HCF brand of wheat bread but it is not true wheat bread though it is 59 cents. Compare that to the bread i buy by nature's own which is a smaller load and almost $3. So I totally disagree with you on some points. Eating healthy can be expensive. Can be!

Original Post by danielle_20077:

I do spend more money on food now than I did before I started eating in a more healthy manner.

Plain ground beef is dirt cheap- lean ground turkey is more expensive

Whole chickens also dirt cheap- boneless skinless chicken breasts are more expensive.

Store brand white bread cheaper than reduced calorie, low sugar whole wheat bread.

1 box of little debbies- $1.25 or 10 apples- $5

For me, it is much cheaper to eat junk food.

 

 I suppose it depend on how you look at things.

Ground beef - nothing wrong with ground beef, but you need to drain the fat and eat a bit less of it than you would turkey

Chicken - great healthy food - here in Japan the breast cuts are the cheapest for some reason, good for me!

White bread may be cheaper, but it tastes like crap and is less filling. I'd rather have half as much wheat bread, which has twice as many nutrients anyway...

As for Little Debbies - what is the point of eating that?  You may as well just eat half a stick of butter and four tablespoons of sugar.  Why bother with forming it into a shape? And 10 apples is a lot, tastes better and full of nutrients. 

I can understand wanting to have a REAL dessert like a homemade apple pie or a really good chocolate mousse or something, ONCE in a while, but I don't see the point of eating something rancid like Little Debbies - not nutrients, all fat and empty calories, tastes like crap.  There is a reason why they are cheap - they have very little value, culinary or nutritional.

Original Post by peacelovehominy:

i do think healthy food is expensive. why should the fat free or low fat versions of the og foods cost more??

 You seem to be confusing healthy foods with "diet" products.  Healthy foods are ingredients that you buy to take home and make into delicious healthy meals.  They're not expensive

 "Diet" products are overpriced prepackaged crap that happens to have fewer calories than the regular overpriced prepackaged crap, but usually with all the sodium, preservatives, flavorings and colors.

 

I make less than 30K per year and feed a family of four, and we get fresh broccoli, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, cauliflower, carrots, apples, tangerines, etc. etc.  EVERY WEEK.  They are the mainstay of our diet.  I can make a big batch of dinner for the whole family with this stuff.  The expensive prepackaged crap costs more for smaller servings that are loaded with stuff I don't want my kids eating.

Why should I buy some huge frozen lasagna when I can make a big vegetable and chicken breast stir-fry myself in a few minutes for much less money and get better nourishment?  Why spend money on Hot Pockets when I can put together a chicken breast sandwich with a much better nutritional balance for less money?

There's your time, your health and your money. Pick two.

I prioritize time and health, meaning that I spend a fair amount of cash on prepared and frozen (healthy) foods. I just don't have the time to peel the potatoes and soak the beans and bone the chicken etc...

I think I actually spend less on food overall, though, because I don't go to restaurants nearly as often, and I virtually never get takeout/food delivery anymore. There's always something I can pop in the oven. And lots of fruit and veg lying around. But that's because I was a heavy spender on restaurants before. For the level of cooking and preparation that I don't do (can't do!),  I would not be able to spend much less than I do and still eat healthy (unless I gave up on actual meals and just ate random things). And we spend about 400$/month in groceries for two people, which is a lot.

Original Post by trustwomen:

There's your time, your health and your money. Pick two.

I prioritize time and health, meaning that I spend a fair amount of cash on prepared and frozen (healthy) foods. I just don't have the time to peel the potatoes and soak the beans and bone the chicken etc...

 A bag of frozen veggies is one thing - they are convenient and economical and fairly healthy.  But a frozen "diet" meal is another neither healthy nor economical.  Just convenient and ultimately unsatisfying.

There are some of them that are actually healthy and quite tasty. (I don't have the fear of preservatives that some have, mind you.) They're not "diet" meals per se, most of those are pretty gross, but there is a brand in Canada - PC blue menu  - that actually focuses on quality of food and reducing fat etc... The labels aren't scary-looking.

I think the products that are a bit on the pricey side are the various fruits and veggies, especially if they're out of season. For example strawberries, blueberry, mangos, etc. Even apples can get pricey if you eat a few a day.

Depends on where you live, too.  I live in what passes for the 'hood around here and our ghetto safeway has hardly any produce, and it's nasty-looking and overpriced. A sack of tater tots is way cheaper than frozen fruits or veggies, and you ain't finding bulgur anything. No bulk decent grains, either, just giant sacks of white rice (!) and maybe black eyed peas or something equally unappealing. I'd have to run across the street and check but I'd be surprised if you could even buy a lentil, at any price. If I didn't have a car (or any education, and 2 minimum wages jobs, and 4 kids, and no husband), I'd walk there and buy tater tots and ground beef, too, instead of trying to schlep my family in the bus at the end of a long day to get to a decent grocer.

Huh.  That was a little incoherent. Just meant to say that people with low incomes have other disadvantages than the price of broccoli.