Is it just me or does it seem as though the foods that are recommended to keep us healthy seem to be much more expensive than the foods that cause us issues? Of course my goal when I go shopping is to purchase the best foods possible at the best prices. As I wander around the store I notice that in some cases the prices for the healthy alternatives are almost double the price of the processed foods. Take for example the cost of fruit in comparison to candy. You can find can on sale all day everyday, and sometimes it doesn't even have to be on sale, it is at regular price and still cheaper than the fruit that our body requires. I can't grasp an understanding as to why this is. I believe it should be opposite, the foods that our bodies require to stay healthy should be cheaper than those foods that create harm. Does anyone else notice this? Anyone have some sort of explanation to help me understand why it is this way? I have learned to do some serious price matching to ensure I get fruits as cheap as possible, but before price matching, there were many times that I stood in the grocery store and wanted to cry because I knew what I needed to purchase but instead had to purchase what was within my means. Talk about depressing.
It's not all the difficult to explain really. Foods that cost more to produce will be more expensive than foods than can be manufactured in large quantities for cheap. I.E, the difference between fresh produce and candy that you might find on sale. And while it's more expensive, it's still entirely possible to live a healthy life-style and diet on a budget. There are promotions that run in grocery stores all the time that keep prices reasonable. It's also about potentially making sacrifices on some other foods that you don't need to make up for buying those healthy items
Hi Ladymiles, are you talking about organic food items? If so, yeah they're kind of expensive too where I'm from. I guess it's because it's doubly hard to grow something today without the help of insecticides to keep pests away. Same way with farm produce, it's also expensive to feed farm animals with natural means. The only consolation is - at least today we have a healthy alternative.
In the US, farmers that with conventional farms ( not organic) receive subsidies from the government. This keeps the price lower than organic farming. Organic farms receive no such subsidies.
As thejamal said, cheap junk foods cost almost nothing to make. They use corn, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, potatoes/corn for chips, (bad) kinds of oils, etc. They can be manufactured entirely in a factory whereas farmers have to grow fruits/veggies over time, harvest them, and sell them. I agree that fresh fruit and veggies should be just as affordable but it doesn't work like that. I agree with thejamal on the idea that you can eat healthily on a budget, too. Eat lean proteins, eggs, and such. Buy meat in large quantities for discounts and freeze them for later. Buy only produce that is on sale or visit your local farmer's market. Even places like Aldi or discount stores can sometimes have decent produce. Frozen veggies are also cheap and just as healthy. They can save you money because they don't spoil, too. Things like whole grain rice/bread are usually only a little bit more. I don't mind paying a little extra on foods that are good for me. Think of the long term trade offs: better overall health can save you lots of money on doctor bills and physical issues later on in life!
I totally agree with you. Here in my country, there is a shop that sells healthy kinds of food and other stuff - from vitamins to hair color. It's called Healthy Options. Sadly, their products are so expensive, so I rarely buy anything from there. They advertise their chips as healthy, but the cost is like triple of other snacks.
It is possible, but it does takes some shopping around, comparing prices and products quantities. I try to mix up dishes so they are made healthier and I use frozen vegetables because they are fresh and easier to store. It is harder as you have to thing about what you buy, but planning does help and knowing what you will cook. Food should be priced accordingly, but manufacturers want to make profits, so brands cover advertising and packaging costs. It's like any other business, but it is up to the stores to price things fairly, that's why they always offer discounts and loyalty cards. Food is something everyone needs, so they will always be priced to what the market needs. Mass production does cut costs, not all mass produced food is bad, staple items like pasta or a can of tomatoes can be cheaper than buying fresh, but still as healthy.
I find it entirely affordable to eat healthy. I get the bulk of my food directly from the farmer.. not a grocery store. Grocery stores are where the misconception comes from.. of course it's more expensive. And the food is smaller,older, deprived of nutrients and not economical at all in my opinion. If you absolutely must shop at a grocery store, then think about the rest of the food you're buying. Most people don't just shop the perimeter of the grocery store, whereas I could live off it.. what are you buying from the centre aisles that aren't necessary and I promise, not healthy? Don't blame your bill on the good foods.. recheck your list. When you compare a healthy food price to a junk food price, in some cases you'll see a big difference in favour of the junk. But if you filled your fridge with just whole foods, you would see it's much cheaper in the long run. I've never spent so little on food and I eat like crazy lol.
I understand what you mean but we all have to pay the price if we want to pursue a healthy lifestyle. I guess that's just the setback that comes with being healthy. I for one am always aghast whenever I go to health stores to look for new supplements. A whole bottle of hawthorn capsules for instance is around $20 to $30. That's just a bit much. I go organic instead.
I agree that most healthy food do cost more. If you see the dollar menu in most restaurants, most of the food being sold for cheap are the processed food.
It seems like the packaged manufactured stuff is usually less expensive then the healthier option. I know that if you go to a farmers market you can sometimes get good deals on produce.
This may be true in general, but there are ways to pinch a penny and still eat very healthy. Canned fruit, yogurt, veggies for example are very cheap and make a nice amount of necessary nutrition. Breads can be cheap as well. However when you are talking organic foods, they will always cost more because of how expensive it is to mass produce. I once read a story about a man that lost 200 pounds eating from a dollar store diet and walking five miles a day. The dollar store sold fruits, vegetables, and healthy grocery items.
Unfortunately this is the sad, sad truth. I would much prefer to eat healthier, but when I compare the prices of organic food to processed I choose processed every time. I have a very limited budget. I realize that my personal health is important, but I sacrifice it daily in order to pinch a penny. For example, I purchase a large amount of ramen every month. You simply can't beat eating a meal for only twenty cents! When I think that I could only spend twenty mere pennies on a meal versus spending ten dollars on lunch in a restaurant, I'm leaning towards the twenty petty cents.
Hmm. I've found that across the board, the healthy foods, even organic are cheaper than processed foods. For one, the food lasts longer as there are more things you can do with it in preparation, but also, you can figure out the quantity of meals that you'll be able to manufacture from natural foods, since you are the one doing the cooking.
Processed food isn't necessarily cheaper than it's fresh counterparts, it really depends on what you are buying. I would say, per pound, fresh chicken for example is cheaper than the frozen processed stuff - which is often brined so it plumps up with water, making it heavier, but when you cook the stuff it shrinks down to a fraction of the size of it's fresh counterpart. The pre-made processed frozen beef patties also cost more per pound than the fresh stuff, plus they are made with really cheap cuts of meat, and loaded with fillers and other chemicals to stretch out the meat. The one exception to that for me though would be those $5 rotisserie chickens at Costco, which are a fantastic bargain since I cannot even buy whole fresh chickens that cheaply, and they are already cooked so I don't have to run my oven. For veggies and fruits, you can save a lot of money buy purchasing many of them frozen instead of fresh. Bell peppers, for example, particularly Red, Yellow and Orange ones are super expensive at our stores fresh - like around $2-3 per pepper, but you can get them frozen and chopped for under $2 for a whole bag. Frozen berries are much cheaper than buying them fresh, and they will last longer for when you need them instead of having to hurry up and eat them right away. Farmers markets will almost always be much cheaper than the grocery stores for fresh veggies and fruits. I can go there with like $15-$20 and walk out with a ton of vegetables to fill up my fridge. Staples such as eggs and milk and OJ you can simply get at discount grocery stores instead of the big chain stores like Whole Foods which charge much more.
When I was still eating meat.. it was the one thing that brought our bill up, because we refused to buy it from a grocery store. That's not meat anymore in my opinion. What those animals go through and the things they do to them and inject in them.. not something I want in my diet. It was worth it to pay the little extra for healthy meats.. and STILL I was paying less than when I shopped for my processed diet from a grocery store. Same with eggs. Not something I want to contribute to, seeing what they go through to get their eggs to the grocery stores. A couple of my family members eat eggs still and I get them much cheaper straight from a farmer. Being healthy takes a little investigating.. a little work.. which is yet another big reason most people don't choose healthy. It only took a while.. now it's like breathing. No work, no adjusting.
True, bad products can be very cheap. A mix of water, sugar and artificial tastes and color will always be cheaper than real juice or smoothies... But for the "cheap" price, what are you getting? 1) Fake colors and tastes 2) A whole lot of sugar and calories for no nutrients 3) Possible cavities 4) Other health issues related to bad eating So even if it looks cheap? It's paying money for garbage. It's paying money so you can later pay more money for health costs. It is too expensive for what it is (because it's worthless). On the other hand, yes, fresh products will tend to be more expensive -- because they're not in season, because they come from exotic places, because their shell-life is shorter. I mean, there is the advantage of the fact that there is no tax on them (yay!) but other than this? Still worth it, though. Still very worth the health boost. This is what your body needs. Much better to pay a bit more for what your body needs, than pay less for what your body wants, but which will be bad for you.
I think if you shop around for the best prices and learn how to make alternatives in some cases you can have healthy meals and stay in your budget. You may need to eat less meat add more vegtables and fruit. Cut out the snacks or make your own. Eat out less often to afford the food that cost more.
Actually, if you just grow organic herbs, spices and vegetable plants in your backyard or even in your porch, you'd find out for yourself that eating healthy need not be costly. Easy-to-grow vegetables include lentils, moringa, onions, chives and cherry tomatoes. If you live in an area with limited space, these are some of your best options. For those who have enough space to spare, they can try planting papaya, avocado, banana or calamondin. Doing so won't cost you much. Maintaining your health is more about effort and resourcefulness and less about expenses.
I find that it's cheaper to eat healthily. I eat a lot of things like stews, lentils, jacket potatoes and beans, which are both cheap and healthy. I don't buy anything organic and never bother with supplements.
