cost of eating healthy foods

[The Feral Slasher]

I saw Hornsby's post in another thread that eating healthy is much more expensive than eating processed foods. I just came back from El Salvador, and one of the things I noticed was that everything processed in the grocery store cost basically what it cost here in the U.S. I was told that many Salvadorans only earn about $7-8 dollars a day. So I wondered how they could possibly survive on that, when the food costs basically what it does here in the U.S. The only thing I could think of was that they buy unprocessed foods from markets, neighbors, or wherever that are cheaper than what is available in the grocery stores. So is it really cheaper in the U.S. to buy unhealthy foods ? I've seen that sentiment stated in a number of places, but I wonder if people can actually eat healthier for a reasonable cost. Has anyone seen any good info on what healthy foods cost compared to processed foods ?

[Hornsby]

This 2013 study by the Harvard School of Public health found it cost about $1.50 per day to eat healthier. Less that I thought, but still would require thought and sacrifice for someone on a subsistence budget.

To address this question, the HSPH researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 27 existing studies from 10 high-income countries that included price data for individual foods and for healthier vs. less healthy diets. They evaluated the differences in prices per serving and per 200 calories for particular types of foods, and prices per day and per 2,000 calories (the United States Department of Agriculture’s recommended average daily calorie intake for adults) for overall diet patterns. Both prices per serving and per calorie were assessed because prices can vary depending on the unit of comparison.

The researchers found that healthier diet patterns—for example, diets rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, and nuts—cost significantly more than unhealthy diets (for example, those rich in processed foods, meats, and refined grains). On average, a day’s worth of the most healthy diet patterns cost about $1.50 more per day than the least healthy ones.

The researchers suggested that unhealthy diets may cost less because food policies have focused on the production of “inexpensive, high volume” commodities, which has led to “a complex network of farming, storage, transportation, processing, manufacturing, and marketing capabilities that favor sales of highly processed food products for maximal industry profit.” Given this reality, they said that creating a similar infrastructure to support production of healthier foods might help increase availability—and reduce the prices—of more healthful diets.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/healthy-vs-unhealthy-diet-costs-1-50-more/

[The Feral Slasher]

This 2013 study by the Harvard School of Public health found it cost about $1.50 per day to eat healthier. Less that I thought, but still would require thought and sacrifice for someone on a subsistence budget.



http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/pre...sts-1-50-more/

I found the same article. $1.50 doesn't seem like much to me, but for a family on limited means i'm sure it would be significant

[Pogues]

I found the same article. $1.50 doesn't seem like much to me, but for a family on limited means i'm sure it would be significant

Family of four. $1.50 per per person per day for food. $6 x 30 days is $180. For a family on food stamps that could be 1/4 of their allotted money for the month. It'd be tough, and would require some savvy shopping. But another factor is being able to cook those foods properly. Some people just can't cook very well.

[GwynnInTheHall]

Family of four. $1.50 per per person per day for food. $6 x 30 days is $180. For a family on food stamps that could be 1/4 of their allotted money for the month. It'd be tough, and would require some savvy shopping. But another factor is being able to cook those foods properly. Some people just can't cook very well.

We shop at 3 different places for healthy items to get the most bang for our buck. It's tougher now that we're back in Vegas, but possible. you do, however, need to shop and compile a list of items and alternatives and on sale items sometimes rotate from place to place. You really only need to make your diet 80% healthy stuff to realize the benefits, that leave 20% for decadent crap. Or Beer, which ever you prefer.

[The Feral Slasher]

We shop at 3 different places for healthy items to get the most bang for our buck. It's tougher now that we're back in Vegas, but possible. you do, however, need to shop and compile a list of items and alternatives and on sale items sometimes rotate from place to place. You really only need to make your diet 80% healthy stuff to realize the benefits, that leave 20% for decadent crap. Or Beer, which ever you prefer.

I prefer the beer for sure. I do need to start eating healthy again though. I wonder if anyone will start the yearly healthy eating/weigh in thread ? I guess we could use this thread to get it going, maybe I will weigh in tomorrow, pretty sure it will be 230.

[GwynnInTheHall]

I eat healthy but I stand/sit all day with no activity other than the marital bliss Olympics. I plan to start swimming again to drop this weight, but again, I eat well so any activity should help. Tipping the scales at 185 when I should be 155.

[overkill94]

The cost is definitely a factor but there are other things to consider:

- healthier food is usually fresh so it doesn't last as long, thus more trips to the store
- processed food is either instantly ready to eat or easily microwavable while healthier foods usually take time to prepare
- kids love junk so it takes more effort to get them to buy into the health aspect of the whole thing

Like it or not, lower income households just aren't breeding grounds for healthy habits. Normally the parents either have to work long/tough hours or have simply given up on life - both scenarios lead to not wanting to worry about cooking a healthy meal but instead wanting to keep their kids happy and full. Hell, both my parents worked and for the most part we ate well-rounded meals but I'm somewhat disturbed by how much fast food we ate and how much junk food was kept around the house. As a potentially soon-to-be parent I am hoping I'll be able to maintain a healthier household but when the kids start whining who knows how I and/or my wife will respond? It would be nice if us as Americans weren't so obsessed with eating junk - that lifestyle makes it harder to maintain a healthy household - but it seems like we're heading in the right direction.

[Teenwolf]

There are definitely ways to eat super cheap healthy foods that will go much further than $20 at 7/11. There was a time when I could easily compile a $15 to $20 "grocery" tab at 7/11 (tacquitos x 3, energy drink x 2, bag o' chips, chocolate/candy). This isn't even dinner, it's just a regular snack binge, 3-5 times a week.... or it was a regular thing... back in the days when my weight fluctuated between 180-230 lbs on a yearly basis...

Now that I'm eating mostly super healthy, I don't see it costing a hell of a lot more. You can easily make cheap meals with variety.

I'm recording all of the food I eat right now (food elimination diet for sensitivities, including zero sugar for the last 5 months, that's been weird), so I can easily cost things out.

Yesterday: morning smoothie x 2 (mylk, rasp, blu, matcha, maple syrup, protein)($4), toast x 2 ($1), 50 grams tortilla chips, hummus, 5 pc vegan chicken fingers ($7), roasted butternut squash, kale, and lentil salad, ($7, half the total, as my wife and I had 2 giant bowls each, plus small leftover container), bag of chips ($3)

So you get $22 for the daily total. Seems pretty reasonable to me for 100% organic, mostly very nutritious variety of food. Effort? Very minimal. Salad is the most effort, and it's a 30 minute job. But I understand that even 30 mins seems crazy sometimes, and you just wanna eat a bowl of cereal with a banana in it for dinner. Sometimes I do that too.

I have tons of other super cheap decadent meals for 2 in rotation, under $10, that yield leftovers if anybody is stumped as to how this is possible. You cannot fill 2 stomachs on $10 in a fast food restaurant anymore.

[fuhrdog]

Yesterday: morning smoothie x 2 (mylk, rasp, blu, matcha, maple syrup, protein)($4), toast x 2 ($1), 50 grams tortilla chips, hummus, 5 pc vegan chicken fingers ($7), roasted butternut squash, kale, and lentil salad, ($7, half the total, as my wife and I had 2 giant bowls each, plus small leftover container), bag of chips ($3)

I'd love to eat healthier but that mix of foods would keep it from happening. Squash, kale, lentil salad, vegan chicken fingers Congrats on being able to do it.

[Teenwolf]

I'd love to eat healthier but that mix of foods would keep it from happening. Squash, kale, lentil salad, vegan chicken fingers Congrats on being able to do it.

The kale/squash/lentil salad is super delicious and makes you feel superhuman inside... I HATE salad. I'm not one of those types of vegans... but if you can find ONE type of salad that you like, and it encourages even more food experimentation, that's the start of changing your food tastes. Maybe you could never eat this diet immediately, and I wouldn't recommend anybody to try and change to a 100% vegan, zero sugar type of hardcore diet on day 1... but we all have to start somewhere. Small changes, added consistently, over time... crowding vegetables IN... cutting down on meat/dairy/sugar/junk food slowly, finding alternatives that will be less taxing on your body... this all takes time.

I've gone from the type of yo-yo dieting, down to 180 pounds in the summer, up to 230 pounds in the winter, back and forth, for over a decade until I decided to start making small changes. Even my first year as a vegan was fueled almost entirely by sugar and junk food... it all takes time.

Starting my first shift at a health food store today. Excited to learn even more.

[Fresno Bob]

Q: How do you know who in San Francisco is a vegan?
A: Don't worry, they'll tell you!

I keed, I keed!

[fuhrdog]

The kale/squash/lentil salad is super delicious

I'm going to have to take your word for it. I certainly need to start eating healthier. We had a biggest loser thing starting at work this week and several asked me to join....there is a reason for that I have a bad habit of making 1 course meals.