I don't live in an area with year-round cheap produce. ONE head of romaine lettuce in the winter costs $5.99. One pint of fresh berrie -- $4.99-$6.99. Seriously.
So, IF you want to compare fresh fruits, veg, and organic meats with Chef Boyardee, KD, and frozen dinners, you'll find that it costs WAY more to eat healthily than it does to eat junk from the grocery store.
IF you want to compare the fresh fruits, veg, and organic meats with takeout, well, takeout is WAY more expensive.
BUT it you recognize that frozen veg and fruit are acceptable, and meats don't have to be organic, you can with careful shopping and LOTS of prep time eat on the cheap. You have to work at it. You have to be willing to have, as Ms mandalinn says, to have garlic-fingers and onion-hands and the odd cut and burn.
BUT, my loved ones know that I care enough about their health to spend the time. And with proper planning, you can plan to cook enough and have left overs for day 2 and even 3.
Bulk stores are great places for staples and spices (which are outrageous at the local store). Your back yard can support a seasonal vegetable garden without too much fuss. I get a years' worth of garlic out of an 8ft x 4 ft raised bed in my front yard! Except this year, I planted carrot seeds, bean seeds, and hot peppers and tomatoes from plant stock. I continually harvest and while not much, every bit helps. You can grow veggies in containers, too, for those of you on balconies.
But if you want the organic, whole food gourmet solution, it COSTS.
If you really want to get into the debate when it comes to areas with no produce in winter, why not buy in bulk when markets are flush with tons of stuff (like now!), then freeze, can, or otherwise preserve the goodies yourself? If you do it now, when produce is dirt-cheap, you can have enough frozen peaches and berries to keep you in smoothies all winter long, organic tomato sauces from fresh tomatoes and onions that are perfectly ripe, dried tomatoes that you can store and throw in soups and stews, and all kinds of frozen organic veggies...for less than you'd ever be able to get them on sale.
MAN I went through a canning and preserving summer about 2 years ago. I found that the canning jars, the canning accoutrements such as the oversized stockpot, funnel, jars, lids (sold separately), and screw caps (also sold separately), jar holder for the stockpot, jar holder, pectin, vitamin C, lemon juice, pickling spices etc. did add up, so you had to make the committment to canning for a few summers in order for it to pay off. Start up costs can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you are new to this.
Vegetables are a bit dicey, in that you HAVE to make sure that you acidulate the preserving solution properly, or else you'll have trouble. And you have to make sure that you are at a rolling boil for a certain amount of time and that the seals are intact.
Fruits as jams etc. are easier than whole fruits. The effort to can peaches is pretty significant and the return just isn't there (effort to result ratio!!!) as I don't eat so many peaches.
Friends of mine actually can and preserve meat, but I'm not that brave...the possible problems with poor preservation techniques to me outweigh the benefits. And tuna is cheap, in the can...
Tomatoes are pretty easy, too, but again you need to acidulate the preserving solution because tomatoes this day and age aren't reliably acidic enough. You have to be careful canning sauces with onions and such in them because they are combined foods so you have to err on the side of super-acidulation and extra boiling time to be safe.
Pickles are no problem at all, as the vinegar is an acid in and of itself, but one can eat only so many pickles!
And it took me a few weeks to clean the kitchen afterwards, as the steam with fruit juices made EVERYTHING sticky!!!
The best solution for fruit is to freeze them on plain cookie sheets and double-bag them. Cheap, easy, and minimal effort. I've got a batch of cherries in the freezer right now, along with blueberries and raspberries. I'll put in my own raspberries next year, too.
I must say, I DO make a mean mango chutney!!!! And it IS fun to do, and in the long-term, cost effective...
I was never much of a canner, but freezing is easy and cheap, and yields preserved foods with no additives. Canning always had so much added in - about the only thing I can is homemade tomato sauce. But there are low infrastructure food-preservation methods (mostly freezing and dehydrating...which can be done in a slow oven as well as with a dehydrator).
I guess my point is that, if you're willing to put in the effort to cook with the seasons or preserve your foods, explore alternate food sources and suppliers, and learn to cook with less expensive ingredients, you can eat fabulously...luxuriously, even...for the same price as fast food value menu meals all around for a family of 4.
I think it all depends on what you buy and where you buy it. It's kind of like (ha) comparing oranges and apples to say that it's cheaper to buy a bag of potato chips than a comparable calorie amount of fresh fruit/veggies. Sure you get the calories that will technically fuel your body from the chips, but at what cost to your health?
I went to the grocery store the other day with one of my guy friends to pick up a few necessities. I had a basket of whole foods that cost around $40 (fruit, veggies, low-fat yogurt cups, whole wheat english muffins, eggs, chicken breasts), he had a comparably-sized basket with chips, frozen mini-pizzas, pop, and cheese crackers that cost around $10. He was aghast at the cost of my groceries - a normal weekly grocery purchase to me seems obscene to him. Which is okay, because I was horrified at the contents of his basket too.
Re: the OP, there are ways of doing healthy food on the cheap if you work at it, "it's too expensive to buy healthy" is really just an excuse.
Wow. Sounds like everyone has a very serious opinion on the matter. It seems to me that everyone comes from their own background and has their own complications/challenges in the kitchen. While some people may actually find that it is an increase in expense (even if just initially while they learn about new foods and how to prepare them), others might find it is actually cheaper (if they were eating out all the time or consuming an entire bag of cookies in the same sitting as one would consume a small container of raspberries).
Either way, it's human nature to want things to be easier. Look around... society has focused on making things easier for generations. Learning something new is a challenge and for many it's scary. It may be an excuse, but it can also be a moment where you can step in and offer to help/teach someone.
If you really want to get into the debate when it comes to areas with no produce in winter, why not buy in bulk when markets are flush with tons of stuff (like now!), then freeze, can, or otherwise preserve the goodies yourself?
If you really wanna know, because I live in a small apartment with roommates. I can barely stock up on a month of staples.
I agree. When I went vegetarian my veggie friends said, "It's so expensive to eat veggie!"
augh. whatever. Maybe if you buy 20 boxes of pre made 'fake meat' products. but I hate the way those taste so I d on't bother with mroe than the occasional garden burgers and even then I madke my own veggie/seitan burgers.
I find buying in bulk, beans, rice, etc, is really cheap. I bought like 5 lbs of black beans and 3 lbs of garbanzo beans, along with s ome other bulk stuff for 30$. there are two of us and that will feed us for a long while. Also veggies and fruit aren't that expensive.
*note* It's not easy. I spend a lot of time cooking bulk as well, maybe 2 days out of the week....and I cook a nutritious lunch and dinner every day (I dont work) breakfast is the only fast meal I really have.
***warning - waxing poetic on food for a moment, move along, nothing to see here***
The greatest benefit to eating this way, to me, is more about being close to my food, rather than about saving money. Luckily, it does both!
When I soak a pot of beans overnight, and spice it carefully as it bubbles away the next day, I am making a decision to devote time to making myself something delicious.
When I explore a farmer's market and find the best in season produce, I know that I'm getting things that will be flavorful and nutrient-rich, and I devote the time to marinating, chopping, cooking, and otherwise making those vegetables shine as much as I can.
When I'm picking a tomato and some basil from the garden, I'm not thinking of the cost savings...I'm thinking that I've used my own hands to raise this food, from scratch, and that it is going to be fresher and more delicious than anything I could buy.
Sometimes I even do crazy things, like making my own cheese, and less-crazy things, like making my own breads, sauces, etc. Because the hands-on process of taking raw ingredients (which are also cheaper) and making something amazing of them is just so rewarding.
And yes, it's cheaper, and healthier too. But it's more than that. To me, it's taking the time to use the best ingredients I can get to make the very best meals I can, prepared in ways that honor both my body and the ingredients themselves.
I feel like WITHOUT putting in the prep time and the shopping time and the planning time, it can be hard to develop that sort of relationship with your food. And that relationship is something that I really treasure, and that I feel has helped me a lot with maintenance, because it really removed any sort of craving for processed foods, just because the non-processed stuff is so good. And because I prepare my foods with real love and attention, I don't ever feel deprived...just blessed.
So save yourself some money, get to know your food, and love what your body can do when given proper fuel.
***warning - waxing poetic on food for a moment, move along, nothing to see here***
The greatest benefit to eating this way, to me, is more about being close to my food, rather than about saving money. Luckily, it does both!
When I soak a pot of beans overnight, and spice it carefully as it bubbles away the next day, I am making a decision to devote time to making myself something delicious.
When I explore a farmer's market and find the best in season produce, I know that I'm getting things that will be flavorful and nutrient-rich, and I devote the time to marinating, chopping, cooking, and otherwise making those vegetables shine as much as I can.
When I'm picking a tomato and some basil from the garden, I'm not thinking of the cost savings...I'm thinking that I've used my own hands to raise this food, from scratch, and that it is going to be fresher and more delicious than anything I could buy.
Sometimes I even do crazy things, like making my own cheese, and less-crazy things, like making my own breads, sauces, etc. Because the hands-on process of taking raw ingredients (which are also cheaper) and making something amazing of them is just so rewarding.
And yes, it's cheaper, and healthier too. But it's more than that. To me, it's taking the time to use the best ingredients I can get to make the very best meals I can, prepared in ways that honor both my body and the ingredients themselves.
I feel like WITHOUT putting in the prep time and the shopping time and the planning time, it can be hard to develop that sort of relationship with your food. And that relationship is something that I really treasure, and that I feel has helped me a lot with maintenance, because it really removed any sort of craving for processed foods, just because the non-processed stuff is so good. And because I prepare my foods with real love and attention, I don't ever feel deprived...just blessed.
So save yourself some money, get to know your food, and love what your body can do when given proper fuel.
I Love this!!!!
I used to have this crazy dysfunctional relationship with food. It controlled me. Any undesired emotion was met with a binge of some sort and this overwhelming feeling of guilt.
Now food and I are friends. I don't need it to validate me or be a crutch. I don't allow it to take over my emotions... but I do love it!
I made spaghetti sauce from scratch tonight and felt warm feelings as I sat in the kitchen reading listening to it bubble and smelling the tomatoes and basil. I felt good serving it to my family, not guilty.
Right on. I don't understand it either. I also don't understand when people tell me it costs just as much to eat at home as it does to go out for dinner. I'm like I can make dinner for myself for 2 nights for $5 or less. **** I spend less $15 or less every week in groceries and get 8 - 10 main meals (I don't count breakfast as a main meal).
Quote:
Originally Posted by ValRock
I have a good friend who just happens to be morbidly obese... her biggest excuse for not taking the jump and losing this weight with me is that it costs too much money to eat healthy. I'm not pressuring her because I know it won't help but I can't wrap my head around this!! I've heard other people say it too... Why do people have this misconception?
Case of soda.... $6 - Water... free
Meal at McDonalds for 4... $20 - meal for 4 grilled at home... less than $10
Box of cookies... $3 - Package of berries... $2
Bag of chips... $3 - Veggies... dirt cheap
Bucket of fried chicken... I have no idea lol - Bag of frozen chicken breasts $6
Hamburger Helper... $3 - Bag of brown rice $2
etc etc... not to mention the decreased volume of food you eat when you're losing weight and the lack of 'extra' non nutritive snack foods.
*sigh*... I guess I just don't understand. I want everyone to 'get' it and be healthy! In a perfect world I guess .
Last edited by benchmarkman; 07-29-2009 at 06:34 AM.
I think if you are solely comparing the cost of food and not any opportunity costs like healthcare costs if you are overweight and have medical issues, then I will definitely say eating healthy is more expensive. When i was in college I lived off of ramen noodles (come on like $0.05 for one pack), box mac & cheese (1 box can feed 3-4 people), frozen chicken nuggets or chicken tenders (you all know the kind i'm talking about the breaded kind), pizza rolls, cans of spaghetti o's, box of pasta and a jar of pasta sauce, etc. I used to spend $20-$30 a week on groceries. Now I spend like $100 a week just for myself. I spend almost $20 on fresh fruits alone every week. Add in the cost of fresh veggies and seafood/meat voila! BUT I do think you can eat healthfully without breaking the bank, I just don't agree that its cheaper to eat healthy than unhealthy (assuming you are on talking about what you buy in the store and not eating out).
Last edited by Deana; 07-29-2009 at 08:19 AM.
Reason: fix typo
I can barely stock up on a month of staples.
I spend a lot of time cooking bulk as well, maybe 2 days out of the week....and I cook a nutritious lunch and dinner every day (I dont work) breakfast is the only fast meal I really have.
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