thinking out loud.......
 

I was talking with a friend yesterday and said that it seems many in this world are over weight to some point. *5lbs or 50lbs* but anyways. They say eat healthy. lots of fresh veggies and fruits. now let me ask you how are we suppose to do that when it cost so dang much. It is cheaper to buy a big box of cookies then to buy fruit. I love fruit and would eat it all day long if i could but the cost is ... ouch. It just cracks me up *not really* that if it was cheaper for us to buy the healthy stuff then we would. heck they put chips on sale *buy 1 get one free* but do you see them doing that with healthy foods *okay sometimes but not really that often* ice cream is on sale all the time but not fruit. that is a once in a blue mood deal. okay sorry to grip just frustrated today.


*im haveing a fat girl day. sigh. hope everyone else is doing good.*
*also any tips to help me stay on track and eat better. *

Fruit and Veggies I don't think are that badly priced (they are when you start compaing them to cookies and what not) but I agree. I find I spent WAY more money on food now then I was before. 2$ for my bag of apples, but you only get 3 or 4 or whatever where as my 2$ bag of cookies would be like 10 or more snacks. It just doesn't work out the same, haha.

I look at it like this - the cost for caring for an obesity-related disease would be much higher over time. My grandmother died very young of complications of diabetes (she went blind, had to have a foot amputated, all kinds of terrible things). If a 2.00 bag of apples can save me having to buy all the items related to diabetic care, it is a sound investment.

My health is worth it. I just save money in other areas (I use the library almost exclusively now instead of buying books like I used to).

Plus, a big head of Romaine lettuce, that costs about $2 bucks,when chopped up into regular bite sized pieces can be stretched for three meals! I'm a heavy eater and I make salad wraps using one medium sized Romaine. I add a sprinkling of cheese and a couple of sliced olives to the wrap and a tsp + some of salad dressing and it's SO yummy that I um...have like 6. Anyway, I've had 6 over two days for dinner and I can tell you, I'm FULL after those wraps.

Plus, 3 -4 apples = 3-4 days of breffix supplements so to me it doesn't really seem all that expensive. Not knocking you guys down or anything - it's just an opinion. I know that if I bought those oreos, they'd be gone in an evening but my salad keeps me going for 2 -3 days. Also guys, invest in canned veggies if you don't already. I make my chana masala from a can of chick peas and it costs me 0.99. Not a bad deal for a big dinner for one - reasonable meal for two. There are plenty of sale coupons in those grocery store flyers that come in the mail on Sunday. There's sales on salad dressing, seasonal fruits and veggies and other stuff... :) However, I do agree that it's ridiculous how super UNhealthy foods are lower in price than good for you grub.

And don't get me started on the freakin' fabulous Chick'n Patties by Boca.

Totally agree with Sunnigummi!

I think about food the way I think about everything else I spend money on-- what will give me the most bang for the buck? You get what you pay for... and so I try to buy the best quality I can afford--the product that will give me the best return, last the longest and wear well (and lord knows I wear apples a lot better than I wear cake and cookies! :)). So I know that fresh produce will fill me up longer, give me nutrients that box of cookies won't, and just plain last me longer.

I totally understand what your saying and I've said it myself many times, especially when my grocery bill is on the high end!! It's totally true!! Prepackaged junk food is so cheap. They're always having sales on it. If I filled my grocery cart with crap, my grocery bill would be half of what it is now. Produce is majorly expensive, especially with the better stuff.
I was grocery shopping last weekend and noticed that one of my favorite fruits are in stock now...black cherries. They're $5.99 per pound!! Same thing with grapes! It's insane. I buy A LOT of produce. I love munching on fruit and I'm always steaming fresh veggies and making HUGE salads.
Maybe everyone in this world wouldn't be so overweight if it were the other way around.

I buy lots of fresh fruits and veggies each week and it is definitely more expensive than when I bought junk. However, my clothes are now cheaper buying things on sale and in smaller sizes, not using the plus size stores. The whole family is eating healthier and that's very important. Plus, I'm taking fewer meds for blood pressure and diabetes and that helps the budget too.

My new mantra every time I go grocery shopping... "I am worth it." I am the biggest penny pincher ever and I've had to adjust my way of thinking. I can go to Aldi and fill up my cart with junk food (aisle #1, lol) but "I'm just not that person anymore" (another one of my new mantras). I want to live to annoy my kids and future grandkids so paying high prices for produce is just a small investment toward that goal. :)

I agree, that in theory it's cheaper per calorie to purchase processed trans-fat junk foods, but the addictive nature of sugar makes it so I eat an entire bag of Oreos in one sitting instead of 1 normal serving of real food with nutrients. That's why I'm here, the fact that I DON'T eat just one serving of Oreos. If I could manage that, I wouldn't be overweight.

Sure, it's cheaper. And that's why lower-middle class and poverty-level people are more overweight than those of higher socio-economic status. It's wrong and disgusting, but that's how it is right now. I suppose one way around the expense is to grow a garden, if that's feasible.

I agree that it *can* be more expensive comparing grocery bills to grocery bills, but over time I think it tends to even out. As someone mentioned, plus size clothes cost a lot more than "regular" sizes......medications for obesity-related health problems can cost a small fortune.....having to buy a second seat on an airplane is certainly no bargain!

You just can't put a price on your health. It took me a long time to learn that one - I'm just in the beginning stages, but I now know that I'm beginning for the last time. My son has some health issues, and buying the best quality food we can is really important - the side benefit is that the whole family has noticed changes in how we feel, we're less prone to headaches, stomach cramps, and are all sleeping better.

It can help to purchase produce in season - stock up when it's cheap and freeze what you can. Strawberries are now in season here, and you can get an entire flat for just a few dollars. I slice them up, package them in freezer bags, and then have frozen berries to add to smoothies, stir into yogurt, or whatever - for just pennies per serving. If you have a Costco membership, you can sometimes get great deals on produce there - you do purchase a lot at once, but if it's something you enjoy it's worth it....I purchase organic salad greens from my Costco, either spinach or spring mix. The tub is twice the size of what the supermarket stocks, and is half the price!! :D Costco also carries good whole-grain breads - you can freeze the extra loaves to take advantage of the bulk savings.

It's a little more work in the beginning....but there are ways to keep costs down and eat healthfully. The other thing that works for my family is meal-planning - we only spend about $80 per week for our family of 3, and it's largely due to planning.

Specials from my local Safeway this week:
1 bag of celery- $1.27
1 bag of carrots- .50
Large Haas avocados- $1 (10 for $10)
Blueberries and strawberries- buy 1 get one free at $2.50
Roma tomatoes- $1 per pound
Navel oranges- .79/lb, 2.99 for a big bag (upwards of 10)
Bagged salad- on sale this week at $1.98 a bag (woo hoo!)

Estimated Adult Obesity-Attributable Percentages and Expenditures in the U.S. from 1998-2000- 75 Billion dollars
(according to the CDC)

EDIT: I realize this doesn't affect your grocery bill, but you are doing yourself a much better service by putting your healthy habits ahead of your pocket book- you are a worthy cause! For what it's worth...

Also, I think this trend of high prices for produce vs. low for crappy processed foods is due to two things: A) The high flow of people from rural to urban developments over time decreasing the agricultural output of the country (I'm talking U.S.) leading to an increase in price for the product due to labor shortage. B) A simple case of supply vs. demand. This ties into my first point in that as the prices of fresh produce rose, technology know- how increased and we got faster production of processed foods that in turn lowered their cost - less labor involved. So now, processed foods that are hurting us appearance and most importantly, health wise appeal due to their price tag. Also, aren't we in some kind of recession now or a bad economic situation? That can also provoke people to buy processed when at one point they bought healthy if there's a job cut in the family and budget's tight. Also, because of this whole processed - everything in a pretty little can that just needs to be reheated mentality that has taken over our society has created inept cooks in the kitchen who are incapable of dicing a veggie because it takes too much time and effort. Whereas before, teens were forced to help out in the kitchen and learned to cook by default, now are forced to prepare their own meals because their parents work 20 hr days. Well, ok my two points ballooned into 10, but you get the idea. There's more at play here.

As cliche as this sounds... I support this post.

I totally agree it is worthing, just slighty depressing. But you guys are right that you save money in the long run, with being able to buy stuff like smaller cloths.

Also an apple will keep you full longer then a cookie or two (for the most part). I just agree that I spent FAR more on food then I used too. But it tastes better! haha

Dead on, Sunnigummi!

whenever I eat junk food I'm hungry an hour later, too. So, I end up grabbing the other food on top of that (or more junk food). Potato chips might be $1 bag, but to eat the whole bag in one sitting made for a lot of other problems I had to shell out cash for.

I ended up spending all the money on the diet programs (on top of buying the "more expensive" food) and more for large sized clothes, ha. And being unhappy about being so big.

So many good points, Sunnigummi!


Think of dish soap too. Really cheap soap you save money but have to use more of it for the same job. Many foods are the same way. A little bit of the good stuff goes a long way but I could overeat the bad and still be hungry.

Maybe we could have lower health insurance premiums if we sent in our grocery receipts for fresh and healthy food and our receipts for running shoes? Haha!

Anyway, I wanted to ask Sunny for that masala recipe with chickpeas, if you wouldn't mind?

Yes it costs more (esp here in Alaska where 99% of our produce has to be imported), yes we're worth it. :)

Try farmer's markets or CSA programs to get seasonal produce. We grow our own strawberries and raspberries, as well as some veggies, which helps (and I know is not an option for everyone) but every Friday in the summer there's a farmer's market, and the local organic farm, which runs the CSA program, opens a stand on Fri evenings where you can get stuff. My DH is always offereing to go grocery shopping for me, but first I need to teach him how to buy produce. :lol: He'll get exactly what I tell him, no matter the cost or quality.

Okie dokie! :D

2 tbsp vegetable oil (can use olive oil, I don't think it will be a big problem)
2 cloves garlic chopped
equal amount of finely grated ginger
1 medium onion FINELY chopped - makes cooking faster
2-3 tbsp crushed tomato puree (the canned stuff)
1 can garbanzo peas/chick peas
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp chana masala (found at indian/asian specialty stores and possibly grocery stores, I've never checked)
1 tbsp water and salt to taste

1. Heat oil in pan.
2. Add garlic and ginger. Let it fry for a minute or until garlic starts to get light brown - not burned.
3. Add onions. Cook until brown and tender. I think this is called caramelizing onions? Takes about 10 minutes for me. Finely chopped onions will not take long. The rougher the chop, the longer you'll have to wait. The onions should be 1/2 the volume they were when you put them in.
4. After cooking onions, add garam masala and chana masala mix. Stir with onions and roast for 30 secs.
5. Add tomato puree and chick peas
6. If the mixture is too thick, add some water to get it to curry consistency.
7. Add salt to taste. Voila!!! You have your chana masala.
*I like my stuff spicy, so adjust accordingly. Err on the side of little, then add more as you see fit. You can add more chana masala and garam masala after the cooking's done if you feel more is needed.

I mentioned the strawberries, and I live in Canada on the West Coast - I'm surrounded by farms, so yes - I can get an entire flat of strawberries for about $5.00. I know not everyone can get these prices, sure - I can't get these prices myself outside of a few weeks each June (that's why I freeze tons of them!! :) ). However, for me, where I live, it proves that not everything healthy has to be expensive. Our supermarkets charge a higher price for the same strawberries - it means I have to shop around. Seasonality is important.

Again, a lot of it is what you're able, or willing, to do. We get organic produce from local farms (for the most part - some produce comes from Costco), for much less than what you'd pay for those same organic items in a grocery store. We get our meat from farms or a specialty butcher that sells organic beef and poultry - I can get a roasting chicken for about $12...the same chicken at the big supermarket chain would cost at least $20. It does mean that I need to shop around, and lose the "one stop" convenience, but it nets me healthy, quality food for less money. Incidentally, a non-organic roasting chicken at the same supermarket costs about $14....so it's actually cheaper for me to get the organic chicken.

I do a lot of home baking....breads, buns, any baked goods really. It takes time, and I know not everyone can swing it - but it means that bread costs pennies a loaf as opposed to dollars. We no longer buy many convenience foods - these always, always cost more than making the product yourself.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that, you can easily write healthy eating off as being more expensive - but if you're willing to get a bit creative, to eat seasonally, to work a little harder at shopping, and to invest more time in food preparation, it's often possible to manage very healthy food choices for the same money, if not a little bit less. Challenging, yes. Impossible? No.

Thanks for the recipe, Sunni! I can't wait to try it!!

I agree that eating healthier can be more expensive, but I think it requires that you rethink your grocery shopping. As far as meats and produce, it helps to buy what's on sale that week. It is expensive to plan a menu and then go shopping. You have to check out the sale prices and then plan your menu around the specials. Other things, like cereals and breads very rarely go on special, so you just have to plan to pay the extra for.


Jillybean720, I'm looking at this weeks' online ads for the two stores you mentioned in your neck of the woods, and you can get:

• Strawberries for 2/$4.00 at Shopper
• Boneless Skinless chicken breast $.99/lb at Shopper (not 98% lean, but chicken breasts are naturally high proten/low fat)
• Split Chicken Breasts - $.79/lb at Giant
• Grapes- $.99/lb at Giant

That's very comparable to the prices we pay here. Is there a Super Walmart in your area? If so they will do a price match, so if the produce isn't great at Shopper, you could get a price match at Wal-Mart.

Luckily for my sanity, the time I started eating better coincided exactly with the time I started living on my own so I never had to compare grocery bills. But my snack budget is much less. You can get a 3lb bag of apples for about $3, with 3 apples to a pound- so your snack is 33 cents. A candy bar from the vending machine is now up to 85 cents and has three times the calories and is less filling so you'll be down there two hours later. Hmm, 500 calories and $1.70 or 80 calories and 35 cents?

Then again, I did splurge and buy a box of 100 calorie cookies because I decided that I could have something unhealthy and I am incapable of regulating my intake of sugary things without outside help. It my only give you 6 servings instead of 20, but the box will last me as long as an entire bag of Oreos so the extra cost is worth it, considering that I just spent my cookie budget for the month.

My grocery bill is definitely higher because of all the fresh produce I buy; however, I also have to consider that I am not EVER running by McDo's or other fast food or takeout places -- with the exception of Mongolian grill takeout once a week or so -- and that DOES add up! In any case, it is a sacrifice I am willing to make and just have to cut back somewhere else, as my health is important to me. And as someone else has shared, you CAN find special sales and good deals on some items if you base what you eat for that week on specials!

Where exactly are these "on sale" grapes you speak of? I don't think I've ever personally witnessed grapes on sale. About twice a year I see an empty bin with a "grapes on sale" mark down, but there are certainly no grapes in them!

Are sure they exist?

Haha, junebug... :p

When I go grocery shopping with my fam, we go at 6:00 or 6:30 in the morning (Shoprite) and there are tons of grapes on sale. When you go later in the day, they're gone. Trust me, people around me are fanatical grape eaters apparently. I don't really like them all that much - they're my last resort. Anyway, my 0.02.

I don't think it is that much more expensive, personally. :D I think that part of it is just smart shopping...

For instance, this week at my local Kroger fresh peaches are .99 a pound because they are in season...and golden delicious and gala apples are on sale for .99 a pound. For .99, I can get about 4 average peaches...

Bananas are always inexpensive-they vary from .39-.80 a pound, but you can get a small bunch (5 or so) for just about a buck.

Bags of baby carrots are often on sale in my local store (every couple of weeks) for .99 a bag.

Also, if you have favorite brands-such as Kashi, etc. then go to that companie's website and email customer service-see if they have any coupons available.

I also browse the sales in the aisles as well...if I do not become a slave to a certain brand, then I get better deals. This week one brand of 100% whole grain bread was on sale for $1.79...while the rest were $2.50-$4.00. So, I brought the brand on sale.

When a healthy shelf stable food goes on sale-such as whole grain pasta, canned black beans, cans of tuna, or what have you-I stock up and buy a few then.

I tend to buy the produce in the stores based on what is in season-so summertime it is a lot of peaches, nectarines, plums, and melons because they are on sale. This spring was a really good time for sales on strawberries and blueberries-I bought a few HUGE 4 pound containers this spring for $4.99 each-1.25 a pound! Fall is excellent for all varieties of apples...

Stores DO have buy one, get one free specials on frozen veggies, yogurt, orange juice, etc....we just have to look for them. They don't make the huge banners and signs and advertise it as much as they do for Doritos or Pepsi cases. ;)

Aphil, that last part is SO true! I think it also ties into Sunnigummi's post
(#12) on page 1.

Grapes are frequently on sale in the stores here... one of the items they often put on sale to draw in customers. This year I notice though that it is hard to find the 99 cents a pound ones like usual; they are generally $1.99 instead.

And Jill, I too go ahead and buy the fresh produce I want, within reason. I wouldn't pay $8.99 a pound for fresh cherries when I can get them so much cheaper elsewhere and if I waited a couple of weeks until more came in... but for the most part I just pay it. I'm putting too much effort into getting healthy not to carry that into buying the freshest, most healthful foods I can find.

hehe, we do have the on sale here for 99 cents/lb, but they're at the chain with the icky produce. I did go and look because I like to buy seedless red grapes and freeze them in little snack-size ziploc baggies (don't take up much freezer space that way). However, I got there, and all the grapes had a bunch of gross smushed ones at the bottoms of the bags, the bags were all dirty with some sort of grayish-brownish film (leading me to believe that I'd have to wash those grapes for FOREVER just to get to the actual grape :p ), and they were all tiny little grapes (think peanut M&M size), whereas the place with better produce has normal-sized (about the size of a nickel?) grapes that aren't all squished for a higher price. So yeah, I pay the higher price because I know I'd be more likely to eat the juicy, healthier-looking ones rather than just let the tiny, gray film-covered ones go bad :dizzy:

One of my grocery stores here had a sign posted with their strawberries that said something to the matter of, "Due to the flooding in California, the strawberry crops are not as high quality as normal. We are doing our best to provide you with the best produce possible." So maybe that has something to do with why I don't see as many low prices on things like strawberries and why so much of the produce around here looks, umm, unappealing :?:

I have small freezer syndrome too :( I wish I had a chest freezer!!

I just skimmed a bit of this thread, so it might have been said already, but...

I pay more for a bag of apples than a bag of chips.

I can NOT eat a bag of apples in one sitting. I CAN a bag a chips.

Now which one costs more?

Now I'm all for advocating people to buy a bag of apples rather than a bag of chips, but for those of us who are in the process of weaning ourselves from junk food and easing into a healthier lifestyle, there is an alternative to potato chips. It's called SunChips, I'm sure many of you have heard of this brand and they're TO DIE FOR delish! They're expensive - $3.00/bag - and I can scarf down a bag in two days, but for someone transitioning or someone who wants a "bad" treat from the old days, it's a better choice. Not THE choice, a better one.

I would have to change a lot of things without my freezer. It helps when purchasing items but moreso when preparing meals. I make large batches of soups, stocks, etc etc to freeze. Certain leftovers that you know would just go bad in the frig can be put in individual pyrex containers and frozen. I'm sure the money I spend in electricity is negligible compared to what I save.

I would be lost without it.

Rather than having a regular sized bag of SunChips, or Baked Lays or what have you in the house (because even though they are baked, etc. I still tend to overeat them-even if I stay in my calorie range.) I like to get the "single serving" size of a low fat chip and that way, when it is gone, it's GONE. If I only buy one serving...it is all I can eat. They sell the single serving size bags at any Subway restaurant.

It often seems like I pay more for food than I ever did, but it can be a bit misleading just looking at how much I pay at the supermarket. Yes, the bill is more, but because I plan my food carefully that's pretty much the only money I spend on food each week. I take my breakfast and lunch into work (and an evening meal if I'm going out after work), and I buy everything in one shop rather than stocking up every day or so and risking temptation when I go in there.

It probably does cost more than if I took the same approach with unhealthy food, but it costs less than the way I used to eat unhealthy food. And anyway, the results are definitely worth it :)

For those who crave chips... a coworker brought in a bag of GenSoy chips lately and they are wonderful! There were different flavors.