How can people be expected to eat healty food if healthy food is so much more expensive than other food?

Question

for example, have you seen the price of fresh fruits and vegetables these days? $2.49 for 1 lb of grapes? $.99 for a SINGLE orange?? It is absolutely rediculous. And this is in MARYLAND. And real fruit juice costs a lot more than the imitation, and even wheat bread now costs almost $.50 more than regular bread. Everyone says that it is important to eat healthy in order to feel good and sustain ourselves, but as much as I would love to be able to do that, the high cost of healthy food makes it impossible. To compensate I have just been drinking tap water and can't even remember the last time I had fruit juice. I don't know about you, but I seriously think that there is going to come a point where nobody except the well-to-do can even afford to eat anymore. We are already seeing signs of an economic slump in the housing market, and food is probably next on the list. And the saddest part is that food prices will probably still remain high as long as there is demand from the rich.

Answer 1

Excuses excuses excuses!

Healthy food does not need to be more expensive at all if you shop smart. If you're looking for fresh fruit and vegetables, look only for the ones that are in season...they'll be much more economical at those times. Feel free to buy extras and freeze them for future use when you find them on special. On that vein, frozen vegetables are downright cheap and can pack all the same (if not more!) nutrients as fresh, as they are frozen quickly after being picked.

For healthy protien, dried beans and lentils are very very healthy and very very cheap...probably the cheapest thing you can buy! Meat alternatives like egg whites and tofu are much less expensive per gram of protien than meat itself, as is low fat ricotta and cottage cheese. Good quality vacuum sealed frozen fish can be much cheaper than fresh, and is great to use in chowders/fish stews.

Sometimes paying a pittance more buys you much better quality food without breaking the bank. Barilla Plus pasta may be more expensive than the regular pasta, but at maybe $1.50 for a box, you can't complain about all the protien, fiber, and other good stuff it packs that the plain pasta doesn't. Sure, it may be three times the cost of regular pasta, but it has enough protien to replace the meat in your meal, so it's actually very cheap. Same goes for a good quality wheat bread. A bit more expensive contains bread may contain better nutrition and in the grand scheme of things is still cheap. We're not talking about $17/lb steak!

Answer 2

Worlds,
Your rant does not fall on deaf ears. I have the same challenges because my retirement is $508.00 a month. The second answer you got has lots of good suggestions. Those strategies help me save a good deal on food. Good quality bread does so much for you that you need less of it to meet your needs. Brown rice, available from Asian food stores in large bulk amounts is much better for you than white rice. You can learn more about foods that are good for you, and thus are more filling, at http://www.glycemicindex.com

The glycemic index tells us what carbohydrates reach our blood sugar faster and slower (the ones we need most.) Many foods that are best for us are also cheaper.

Another thing to consider is if you are doing without 3 meals a day, call your local welfare department and ask where there are charitable organizations who give food to the poor, or at least feed people a meal. It can be a big help. You are not alone.

Answer 3

i bought a thing of oatmeal for like 3 bucks. 30 servings per container.

buy fruits which are in season, they should be cheaper.

Answer 4

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