Eating right = very expensive

[phattyinnm]

we ALL pay one way or another for those bad choices, even if we don't make them.

Lets not forget those who choose gastric bypass and their insurance covers it... I've heard of quite a few complications that cost medically for a long time to come also. Thats a whole other subject and I should probably keep my mouth shut!

 

[Weightlossmaven]

I was going to try to go organic, but the price of the foods is just too much. I may start doing a few days of organic food a week.

 

[sunkissbabe]

I work at a grocery store haha..and yeah it's always good to go at night...also I've been told it's best to go around the parameter of the store instead of drifting toward the center isles where all the processed food is stored. I think it can be really hard to find some middle ground when it comes to buying groceries, but it really helps when you're not hungry..do not go on an empty stomach!

 

[Juliette1]

Eating right and well, at the same time as it makes my grocery bill bigger, makes my eating out bill zero. Since I want to know what's in my plate, I pretty much want to prepare it myself.
Around here you can buy four to ten times the ingredients for the price you pay for one person eating out. And I mean beef tenderloin, fresh tuna, organic vegetables etc. I thought that I was spending more money on what I eat, but actually I'm spending less, just all of it in the grocery store. For the cost of one meal in a decent restaurant I buy four days worth of food. For the price of one decent bottle of wine I buy food for the rest of the days of the week. Granted, I didn't eat hamburgers to start with, they're not big in my part of the world.. And I do understand, the change in costs is all dependent of your "previous life" and what you used to do..
I agree very loudly with the posters who called for good food being cheep and bad food being expensive. That's what the political circles are discussing here now, added taxes for the bad foods, reduced taxes for the good ones. So, with good luck, in 15 years this system might be working already.
Julie
PS. We just banned smoking in restaurants from June 1st. So while you're still able to reduce your own life expectancy by smoking, your not allowed to do that to me. While I'm just too allergic to sit in the smoke, I have chosen the smoke-free cafés etc. until now. Yey, I might start going out more again, even to a BAR!

 

[sirant]

I gotta agree here actually...

Wow, this is weird. I basically halved my food bill. Eating less, not buying pre-packed. I reckon I could eat for $40.00 for a week if I pushed it, and I mean eating healthily.

My food bills have gone WAY down since I started eating healthy. I think it is more a matter of eating simple-healthy or eating trendy-healthy. Extra lean pre-packed turkey meat is expensive, but not as expensive as chicken, lean cuisine prepared meals are much more per serving than cooking the same food yourself and anything "organic" carries a scary price tag.

For my money I buy fresh fruits and veggies, whatever is in season and whatevr is at a good price. Buying precut and prewashed veggies is a joke because you are paying for the production time, packaging and chemicals to keep them fresh in the bag without air. So many companies have jumped on the "health food" bandwagon and are charging unreasonable prices for processed health food that could much more cheaply be prepared at home. And instead of finding "healthy altrernatives" for dining out, why not save money and dine in? I know my oatmeal, salads and stew for the day cost literally a quarter of what I used to spend for one meal in a restaurant.

Healthy eating can be cheap, as long as we don't all fall on to the "hip and cool" organic - preprocessed band wagon. Too many people think healthy eating needs to be "fancy" or "trendy" to be effective. 100 years ago people didn't have the option to eat lean cuisine, orgaqnic produce and turkey breast filets, and suprise suprise, they didnt have obesity and health related problems like we have now.... Coincidence?

Do organic tomatos at 9 dollars a pound taste any better than the regular 2 dollar a pound ones? And does spending you r hard earned pay for healthier choices negate the toxins and poisons you breath in walking down the street?

Unfortunately we live in a society based on comfort and convenience. We WANT preprocessed stuff that good for us, we WANT organic veggies that make us feel good about something, and yes, we will pay for it.

I think the secret here is eating REAL food instead of the fancy schmancy health food crap they charge so much money for. It should still be cheaper mind you, but hey, cant have the larger portion of society (70% now) who are overweight all getting healthy that easy could we?? Think of all the poor multimillionaire food industry tycoons who would have to live with just 5 porches, not 10.....

sirant

 

[slimby43]

i occasionally buy organic, either on payday or when its on special offer -usually fruit and veg and free range eggs. unfortunately i cant afford organic meats which i would love to do. i find myself therefore eating very little and buying smaller quantities of the best quality i can afford. i usually dice it, make casseroles etc and make it go further with lots of veg and potatoes. 2 medium pork chops (boneless) fed 4 people last night.
Juliette, i guess you are right about saving money by not eating out. apart from the very occasional treat for the kids and my o/h, the only fast food restaurant i go to is subway maximum once a month.
i must admit i do have the occasional "panic attack" when i go to the check out over the cost of the groceries. i think this will last for at least say 2 weeks. it never does. i have a large supermarket 10 minutes walk away, and its become my local. pop in for a loaf of bread and come out 20 mins later having spent £30 -40 slim
ps organic potatoes are just the best in taste

 

[miracle]

Plan your meals for the week ahead. This will also help when you feel like cheating. You won't have anything in to cheat with, and what you do have is spoken for by your next meal/tomorrows meal.

Have a list for your food, and a list for common household items. Also you can look around for the same item, different brand and lower priced.

 

[sammyboy24]

I have noticed my grocery bill going up a little too. I figure it's a trade off. Milk, cottage cheese and ff yogurt are pretty cheap. So are eggs and tuna. I probably spend the most money on my cereal and bags of chicken, which if you go to costco and buy in bulk aren't that bad. I do agree it can be a little more expensive to shop for more healthy foods. I am not eating out as much though, which makes up for it. Just try to shop smart and hit up Costco if you can. Their boneless/skinless bags of chicken breasts are huge and usually last me awhile. They also have big bags of broccoli, spinach, etc.
Hope that helps...

-Sam

 

[MoonGoddess]

Healthy eating can be cheap, as long as we don't all fall on to the "hip and cool" organic - preprocessed band wagon. Too many people think healthy eating needs to be "fancy" or "trendy" to be effective. 100 years ago people didn't have the option to eat lean cuisine, orgaqnic produce and turkey breast filets, and suprise suprise, they didnt have obesity and health related problems like we have now.... Coincidence?

On the note of organic, you have to think about what is going into that. See with the non organic versions farmers can use the pesticides & therefore get more of a crop than they would with the organic.. which can be ingested as well. Many of the nutrients are not there as they are damaging the soil, no nutrients in the soil for the plant to take in, no nutrients in the produce the plant makes. Also many farmers are not paid a fair price for this produce. Think more about the cost to the land & the economic health of society. With the organic produce you are getting the food that THEY HAD 100 years ago BEFORE we added all the junk. I personally don't want all the added chemicals on my stuff. A hundred years ago they didn't have the option of eating all the additives & the junk we add. So for me the problem is in the process not the produce.

Organic isn't a trend & it cost more because you are paying the real cost of sustainable food (living wages for farmers, healthier growing process for the plants & the environment, etc.).

Unfortunately many giant companies are jumping on the band wagon & producing products that aren't 100% organic. There is much confusion on what they are allowed to label as organic, & with high dollars urging those in power to side with big business I doubt that will be changed soon. READ LABELS... don't pay more if you aren't getting more.

Now as far as healthier being more expensive, I suggest you check out a natural foods co-op. Most buy in bulk & pass on the savings to their owners. Also many allow anyone to shop (member or not). Plus then you can buy whatever amount you need instead of some predetermined quantity. I know I like the option of getting a cup of sugar rather than having to by the 1 pound bag. Saves me having to spend the extra money when I don't need it all.

I have to agree that the prepacked goods are pricier, there are cost associated with the packing materials & the extra step of packing the product.


I challenge you to do a taste test as well. For me the organic products have a lot more taste than the non.


Either way congrats on taking the step to be better to yourself & getting the good stuff your body needs. Hope you find a way to make it all work for you whatever you decide.