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Most “healthy” frozen dinners are $5 and up!
I got a tip by email alerting me to this Newsweek article. Apparently too many poor people in rural areas are having to buy high-carb, high-fat foods because that is simply what is available in those towns. Often fruits and vegetables just aren’t available in plentiful supply – and we know how expensive some of those have gotten to be.
I really enjoy fresh cherries, for instance, and those are currently $8 a pound where I live. Most fresh fruits and vegetables are getting more expensive – besides, say, potatoes and corn (and corn is actually a grain, not a vegetable).
Whether healthy food is too expensive is a constant debate on health and fitness blogs among the commenters. Some say it can be done – you just have to shop the sales and look in grocery circulars every week to see what is cheap. Others admit that their grocery bill has gotten much heftier since they started to “eat healthy.”
I’m in the camp that says it can be done, but you have to be careful what you buy. Most boxed and packaged “organic” food is extremely expensive. If you stick to the perimeters of the grocery store, buying only meat, fruits and veggies that are on sale (better yet, frozen or canned), dairy, bread, etc, you should be fine. Also, beans are an inexpensive way to get your protein – sometimes cheaper than 50 cents a can.
Finally, most grocery stores offer free value cards. You can find additional savings on many products around the store with your card (We have one for both grocery stores we go to, and the savings really do add up).
Claire
As a widowed and partially disabled mother of 2, I can tell you that healthy foods like fresh fruits and veggies are simply too expensive for me.
I am on a strict budget which leaves me roughly $26o per month for groceries. That is simply not enough to keep 3 teens in food for an entire month, even with them in school.
Something really needs to change here. It is unacceptable that low income families or those families on a strictly fixed income cannot buy the foods that are healthful and beneficial to their kids, and themselves. Completely unacceptable.
PS:
haven’t had refined sugar in many years. subsituting the small amount of butter for
the genetically modified soybean oil made
a big difference in vitality.
it certainly can be done eating some of the highest quality foods for $100 – 150 month,
very easily… for me it has taken 30 years of
very gradual adjustments and it only makes
sense with health being one of your most
valuable commodities.. in addition the overall
performance enhancements that translates
in all areas of life. although it’s only main
area of a balance lifestyle… the quality of
the food, is very important.. there’s alot
of truth to live soil yielding really good quality food
1568 days ago
[...] Burning the Scale: Is Healthy Food Too Expensive? [...]
Frozen entrees are rarely a good deal, even when they’re not organic. I agree it can be done, Kristen, it just takes some doing. For instance, cherries, while totally delicious, aren’t really in season. You might be better off buying naval oranges, clementines, pears, bananas, and apples until the winter chill wears off.
Thanks Kristen, that’s a great tip!
A great place to check for cheaper produce is at ethnic food markets. It depends on the individual market, of course, but you can find some amazing organic produce for a fraction of the price!