Does Eating Healthy Cost More?
September 17th, 2008
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by Scott Tousignant · Filed Under: Fat Loss Nutrition
When it comes to fat loss one of the biggest myths is that it costs more to eat healthy. This is nothing more than an excuse and a self limiting belief. I dare you to send me your food bill for the week and I’ll compare it side by side with mine. If you think that living off of fast food and processed food is cheaper, you’ll be in for a shock. Trust me, when you do an honest comparison of how much a person following an unhealthy processed food diet pays for food with how much all of us health conscious people who consume mostly natural foods, you’ll be shopping the outer isles at the supper market like us.
Not quite convinced? Check this out…
Cost Of Healthy Food vs Unhealthy Food
I give some other examples in the video and there are many more examples that I will be showing you. The thing to consider is that when you follow an unhealthy eating program you tend to eat larger quantities of food which ends up costing you much more.
When you follow a healthy nutrition program you become more aware of your portions and your level of satisfaction or fullness during each meal. Your reasons for eating become much different. You eat because you want to provide your body with the best possible fuel to allow you to be the most energetic, focused, and productive person that you can be.
What are your thoughts?
Still not convinced?
Weigh in on this issue by sharing your thoughts and feedback. I want to hear from you. Let your voice be heard by sharing your comments below.
Empower your mind… and your body will follow!
Scott Tousignant
So many people fool themselves into thinking that it costs more to eat healthy. I’m so glad that you pointed this out with real life comparisons. Your video is top notch. I posted it on my blog.
Keep up the good work. Keep educating others to fight the fat.
Lori Bonaparte
I really like that the video asks the question “What is the real cost of not eating healthy??” People are ignorant of this and need to be strongly told. And it is not just about weight issues – there is so much more to our health. Good on you for bringing this home to people.
Sorry Scott, but you can’t get 6 chicken breasts in Canada for $10 and produce is more as well. But I get your point and generally speaking you are correct.
Peter
You make a great point, Scott. I guess, unfortunately, what it comes down to is it being much more convenient to throw 1000 calories of fat and sugar down your throat than it is to prepare some oatmeal, fruit and protein powder, etc.
It’s all just excuses. All the little cliches are true. In this case, where there is a will there is a way. You can eat healthy well within your budget if you desire too.
Great seeing you this weekend! Sorry we didn’t have a chance to talk more.
Jim
That was short, sweet and an excellent way to bring the point home. I’ve been in excellent health and have maintained a healthy weight all my adult life. I also cook and understand nutrition. My husband is the opposite – overweight, unhealthy, and refuses to cook. I seem to be his only source of nutrition – I pack healthy lunches and cook dinner. But I can’t seem to convince him how unhealthy his fast food choices are. I am convinced that most people are lazy and want a fast “fix” to the boredom they feel that makes them overeat.
What a great post! I’ll be forwarding this to many of my fast-food grabbing co-workers!
My wife and I are now struggling with taking this concept to the next level…buying all organic fruits and veggies and grass-fed, pastured dairy and meats. It’s tough to fork over 2 to 3 times more money (if not more) than what it costs for “conventionally raised” meat at the grocery store. I think people and families that are on an *extremely* tight budget would not be able to eat that way.
Rebuttals are welcome!
Peter, you said, “Sorry Scott, but you can’t get 6 chicken breasts in Canada for $10 and produce is more as well.”
I went directly to my deep freezer and pulled out 2 separate packs of chicken breasts that have the price tags on them and they are indeed $10. Here’s the video to prove it…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zaht5byogM
I’m not lying about the prices at all. They are directly from my local supermarket here in Belle River, Ontario, Canada.
Scott J from Ohio, I totally agree with you. When you want to take healthy eating to the next level and buy all organic or free range, it’s absolutely more expensive. Hopefully that comes down in price soon.
Keep the comments coming.
It’s so funny, because I saw a two-page thing in Le Journal de Montréal last week or the week before, about the buying power of the middle classes and how they coped with food prices. Almost all were saying how hard it was, how much more they spend these days, how they were making sacrifices and getting cheaper brands …
I was almost chuckling out loud in the coffee shop where I was reading the paper (for free
).
Our grocery bill has not gone up in the past 6 months. We shop only on the perifery of the store, except to go in for hygiene-stuff and cat/dog food. Luckily, the oats are close to the opening of an isle, as is the organic PB. I agree, the chicken breast is very reasonable, and lately we’ve found them at 2.99/pound and of course filled the freezer! Usual price though would be about 20-22$ for a 6-pack of chicken breast, but even so it’s enough for a lot more meals than just one at a restaurant, or any of the pre-packaged thingies full of “stuff” and unpronounceables.
Cook from scratch and save money.
Hey Scott,
Great video buddy.
You’re right on with your message.
I think its an excuse some people fall back on to not eat healthy.
When you look at the cost of NOT eating healthy (high doctor bills, hospitalization, and medication bills) it seems CRAZY to me NOT to eat healthy.
How much is your health (and a lean physique) worht to you?
Train with purpose,
Kyle Battis
http://www.FatLossLunchBreak.com
Wonderful ADVERTISING………visual is so much more emotional hitting, and that is where we make our food choices – emotionally. Nothing more needs to be said than just to view it – it gets the point across. I would encourage you to go deeper into our social reasons for eating and rewarding ourselves and better choices in those areas, but you’d be into a feature film……Bravo.
I agree that healthy eating can cost less, but where I live in eastern Quebec, chicken, veggies and others are alot more expensive then what was shown. If we stay with the common grocery healthy food we can probably come out with a smaller bill then fast food meals. but if we try to go organic it is pretty expensive. Thank you
Hi Scott,
I really appreciate your website and everything that you provide here, it is excellent! I would just like to make a point though about the cost of food. When you are trying to live off a student’s income (next to nothing) it is hard to afford to fill your meals with lean proteins, vegetables and natural grain fed etc etc. I try my best to eat healthy but it is alot cheaper to use rice, noodles and bread (I always try to buy the wholegrain of course) as fillers for meals. Veges and fruits can’t be my main component as they should for a healthy diet, because they simply cost too much. An example: I like to eat mushrooms with my breakfast but it cost $10 (AUD) for two small packets! I can stretch this out to accompany 6 breakfast meals, but it all adds up in the shopping bill. I think you make a good point about fast food though! And to back up your point about it not being cheap, I find it much too expensive to live off! (Even when I wasn’t trying to be healthy I could only afford to eat take out once or twice a week if even at all). Thankyou again for the excellent resources you provide here on this website, it makes it much easier for *poor* people like me :p!!!
I think Peter must, Like me, live in BC.
Chicken is very expensive here and that package of breasts you show for $10 is anywhere from 14-18 dollars here. Our produce though, is relatively cheap. I have ALWAYS shopped the outside aisles and only venture down a couple of aisles for staples. Aisle 11 (pop and chips) doesn’t get visited at all. My husband went from 335 to 215 after our marriage because he had to eat my way. I run into people in the stores with carts piled with boxes and they complain how expensive it is to eat healthy~ uh . . . those boxes cost way more than fruit and vegetable, organic or not!!! Absolutely people use convenience for an excuse. NOT ME. Great post, great video, Scott. Good for you!
Great comments everyone… keep em coming!
Joyce said, “I would encourage you to go deeper into our social reasons for eating and rewarding ourselves and better choices in those areas, but you’d be into a feature film”
…You can count on me covering that issue for sure. As for the feature film, look for it late winter or early spring because it’s in the making now.
Thanks Sarah, cooking from scratch is definitely the way to go. I showed the loaded chicken salad in the video. When I make it myself it cost $3. If I buy it in a restaurant it would cost me $7.
As for the chicken breast that I showed in the video response to Peter’s comment, chances are they were on sale. Angie and I always stock up on healthy foods when we see it on sale. In our community chicken breasts go on sale very regularly.
I plan on taking my video camera into the local supermarket to give you a good look at how we shop.
You are so bang on! We spend much less on fresh real clean food than we ever did on boxed instant garbage. I like to eat out once in a while, but it costs like $40+ to go out for lunch with my 3 children. Most days I can make lunch for our family of 5 for $10-$12. A lot, but not all people live in what I call the age of instant gratification. There is so much self-worth in working hard for something. We grow a veggie garden every year, we are lucky to have fruit trees nearby. There is something very wrong with the fact that fresh local fruits, veggies, meat, poultry etc. are not the cheaper foods that are more readily available. I respect the way you are not afraid to say what needs to be said. I consider my family lucky that my youngest son has allergies to some food additives so we cannot eat alot of prepared food. I consider it a blessing for all our health. Keep up the good work!
I think you make a good point about fast food being more expensive. I do agree with Felicity though, that eating lean protein, fruit, nuts, fish etc is more expensive then living on bread, pasta, mince etc. Thats the way we used to eat. Now we buy more veggies, more fruit, more nuts and in SA it is quite expensive to buy lean meat. Our food bill has gone up since we started eating healthy food. But more important is the question “what is the real cost of unhealthy eating”. You can see the answer on Scott’s video. I will rather spend a little more money, live healthy and feel healthy.
Great video but I HATE THE MUSIC. Can you guys start using music which appeals to someone over 30 please? (I was going to say “over 17″ but then I thought you might get insulted LOL).
I agree that you can eat very healthy on a budget. But I like what Ursula had to say… ‘what is the real cost of unhealthy eating”.
I don’t think many people really want to know the answer to that. In fact, they would probably reject it.
Personally, my grocery bill is probably 4 times the normal person because of my nature to spoil myself with the best raw foods on the planet. I have no problem dropping a ton of cash on great food.
It’s the one thing that I allow myself to not hold back on no matter what.
So while you can eat healthy for cheap, when you go for raw cacao bars at $10 a pop it is a bit out of most people’s range.
I’m a believer Scott – there is absolutely NO REASON to believe that eating healthier costs a lot more than eating unhealthy foods.
I try to take a broader perspective when figuring out our overall food costs. I believe that eating as healthy as you can is literally akin to paying for health insurance. Just by actively taking care of your health through proper nutrition and exercise will always considerably decrease your risk for countless medical conditions.
My wife and I now consider our grocery bill as a way of “insuring our future health.” This new mindset gives us a new perspective on paying for our health, and has helped us get over the “rising cost of food” excuse/barrier.
Just last night, we hit the grocery store together. When we compiled our shopping list, we both decided NOT to consider our food choices based on price. We decided to add everything to the list that would work towards our goals, regardless of how much this grocery bill would cost us. We were shocked that our bill actually came out $20 lower than it has been for the last several weeks.
Like I said, I’m a believer!
John Sifferman NSCA-CPT
http://JohnSifferman.com
http://BurnTheFat.com
P.S. It was very nice meeting you in CT this weekend – I had a great time hanging out!
My problem is that eating really healthy versus slightly healthy can be a cost problem. For example, it is very expensive to eat enough protein. It is dirt cheap to fill up on white pasta and sugar-laden tomato sauce. It is much more expensive to buy whole wheat pasta, add a good amount of lean protein to that (sure, fat-filled ground beef can be cheap, ground turkey, never), and buy tomatoes to have a clean, healthy meal. Cereal is another one, I want something like Kashi, but that is twice as expensive as some sugar-laden malt-o-meal. I’ll give you that fast food is often more expensive, but walking the fine line between cheap things made with sugar and high fructose corn syrup and getting real food brings my grocery bill up, quite a lot.
To lower the cost of healthy organic food I buy my stuff right off the farm. You can cut your costs by half! Especially for eggs and meats.
The reason for this is you cut out distributer costs and grocery store mark ups. Another bonus is that all the food is fresh. Meats are frozen but that is ok. You also have direct contact with the farmer and see what the growing conditions are and what farming practices they use.
Plus you know that the money you are spending is local and that has great environmental bonuses.
It takes time and effort to do this but it is well worth it.
healthyfitmom.com/blog
Haha this is hilarious! I’m writing a newspaper article on this now actually. How about some more real life comparisons?
2 Liter Bottle of Coca-Cola – 1.79 vs. a Half Gallon jug of 2% milk -2.59
Wheat Bread- 3.39 vs. white bread- 3.19
still think it doesn’t cost more to eat healthy? e-mail me at sillykitty1440@yahoo.com if you want more comparisons..
RIGHT ON SCOTT! The same question was ask to me, not long ago at the office cafeteria. Everyday I take my own lunch (cook veggies or a salad, fruit for mid day break or oat meal)eveything home made. Everybody at my office buy french fries, pizza, hamburguers, burritos, chocolate cake, sodas, cookies, potato chips, etc….
When somebody asked is I probably was spending more than them, I LAUGH OUT LOUD, impossible, but I try explain the results, just exactly like your video with the fat AS…, and then the whole table shut-up and change the subject. Lately a couple of them are bringing home made lunch and the rest getting fat.
I´m lucky, because in Guatemala fruit and veggies grow all year long, some months are more expensive than others, because of the raining season, but it is affordable. I spend a week for 2 papayas, 2 pineapples, 1 melon, 4 apples, 4 grapefruits, 7 appricots, 1 watermelon, aprox. $15.00 no counting the veggies and all the supermarket stuff. I guess I should be sending fruit to all your members.
GREAT ARTICLE AND VIDEO!
Rosie, Guatemala City
Scott,
Great vid! Eating healthy doesn’t have to break the bank. If you buy and cook in bulk, you can save even more.
The undeniable cost of eating cheap is an unhealthy and unattractive body. You can’t begin to put a price tag on this.
Would most people spend and extra $15 a week to look and feel better than ever before? I hope so. That’s probably what it breaks down to.
hi i’m from Australia, i thought i’d throw in my 2 cents worth (that wont get you much here!).
I too try to buy/cook in bulk- love my freezer.and i agree with catherine about local buying!
While i agree in some ways that healthier eating can be cheaper than fast food (especially if you eat takeout most meals) , but there is always a tradeoff- time money and ethics. i like to complicate things for myself! i too am a student- cash and time poor, but my partner is a professional athlete, so requires high quality protein,specialist supplements and spirulina etc etc. (and eats 4x what i do ).
IF i had the courage of my convictions i would only buy free range organic meat,gluten free breads/flour, organic local produce, fairtrade,recyclable packaging but then we couldn’t afford to eat more than 2 days out of the week. Or i could go completely grassroots and grow all my own= cost of TIME!!! thats too extreme for me!
i have to admit i’m a hypocrite as i still indulge in fast food and junk on tri weekly basis cos it can taste great and i’m lazy BUT i make better choices now- small chips and a skinless breast piece, water, not burger and a shake- costs the same though!!. i compromise.
i have some partial solutions- i work at local farmers markets on weekends- get free free-range organic eggs and fruit from people i work for, but have to buy the big chain chicken breast as its half the pric (Aus$10-16 perkg vs up to 27/kg for freerange/orangic, and beef is usually13-25+/kg depending on cut!thats not org or anything either) not sure how that works in US$ but it adds up!
Add in the fact i’m actually allergic to the salicilates in most raw fruit plus some vegies and my antihistimines cost a lot ( an would-be environmental manager whos allergic to natural foods- bit of a laugh!).
How does one resolve that? Srry if it sounds like complaining, but it makes me wonder how most people can say its hard to eat healthy when they have simpler choices to make?
i’ll get off my high horse now.
Eating healthy foods not necessarily mean that you have to buy expensive foods just to become healthy. There are some vegetables that are cheaper. If you need help during down times, payday loans can be just what the doctor ordered. Prices are going up these days, even that of groceries, especially if you are among those who endeavor to eat healthier, buying fresher produce and leaner meats. Seeing the Victoria’s Secret models or Gerard Butler stirs many people to exercise more and eat healthier to look better and be healthy. Now, those are good things – living healthier is a concern for all Americans as our obesity rates rise – but those healthy groceries and gym memberships add up, and it is hard to always summon the motivation after a long day at the office. Eating right and living healthy is vital to a long and healthy life, but real medical emergencies are even more expensive. Clinic visits or trips to see a specialist add up quickly, and the bill can be into the thousands even if you have insurance. Affording the things that are necessary to healthy living can be difficult, as can anything, and if you have a sudden shortage, and you need a pick me up to enhance your financial health, payday loans could very well be the correct prescription for you. Click to read more on Payday Loans.
While preparing full meals, for me, like garlic chicken and steamed broccoli with almond shavings does fill me up and cost very little, for small meals or meals of convenience it seems that the healthier food cost more and fills me up less for example I’ll eat a yogurt with granola and two apples and be famished but I’ll grab two slices of pizza and be good to go for the next 5 hours. I think there is a trend in the US to choose meals of convenience over meals of substance. Tanking the time to plan out a week of meals then shop to the plan is absent in most American families. Cooking is becoming a lost art now that microwaving already prepared foods or tossing them into the oven for 20 minuets is so much more convenient.