It does cost more in time and money to be healthy, as you need to balance your diet, plus also ensure what you buy is the healthiest version. That means checking labels, and prices. I'm a vegetarian, and not all vegetarian food is as healthy as people think, so I do have the check for protein levels, and how much sugar or salt is added. I recently had an organic cauliflower and I could taste the difference, but the price between that and a regular one was nearly double, so yes it can cost more, but it's not right the difference is that much.
Eating healthily doesnt cost more, fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables are some of the cheapest things you can buy and I stock up on tinned fruit too. I've never been to a gym, exercise is free.
I disagree. Have you seen the prices of some of those foods that are full pf preservatives? On top of that, eating healthy means different things to different people, so the diet requirements are often different, hence the price vary. I think we can all agree though, that good food is not cheaper than crappy foods. This is why it sucks to be poor. Sure, you can be economical with the money you spend on foods,but nine times out of ten you are screwed because the crappy foods are all you are going to be able to aford.
I totally agree that being healthy and fit is a big commitment and costs you a lot of time. But that's mainly for planning things like what to eat and when and where to work out. I don't think it's any more expensive to eat healthy, you just need to know how to plan meals and where to look for new meal ideas. I personally spend much less when buying healthy food to cook from scratch than if I were to buy pre packaged meals and other processed food. The cost for a gym membership however, is another matter
Fresh and frozen fruit and veg don't have preservatives? I'm in the UK and our fruit and veg is just fruit and veg, pusles and beans are cheap too. It's far cheaper for me to buy healthier foods and cut down down on red meat, sugar and pasta. I buy tinned tinned fish which is healthy and cheap and frozen vegetables are extremely good value.
It depends on what you normally buy and when. In general, a vegetarian diet is less expensive than buying meats and so forth. The costs of those meat products can be astronomical. I mean it may be more expensive to buy organic, but I don't think you need organic foods to be healthy. I think seeking a variety of fruits and vegetables in different colors, and lean proteins are a way to be healthy, and it doesn't have to be more expensive.
I agree with @Lisa Davis, healthy foods are generally more expensive, especially if you're interested in buying organic. Not every area has a farmer's market, and not everyone has access to the best food. I'm not going to jump on the original poster and say that a generic package of vitamins will make her healthy. Some people require extra vitamins and supplements just to stay healthy, and not everyone can take cheap vitamins and supplements, which sometimes have fillers and other unhealthy ingredients. One thing you can do, rather than spending money on a gym membership, is use your own body weight as resistance. There are numerous sites with information about how you can do it. If you're out of shape, be sure to pick one that corresponds to your fitness level. Here's one that has quite a bit of information and variety of exercises.Log In Corner Stretches and incline push ups are something you can do when just starting out, and also after an injury. I learned these after I was injured, and they're a great way to get started getting back into shape. Here's a page with information about exercises for upper extremities.Log In
I mean the unhealthy foods. Healthy foods don't have preservatives. I am in the UK too. I don't know what area of the UK that you live in in comparison to mine - so the prices might differ. But you see it with peolpe on benefits. They on;y have enough money to buy unhealthy foods, because the organic fresh and healthy foods cost too much. They would not be able to live on what they get from the state.
That's the thing though, organic food is very expensive, I don't know why people think they have to buy organic? I've had a very unhealthy diet in the past and I've switched between healthy and unhealthy a lot. I agree that things like frozen pizza and pies are cheap, but for the same price as low end frozen pizza you can buy a kilo bag of frozen cauliflower. A bag of carrots costs about 50p (and I live in an area that has a higher than average cost of living). I currently earn a lower than average wage and so does my partner, we do not have a lot of money and our diet has improved because we are now buying cheaper foods like vegetables, lentils, chick peas etc. and cooking from scratch.
I feel like it costs a lot extra, healthy products, organic products in general are so much more expensive. You just see how much more expensive shopping at whole foods is then shopping at a regular supermarket. I love shopping at Whole Foods for example, I spent so much it is so just discouraging. Not to mention, if you want to work out, the gear is expensive, shoes are expensive, good outfits for sweating or expensive and if you want to sign up for the gym that is usually not cheap either.
I think if someone is spending a lot on healthy food, they don't know what healthy is. There will always be more expensive foods, no matter how healthy or not. You work around those. Sometimes my fave fruit is way more expensive than usual.. I just don't buy them at that time or I cut down and work around it. If you always compare a food to a food, you can justify bad habits. If you compare our entire grocery bills though, I promise I'll have spent less and will feel more satiated after each meal. There are plenty of super cheap crappy foods.. but if you're truly interested in getting over those addictions, you can find healthy foods just as cheap.
Organic does not necessarily mean healthy, true. Sometimes it is just that that you are paying for - the organic label. My experience is different than yours is on this topic though. It is not cheaper to buy and eat healthily. The crappy foods are 99p where were are, and the healthy version of it are in the pounds region. This seems to happen across the shelves. That's not to say that this cannot be combat. I am sure a bit of wondering around and organizational skills would carve out a way to eat more healthy for cheaper. But the immediate thing that greets you when you look into this is that the crappy foods are much cheaper.
What kind of foods are you talking about? If you try to find healthy versions of unhealthy foods it will be expensive. I keep saying it but seriously, vegetables don't cost a lot. Healthy versions of ready meals do, but a bag of carrots, frozen spinach, potatoes, cauliflower, peas, chick peas, onions, chilli, garlic etc is really, really cheap. You can buy a bag of porridge oats for about £2 (sometimes less) and that will provide at least 15 servings, that's breakfast for 2 people for a week. Plus milk which is about £3 a week on average. You can make a basic salad with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and onion. Those 4 ingredients combined cost about £1.50 and you can get 4 or 5 servings out of them. That's lunch 5 days a week for one person for £1.50. If you buy 3 lots of that its £4.50 and will feed 2 people lunch for a week. You can buy a bag of potatoes for around £2, a bag of carrots for 50p, a bag of spinach for £1, a bag of cauliflower for £1, 4 tins of chick peas for £1.50, 4 tins of tomatoes for £1...there are many more. That list of food can feed 2 adults for a week for about £15. There are obviously many other combinations of food but I am trying to give a realistic example of how you can eat healthily and cheaply. The problem is not that healthy food is expensive, it's that people don't want to change their diet.
In fact striving to be healthy should cost less. Some of the methods used to achieve this end are quite cheap to use. Fasting is one example and its a good method of detox. Drinking lots of water is another and so are walking exercises and sightseeing the countryside which would be a good alternative to the gym. Most foods required to keep one healthy are among the cheapest especially the veggies category.
Well firstly, healthy foods is sort of a subjective thing. Every body needs different nourishment according to a multitude of factors. So just from that alone, experiences are going to differ, which is why what you are saying can be correct, as well as what I am saying. I am not saying that people not wanting to change their diet is not a problem. But it does not sit well with what I am trying to convey to you. Healthy foods can be more expensive according to what one might perceive as healthy for them. I am talking from my own experience, not from a general perspective, although I can see how what you are saying can be applied. Limited food knowledge also comes into this. Limited cooking and preparation and organizational skills comes into how much food will cost you when you go shopping.
Oh so true and from a health point of view - this unfortunately is one of the main reasons - why not only have global obesity levels actually reached epidemic proportions - but more importantly - why the number of people dying at an early age from obesity related diseases - continues to escalate at a phenomenal rate. In fact to put it into perspective - as a healthy diet generally consists of nothing more than eating a wide variety of natural foods cooked from scratch - the majority of which are natural plant based foods - such as fruit, vegetables, beans, grains, legumes, pulses, nuts and seeds - all of which are not only extremely inexpensive - but everyday foods that can be found on the shelves of almost every supermarket or grocery store - there is in reality - absolutely no reason why anyone should ever find healthy eating expensive Particularly bearing in mind - that as you get a larger quantity of better quality food for your money - as these staples cost way less than chemically concocted processed foods - and they go much further too - they are in fact ideal if on a super tight budget - as you really can't go too far wrong - so long as you always have these staples along with a few herbs and spices in the store cupboard - especially as with a bit of creativity - you can easily turn those basic ingredients into tasty, very substantial, healthy meals at very little cost - for example - just combining one or all those ingredients together and adding a little bit of almost anything you fancy - from lean meat, fish, egg, cheese to seasonal vegetables - would easily provide a family of four with nourishing very satisfying meals for 2 to 3 days for well under $5. Therefore - as from a health point of view - eating real food is way more beneficial than consuming chemical concoctions masquerading as food - the latter of which is exactly what convenience foods are and from a monetary point view - real food is way, way cheaper to buy than processed food and you get a whole lot more food for your money too - surely this a win, win situation all round.
See? Now, for my dietary needs, a lot of the foods that you mentioned above would not be healthy or beneficial for me. Everybody and their mama, these days, has some sort of health condition that results from a poor diet coupled with biological diversity and such. Some nutritionists take the stance that everything in moderation is not actually as good for you as people like to say it is, even when you are exercising a diet of a particular group of healthy foods. Eating healthy foods is much more beneficial than those processed foods. Another point that one could make is that raw foods go off quicker than preserved unhealthy foods, so people will often buy these raw foods, and not eat them fast enough, so the foods go off, and they wasted their money. Many factors to be considered here.
Well here's the thing - although its true that taste and calorie requirements are generally regarded as subjective - as they vary from person to person - nutrient requirements however would not be - for the simple reason that - even though the quantities may vary slightly - the actual nutrients the human body requires in order to function correctly are more or less the same for everyone. Also although I would agree that in some instances people's perception of what healthy eating is - can and does - often without realizing - contribute greatly to making unhealthy food choices and especially so if combined with limited nutritional knowledge - as there is however - a wealth of information on basic nutrition and how to eat healthily available to virtually everyone these days and from many well respected and reputable sources too - there is absolutely no reason why anyone should be eating an unhealthy diet if they don't want to - which of course just adds strength to the age old problem - that people will use any excuse not to change their diet. Another point yes - but not a very valid one - particularly bearing in mind that - as this is yet another area where there is a wealth of information on proper food storage - including the many, many different ways of avoiding food spoilage so that it doesn't go to waste unnecessarily - freely available to anyone that is interested - this isn't in reality something that would be a problem – especially as - it can easily be solved by those that actually want to.
I disagree that healthy foods are subjective. Healthy foods are healthy foods. People do have different nutritional requirements, some people are lactose intolerant, diabetic, coeliac or need to have low potassium diets. But with all of those dietary needs it is still not necessary for expensive foods to be bought. Unless someone is allergic to fruit and vegetables (and I am allergic to certain fresh fruit-that's why I buy my fruit tinned) or allergic to pulses and oats etc there is no reason for a healthy diet to be expensive. Pulses, grains, oats etc last ages. Fruit and vegetables do not lose any of their nutritional value if they are frozen or tinned. I think the point that me and @gata montes are trying to make is that there are not that many factors to be considered at all. There are not many people who are unable to eat fruits, vegetables, lentils, chick peas, legumes etc. And all of those foods are healthy and available either tinned or frozen and are cheap. If you have some simple herbs and spices and some garlic it is so easy to make tasty, healthy food. There simply is no need for a healthy diet to be expensive if the person doing the food shopping and cooking is willing to put the thought in.
Exactly.. healthy isn't subjective. Animal products are, but thankfully, everyone can survive without them and that's an even greater savings.. eating animals is expensive and unhealthy ("lean" or not). There isn't one person on this planet, that I'm aware of, that is unable to eat healthful food.. REAL food. Maybe they can't eat onions, or they can't eat spinach or something, for whatever reason.. but all healthful foods? There is always a way to fill the basket and always a way to keep cost down while doing it. Can everyone eat unhealthfully? Across the board, no.. there are always consequences no matter how long you live. And in the broader view, it's more expensive. Neither can be said about healthy eating. Everyone can eat healthfully.. we're obligate plant eaters. Not obligate meat and junk food eaters lol.. we won't die without them. We will die without actual foods though and thankfully they're affordable to boot. Our quality of life is too important not to spend the extra time to figure out how to eat healthfully and affordably. A small inconvenience and then you're set for every shopping trip that follows. There will always be people in food deserts that we can throw into the convo, but that's another topic lol.
