Is Healthy Food Actually Not That Costly?

A reader recently sent me a link to an interesting article in the Huffington Post which discussed whether eating healthy food truly is more expensive than eating at fast food restaurants.

“The government says it all depends on how you measure the price. If you compare the price per calorie – as some previous researchers have done – then higher-calorie pastries and processed snacks might seem like a bargain compared with fruits and vegetables, but comparing the cost of foods by weight or portion size shows that grains, vegetables, fruit and dairy foods are less expensive than most meats or foods high in saturated fat, added sugars or salt.”, the article states.

Another thing to take into consideration, along with price per portion, is to change one’s perception of cost at the grocery store.   If you’re coming from a background of hardly ever shopping for yourself, then certainly, the bill for a week’s worth of provisions is going to seem astronomical, when compared to, well, zero.

However, if you break down the total into seven days, then again into five meals, that will quite likely put your mind at ease in terms of how much you’re actually spending per meal.

I did this quick analysis for the grocery bill for my husband and myself and the total netted out to $7.14/meal.  I’m not sure where I’d find an already-prepared organic, fresh, local, balanced Paleo meal at that price!

Of course, this doesn’t solve the problem up for discussion on my blog last week about the many people who can barely afford to even eat at fast food restaurants, so please don’t read with the idea that I’m proposing that changing one’s perspective of their personal food costs is a quick fix solution.

Just a brief reminder, though, to anyone who’s reading who can afford to buy healthy fresh food:  what you purchase just as much as what you don’t sends a message to the supplier.   The mere act of not purchasing junk, fast food, refined, packaged ‘food’stuffs and the like, if done in large enough measure, can make a statement, loud and clear.

Every action has consequence, sometimes favorable and sometimes not so much; let’s not forget to think about what we’re saying indirectly when those of us who are in a position financially to make a choice,  choose to buy poor quality items to eat.

And then let’s be sure not to buy the junk!