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Healthy food options are expensive ?
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Cooking does provide healthy food if one choose the right type of food. You could also control and monitor what you would like to add into your dish for example the amount of health aromatic herbs,amount of seasoning, the type and amount of oil and most importantly the way you prepare the dish as different preparation does poses different health benefits. For example, steam is provide better health benefits than deep fry . Furthermore, it is cheaper compare to if you dine out.
To ignore healthy options mean you have a choice. And yes, they’re more expensive. I was poor and raised on a mostly unhealthy diet, but through the years and with some small affluence and education, I’ve eaten more healthy. But now I’m retired on a small pension, and my diet is mixed. Can’t afford Whole Foods anymore; my dollars have to stretch. Money!
Hope that helps.
64 months ago
It is true but it turned to be even a myth at a certain point. Obviously meat and fish are expensive, pulses are not. Increasing the variety of vegetable and fruit will hel and is not really expensive. Avoid buying process food is another suggestion, if you cook it yourself is cheaper and maybe even more tastier and fresher. Healthy does not necessarily means expensive.
Here it is with an interesting example, https://www.organics.org/why-is-the-price-of-healthy-food-so-high/
I agree with you; healthy food is better.. But we shop at corner stores and lately at the CVS for staples where there are few fresh vegetables. or fruits.. When we go to Supermarkets, we typically buy processed because they're cheaper. Sometimes 5 cans for $1. And we do eat fresh vegetables, but maybe add salty meats for spice. I still do after trying the organic alternatives. And frankly, fruits are expensive.
And by the way, we can eat healthy when we need to. If nothing else has changed the way we eat, it has been the Diabetes epidemic. I believe that nothing has changed our eating habits more that this diagnosis, but also that nothing will change it more than to make the healthy alternatives less expensive and more readily available.
I've contributed all I can. Greater minds than I, I'm sure, have the answers. Enjoyed the dialogue and the desire to help.
64 months ago
FAST FOOD IS EXPENSIVE AND UNHEALTHY
OMG - Whole grains and raw foods, eggs, milk and chicken [staples etc]; have never been cheaper in the USA. And, when one commodity rises in price; there are always substitutions.
It’s just that they have to be cooked and prepared; that takes a bit of time and know-how. And, they are not expensive and unhealthy like fast food. Far, too many folks succumb to Madison Avenue marketing and advertising. SHAMEFUL!
64 months ago
So - cooking can provide you healthy food within the same budget. Agree / Disagree ?
It is true that Healthy food are slightly more expensive but in the long run if we sum up the health benefits vs diseases that are associated with unhealthy diet, it is actually cheaper and contributes to better quality of life. Healthy diet is akin to a life long insurance investment for our health. Money can't buy health!
Interesting report from British Medical Journal -
As per results healthier food-based diet patterns cost an average of $1.49 more than less healthy patterns. Any thoughts -
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/12/e004277.full?sid=820d6e1a-280e-47a6-b8c5-498bfa4657e3
The production of healthy food is more costly as it requires more resources. Technology may support, but in general it is not to change. Of course, on the long-run, the costs of cheap food may be higher, as you have to add higher healthcare costs or even damage to environment. As these costs are not transparently calculated to food (as for example tax), consumers don't pay this at the start, but eventually much later in life.
In many societies food is part of the culture. Low quality food damages the culture. It can lower people's drive and due to this, reduce growth of economy. As the Roman politician and general Decimo Junio Juvenal said: "Mente sana en cuerpo sana".
This is a great question/debate! Over the years, I have done research on this topic. No one simple answer, but there are food deserts in urban settings where fresh fruits/vegetables do not exist and only packaged and processed foods are available, whatever the cost.
If you have no food allergies or restrictions than here is my advice:
In regards to cost, when on a low cost budget, buy in bulk and store foods in containers for durability. Fresh fruits and vegetables should be purchased in season to minimize cost. I used to buy nuts and seeds in bulk and ate them throughout the week in small increments in snack bags I brought to work. Preparing your food at home takes time but is always better for you and less costly than relying on someone else...
Shop the perimeter of a store for healthier foods and look for sale items. Buy cereals that are on sale. Make a meal at home and freeze it or eat it more than once that week to save money. When at restaurants, order a full meal and eat half, take the other half for lunch or dinner the next day. No cost that day! Drink more water, tap is fine, it's free at restaurants and work and very inexpensive at home. Buy lost cost whole wheat bread, freeze it as needed, not expensive to make sandwiches for lunch with cheese, peanut butter, eggs, canned fish, etc.
Good luck and stay healthy!
There are many “Deserts” within communities that generate the majority of US healthcare expenditures, and some beyond these. Of which, many are preventable, and/or avoidable. They include however are not limited to:
- Food
- Education ( Patient, Public School, and Health-Wellness-Well-being)
- Behavioral Health Intervention
- Legal Assistance
- Employment
- Transportation
There are others such as access to wholistic care, and within many urban communities access to open spaces conducive to building and sustaining wellness and well-being healthy lifestyle.
From a healthcare delivery perspective disparity (healthcare and health inequity) outcomes may often be a result and aftermath of systemic issues, which linger unaddressed often inadvertently. And there is much to be said regarding a paradox of healthcare delivery that needs not exist in contemporary care delivery. Meaning, there is limited to no mechanisms among healthcare providers that tracks, measures, and proves whether and when “deserts (social determinants of health)” issues have been addressed thus health and healthcare disparity lingers.
In the final analysis the “food desert issue” discussed is only one among many deserts (SDoH) to be journeyed by vulnerable populations before good health and wellness may be achieved and costly acute and chronic illnesses avoided and/or prevented. Given the very real limits of healthcare provider resources, as a community aspires health, both private and public industry has a significant role to play. ROI, potentially, is remarkable for all parties concerned. Hence the noteworthy ABJ health venture collaborative.
Agreed, personal responsibility is paramount, and must be. But how does one avoid the question whether the next generation of babies born into abject poverty (for example) are personally responsible for the condition of the environment they’re born into and correcting it at birth? This may be a condition of ghetto life, and/or abject poverty. These are the very zip code areas within America wherein avoidable shorter life expectancy has become a kind of accepted norm and, is the origin of avoidable catastrophic health cost directly link to significant increases in insurance premiums aimed at mitigating financial losses generated by preventable catastrophic health expenditures.
One may spend an entire lifetime and generations over educating self, thinking of self, analyzing shortcomings of their fellow man for the sake of self, and so-called collaborating to only once again find themselves debating and analyzing for self sake, thus never focusing on solutions. Meaning, never converting data analytics into effective transformational action as if fearful of the inevitability of failure that cannot be avoided in the more noble disciplines of action, progress, and transformation.
To think one may address “every human foible or moral hazard” is irresponsible altruism. However, it is also fiscally irresponsible (from a healthcare delivery perspective) and evidence of moral bankruptcy forgoing focusing on and implementing solutions unveiled through observation of studies that suggest, to a significant extent, ability to reduce total cost of care, improve patient experience and outcomes, and literally transform community health environments responsible for shorter life expectancy and population health events issues leading up to this particular morally unacceptable community health outcome. US healtcare is better than the patient outcomes and healthcare total cost of care seemly acquiesced to. Healthcare transformation requires boldnes, courage, and uncommon capacity to serve and to sacrifice.
It is almost five times more expensive to order delivery from a restaurant than it is to cook at home.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/priceonomics/2018/07/10/heres-how-much-money-do-you-save-by-cooking-at-home/#128596e435e5
David E. Marcinko MBBS-MD DPM MBA MEd CMP® as you rightly mentioned,
First of all, how do you define "healthy food"? In order to answer, it is imperative to understand the context of healthy food in this discussion. Is it regarding organic food? Vegetarian? Balanced diet?
Does organic Food consider as healthy food? Why organic food is pricier than non organic food? Organic food claims that they are pesticide free. Are you convince with the claim and does pesticide free does bring real benefits to our health?What is your opinion regarding organic food?
Many think that healthy food should be expensive. But look at this comparison, What do you think? The same amount of money you could spend on a fast food is the same for a basket of apples (+-10) or any fruits. so does healthy food really expensive? I think that i depend on the consumer on what and how you spend. If you spend wisely healthy food is actually the same price as "non healthy food"
Just as Patrick Henz commented. Food choices are in tied with many cultural aspect in various countries and continent. Thus, different culture might poses different perspective regarding "healthy food". For example in mexico, burrito and tortilla could be consider healthier compared to flauta or crepes! In Asian continent, steam brown unpolished rice is consider healthier than white fried rice. So, the cultural impact upon food choices would influence the definition of health food and the price of healthy food.
David E. Marcinko MBBS-MD DPM MBA MEd CMP® “Feed a man teach a man” within some circles of evolved critical thought is considered a false construct. For edification purposes, passion and emotion notwithstanding, FYI:https://youtu.be/fPcIumnhB8I