Healthy Eating = Expensive?

Updated 17 July 2020; Original 22 February 2019

Common Wisdom?

There is a common idea that healthy eating has to be expensive. Is this truth or myth?

WebMD, cites an often referenced 2013 study indicating eating healthily cost $1.50 more per day, per person. Over a year that is $547 more per person, and for a family of four that means $2188/year more in food costs. This is a lot of money for people on limited incomes.

Generally, what is not mentioned, is that there are ways to eat healthy and cheaper. Below are some basic approaches to food that can help reduce costs of healthy ingredients..

Eating Healthy + Cheap

Shop Smarter:

I have outlined many ideas on how to shop smarter (Smart Shopping). These ideas will result in paying less for the food you buy in local grocery stores.

The only exception to my suggestions, is if you decide to buy your food at notoriously expensive (1) stores, like Whole Foods.

Learn to Cook:

Use your cooking skills to use up everything you buy and this means planning your meals. Review what you are currently eating, how much does it cost, and consider if it can be done cheaper.

• Learn to cook beans from scratch (real cheap) rather than use canned beans.
• Cook rice (cheap and easy) instead of buying instant rice or boxes of rice pilaf.
• Learn how to make pasta dishes instead of using boxes (mac-n-cheese), and bottles of sauces.
• Learn which pasta-types are cheaper and use those, do not let tradition guide your selection. You can use elbow pasta for spaghetti, you can use spaghetti for soups instead of angel hair, buy based on cost.
• Cook oatmeal or grits instead of instant breakfast cereals or expensive cold cereals. It will stay with you longer, is cheaper, and more nutritious.
• Avoid bottled water, fruit juice, and soda, use reusable water bottles and varied tisanes. Figure out how to make free water a tasty drink.
• Skip buying all desserts, cookies, cupcakes, cakes, etc. Learn to make your own for cheaper yummies.

Shop at Cheaper Places:

Shopping at certain “healthy and popular” stores do cost more. I start my shopping at Monterey Market because they carry mainly produce, bulk and international foods; I can walk out of there with bags of food having spent less money than if I went to that hipper place.

I buy organic and good quality foods at Trader Joes, Lucky, and Costco because they carry things I eat and can be less expensive as well. The key is not sticking to just one store and learn to stay away from expensive places.

Focus On Varied Protein Sources:

Change the focus of your cooking from requiring meat at each meal, to requiring protein. Mix it all up and utilize all the sources of protein that exist.

We already know that protein comes in many forms and once people learn they can get protein and feel full from basic non-meat foods their attitudes may change. Lentils are cheaper than steak, beans are cheaper than hamburger meat, tofu is cheaper than chicken, and so on.

Measure + Reduce Meat Consumption:

I may spend big-bucks buying organic chicken, and grass fed meat at Costco, but once home I break it up into appropriate sized portion bags and freeze them.

This way a whole chicken breast, rather than being eaten up in one sitting, can last for 4 or more different meals. You can extend the use of meat by sticking with the actual recommended portion size (3oz).

Or choose cheaper cuts and use the slow cooker to soften and make that meat taste wonderful.

The last suggestion is to use meat as a part of the whole meal rather than the focus. In other words, adding some beef to a stir-fry or casserole will allow a little to go a long way rather than serving a steak and potato where the size is noticeable.

In-Season Eating:

Increase the amount of in-season veggies and fruits that you eat, which are often cheaper than imported out-of-season food. Grocery stores often have great sales on these foods as they come into season so buy a bunch and learn to longterm store the food by canning or freezing the foods.

At Least Get Pesticide Free:

If you cannot afford organic, at least get pesticide-free food. These days, however, as more farms convert to organic farming, the cost differences are lessoning. Some food you SHOULD get organic due to the pesticides used on these foods (that you do not want to consume).

• potatoes
• strawberries
• spinach
• nectarines
• apples
• grapes
• peaches
• cherries
• pears
• tomatoes
• celery
• bell + hot peppers (1)

Reduce consumption:

Reduce the consumption of junk food, prepackaged food (even if organic), and drinks such as alcohol, soda, and fruit juices.

Reduce the amount of money spent on condiments when you can make most of them cheaper: e.g., mayo, salad dressings, relish, cocktail sauce, pickles, etc.

Learn to make key common sauces, such as spaghetti sauce so you do not buy precooked food.

Reduce candy purchases, choose making your own fruit-based candies, or server fruit directly.

Buy whole foods:

A chunk of cheese is cheaper than several bags of shredded cheese.

Bulk purchasing can sometimes be cheaper, especially nuts, flours, etc.

Salutations

None of these ideas are probably new, we all know how to save money. The point is to be mindful when buying food as well as when eating.

I see more people are emerging from the winter huddling, and the busy Spring time is inching closer. Colors are slowly reviving and buds are just below the surface ready to pop out and welcome the spring. A good time to cook and anticipate the gardens in bloom and the trees with leaves. My lemon  and  lime trees are over producing now and I am giving away fresh, organic citrus to neighborhood friends and work colleagues.

–Patty

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Recipes: I added a basic, no-frills, gluten free cornbread recipe for you to embellish as you want. I have also posted the generic Schnitzel recipe for veggie, chicken, pork or veal lovers out there. In the same vein, I have a fried breaded eggplant recipe that is great with a chutney. I added another salad, a Greek Salad. I also shared my cooking of Swiss chard.

Articles: I added a page on Coffee and SPA Waters and one on how to make your own Mayo.