Eating Healthy IS More Expensive!

[mellowsong]

By AMINA KHAN Los Angeles Times
Friday, Aug. 5, 2011

Buyer, beware: Eating as healthy as Uncle Sam suggests may end up costing hundreds of dollars extra per year, a new paper in the journal Health Affairs says.

The study looked at what it would take to try to meet the federal Dietary Guidelines for 2010 for fiber, calcium and other nutrients, and limiting fat and sugar intake accordingly.

Researchers from the University of Washington surveyed 2,001 residents of King County in Washington about their diet and nutrition. Almost across the board, eating more nutrient-dense foods rather than empty-calorie junk foods came at a hefty price. For every extra 1 percent of daily calories in the form of added sugar, the consumer saved $25.55 a year. A little more saturated fat cut the annual food bill by a hefty $102.20.

Raising the average respondent's paltry consumption of fiber just 10 percent would cost an extra $54.75 a year. Raising potassium intake an extra 10 percent cost $189.80. In fact, the study found that for potassium alone, raising the average person's intake (2,800 mg) to the recommended daily value (3,500 mg) would cost the consumer about $380 more per year. Ouch.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/08/05/3818877/eating-healthy-nutrient-rich-foods.html

[mellowsong]

And this doesn't take going organic/grass fed into account!!! Wonder if the great JM will read this? LOL

[Islander]

I'd love to see the details of this study because I simply don't believe it. This is similar to those reports that tell you that raising a child to the age of 18 will cost you some six-figure amount. That assumes that you are buying everything new at high-end stores from infancy on...which I suppose some people do, but they're yanking the average way off true. No one I know ever buys baby carriers, strollers, cribs, high chairs and all the other baby paraphenalia, NEW. Even clothes... infants and young children simply don't wear out clothes. They can be had for a song at Goodwill, the Salvation Army, yard sales and secondhand shops, or even free on freecycle.org. My affluent NYC daughter trades Tillie's outgrown clothes and shoes at a secondhand shop where she gets credit from her contributions toward what she purchases. This is, in fact, how rich people get that way and how smart poor people can live rather well on a nano-income.

So yes, going organic can be beyond the reach of many people's income. But ditching the junk for wholesome food? Consider what a week's worth of soda pop would buy in the produce aisle.... Sure, a head of lettuce is costlier than a cheeseburger, but if you cook at home, well, I can feed a family of six on a pound of hamburger. Need fiber? Five-minute oatmeal for breakfast, 12¢ a serving. Nope, can't accept these findings.

[mellowsong]

I'd love to see the details of this study because I simply don't believe it.So yes, going organic can be beyond the reach of many people's income. But ditching the junk for wholesome food? Consider what a week's worth of soda pop would buy in the produce aisle....

I think I'm going to partially disagree with you here :) Apparently this study looked at each individual nutrient and did not factor in many healthy foods containing several nutrients....so yes, the figures are overblown. However, just looking at items: A 6 pack of soda can be had for less than 2 bux. A head of iceberg lettuce, which has almost no nutrition, costs $1.69/head. Romaine is about $2.00 head. These are prices for conventional produce. It is nearly double that to buy organic. To buy a "living" head of Boston lettuce (hydroponic) costs over $3.00. I've never seen fruits and veggies buy one get one free, but I always see garbage from soda, to cereal to chips BOGO. I almost never see fresh produce on sale and only occasionally do I see the bagged greens etc on sale. Just looking at the local ad here for Publix, soda is on sale, bread, cookies, candy, cereal, gum, chips and other snacks are BOGO. There are a few "save 49 cents" on bagged lettuce, strawberries are on sale but still cost $2.50/lb on sale. Sorry but the poorer and even average customer, for the most part, is going to gravitate to the BOGOs etc. Until things truly change in this country, they are not going to be able to get people to get away from the SAD diet.

What do you put in that pound of burger to stretch it that far? Most people are going to go with pasta or rice. 5 minute oatmeal isn't the greatest stuff around :)

[Islander]

Well I don't want to get into a debate but I can't think of anything more useless than gum and soda. In all my years of raising children, we were poor enough to qualify for free or reduced school lunches...yet my family ate VERY well on real foods. Sure, I grew and preserved a lot, but remember, we have 10 months of winter here, meaning no fresh garden stuff, so lettuce, celery, radishes, fruit etc. must be bought. We simply never had gum, soda, chips, pretzels, cookies, candy etc. in the house, and rarely had cold cereal. If you wanted a snack you could choose from leftovers, yogurt, or air-popped popcorn. I bought in bulk and cooked from scratch and I would love to have those University of Washington researchers follow me around so I could prove them wrong!

And yeah :: sigh :: I realize that most American mothers today are not like me.

[mellowsong]

I bought in bulk and cooked from scratch and I would love to have those University of Washington researchers follow me around so I could prove them wrong! And yeah :: sigh :: I realize that most American mothers today are not like me.

It would be pretty awesome if they were!!! I was just using examples of what most people buy and what products are put on sale vs "healthy" food.

[Katee]

I have to admit, i don't pay a lot of attention to the price of food. On some things i do (raspberries are not something i buy at top price, a few other things), but others i will buy anyway (raw milk, organic or grass fed beef), so i didn't notice.

Until i went to do some shopping for a family we know. Dad was out of work and i got a couple of bags of groceries for them. I could have taken the easy way out and handed over the money, but i wasn't comfortable with that. And i had seen what mama normally bought when she shopped: Top Ramen Noodles, processed cheap cereals, cheap milk, white bread, cookies, soda, etc.

I bought organic ground beef, organic pasta sauce and pasta, organic milk, and some fruit/veggies (tho not too much 'cause i know they will probably spoil before being eaten by that family) etc. I was shocked at how expensive things were. I don't think what i purchased made a big difference for that family (and probably didn't last long at all), but it impressed on me how expensive things are and what a difficult position they are in with such a limited income. I've talked to the mama about what "healthy" really is, but also freely admit i think she's limited in how to create it.

[highlander]

The prices of food in general have gone through the roof whether you buy quality or crap. A typical loaf of sourdough bread is about $3.40. One of my favorite snacks is roasted pumpkin seeds. Only a few months ago a bag cost about $1.90. Now it's about $2.70. How many thousands of pumpkins get thrown away each year without harvesting the seeds? We've been wanting avocados all summer and the prices never seem to drop below about $1.30 each. I used to get them for about 60 cents each on sale. So that means we haven't had avocados. I used to buy a carton of oatmeal for around $1 and just over the last few months it's gone up to nearly $2. Our income has been frozen since 2008. Rising food and gas prices are really squeezing us. At current gas prices we'll be spending around $500 per month on gas through the school year. I was just looking at the local help wanted section and all I saw were a few jobs paying around $8 per hour. I just don't see things getting better for the average person.

[Islander]

It's not just rising prices (avocados here went from 99¢ to $1.49 in one jump); containers are getting smaller, contents is getting lighter, while price per container stays the same or rises. But I have access to bulk food through either a local co-op or a natural foods store, so I get things like polenta grits, quinoa, oatmeal and the like (even pumpkin seeds and broken wild rice) at the lowest possible prices. And I think twice before any trip, and combine errands. My current car has to last the rest of my life. I will never be able to afford another.

[mellowsong]

It's not just rising prices (avocados here went from 99¢ to $1.49 in one jump); containers are getting smaller, contents is getting lighter, while price per container stays the same or rises. But I have access to bulk food through either a local co-op or a natural foods store, so I get things like polenta grits, quinoa, oatmeal and the like (even pumpkin seeds and broken wild rice) at the lowest possible prices. And I think twice before any trip, and combine errands. My current car has to last the rest of my life. I will never be able to afford another.

I don't have access to those things much as I wish I did. On top of that obviously I can't handle grains or any major carb. I'm with you on the car Islander. It is 7 years old but only has 63,000 miles. Since I have to go at least 25 miles in very heavy interstate traffic to get anywhere decent, I rarely go and make due with the local Publix. Can't even use the Farmer's Market anymore because the one organic grower is gone. The other organic farms are nearly an hour away. I don't have the gas or energy to make that trip weekly. Except for organic CSAs which cost over $300 (must be paid up front) for 5 months of produce, there are no local co-ops.

[Julieanne]

It's not just food - staying healthy in today's world usually means taking supplements too. Well, it does for me. That's where excess (hah!) money goes. Supps like ubiquinol and astaxanthin are pretty expensive, even from iherb. But they would cost twice that or more if I bought them in Oz.

[Aaltrude]

Unfortunately, with recent economic developments, I anticipate the cost of food and basics is only going to go higher.

[Aaltrude]

It's not just food - staying healthy in today's world usually means taking supplements too. Well, it does for me. That's where excess (hah!) money goes. Supps like ubiquinol and astaxanthin are pretty expensive, even from iherb. But they would cost twice that or more if I bought them in Oz.


The CoQ10 costs twice as much in NZ too Julianne and the quality if the supplements available here is no where near as good as those you can get from iherb not too mention that supplements such astaxanthin are not available here or at least not in my rural area of NZ.

[Islander]

I feel so bad for Mellow and people like her. I live in a rural location too, but all the good stuff, from raw milk to grass-fed meat, is available locally. I like to drive up to the big city (yes, on I-95) 40 minutes away every few months because I like to bag up my own bulk foods in variable sizes (and make a few impulse purchases, like organic pistachios), but if I were satisfied with weighed and pre-packaged bulk items, the co-op would deliver them to a local drop-off too.

Mellow, there are one-bedroom apts here, utilities and heat included, for $400-500/month. But smart meters are coming to Maine, plus you probably couldn't tolerate the winters, and the move itself might exhaust you. But I keep thinking of you!

[Aaltrude]

I feel so bad for Mellow and people like her. Mellow, there are one-bedroom apts here, utilities and heat included, for $400-500/month. But smart meters are coming to Maine, plus you probably couldn't tolerate the winters, and the move itself might exhaust you. But I keep thinking of you!
I feel the same way and also wish there was some way I could help. Mellow know that we are thinking of you and if we can't help in other ways - there will alway be plenty of moral support. 165

[mellowsong]

I feel so bad for Mellow and people like her. I live in a rural location too, but all the good stuff, from raw milk to grass-fed meat, is available locally. I like to drive up to the big city (yes, on I-95) 40 minutes away every few months because I like to bag up my own bulk foods in variable sizes (and make a few impulse purchases, like organic pistachios), but if I were satisfied with weighed and pre-packaged bulk items, the co-op would deliver them to a local drop-off too.

Mellow, there are one-bedroom apts here, utilities and heat included, for $400-500/month. But smart meters are coming to Maine, plus you probably couldn't tolerate the winters, and the move itself might exhaust you. But I keep thinking of you!

Aww TY Islander and you too Aaltrude. I still haven't decided where I'll move WHEN I win the disability. I just know I will move!!!

[Islander]

What do you put in that pound of burger to stretch it that far? Most people are going to go with pasta or rice. 5 minute oatmeal isn't the greatest stuff around :)

Somehow I overlooked this earlier. Egad, there must be a thousand recipes that call for a pound of ground beef. When I was feeding a family of 6, before I was eschewing grains or all that, there were all sorts of casseroles, pasta dishes and such where you could easily double the other ingredients around the pound of ground beef. Chili, for example. Beans, tomatoes, peppers, celery, lots and lots, and the beef was just kind of in there somewhere. As for the oatmeal, what's not to like about it? Maybe it's just a matter of taste. I like mine with butter and salt (or coconut oil & salt) but sometimes have it with organic wild blueberries, or a dab of maple syrup, or a handful of walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds and dried cherries. You can jazz up oatmeal in dozens of ways...some people want it with just cream and brown sugar.

[mellowsong]

Somehow I overlooked this earlier. Egad, there must be a thousand recipes that call for a pound of ground beef. When I was feeding a family of 6, before I was eschewing grains or all that, there were all sorts of casseroles, pasta dishes and such where you could easily double the other ingredients around the pound of ground beef. Chili, for example. Beans, tomatoes, peppers, celery, lots and lots, and the beef was just kind of in there somewhere. As for the oatmeal, what's not to like about it? Maybe it's just a matter of taste. I like mine with butter and salt (or coconut oil & salt) but sometimes have it with organic wild blueberries, or a dab of maple syrup, or a handful of walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds and dried cherries. You can jazz up oatmeal in dozens of ways...some people want it with just cream and brown sugar.

Yeah, I meant without grains/potatoes and all the other stuff I can't have :) I do make chili occasionally but I don't do well with beans either so it doesn't stretch all that far for me. As to the oatmeal, was just commenting on it not being whole grain and very processed to get to the 5 minutes. Was being snarky I guess...sorry :(

[Islander]

As to the oatmeal, was just commenting on it not being whole grain and very processed to get to the 5 minutes. Was being snarky I guess...sorry :(

"To get to the 5 minutes"? I'm not sure I understand what you mean. There is instant oatmeal and there's 1-minute oatmeal, which are indeed highly processed. The 5-minute oatmeal is basically just steel-cut oats; I have a 25-pound bucket of organic oatmeal from Canada. There's also 30-minute pinhead oats, which I sometimes do if I remember to soak them overnight!

[mellowsong]

"To get to the 5 minutes"? I'm not sure I understand what you mean. There is instant oatmeal and there's 1-minute oatmeal, which are indeed highly processed. The 5-minute oatmeal is basically just steel-cut oats; I have a 25-pound bucket of organic oatmeal from Canada. There's also 30-minute pinhead oats, which I sometimes do if I remember to soak them overnight!

Umm, can you tell I don't make/eat oatmeal? I thought the 5 minute was the quick cook, lol. Need to sit on my hands when I don't know what I'm talking about!!! :o

[Islander]

Just look at all the goodness you're missing!