Rant about healthy food!

[Barrett]

I never can understand why healthy food is so much more expensive then junk food. For example I went to the super market today and I noticed everything on sale were the sugary cereal like cinnamin toast crunch. The day that Kashi cereals go on sale I will be the person with a shopping cart filled with Kashi Go Lean. Sorry for the rant but it really bothers me, and after listening to an old fitcast, i think episode 39??? When they were speaking about obesity. If America wants to do anything about this HUGE problem, no pun intended, I would suggest lowering the healthy food prices. Not only will unfit people begin to try to eat these products but it will open up a whole new world for them, just like it has for me.

[LisaS]

oatmeal is still cheap - especially out of the bulk bin.

[Ian Kay]

I agree that it's too bad that crappy food is so cheap and readily available.

That said, I'll add to Lisa's reminder that oatmeal is cheap. This is not to contradict your point, but rather to offer up some good solutions for the health/$ issue.

Cheap and Healthy:

bananas - Usually less than a quarter per fruit. 'Nuff said. One week supply at 2/day = Less than one movie rental "new release".

avocado - Yeah, they're about $1.50 per, but if you think about how nutrient dense they are, you could eat half every day and end up paying about $5 for the entire week for tons of good fat, fiber, potassium and B vitamins. One week supply = Less than one "Grande Burrito" at most Mexican joints.

pumpkin seeds - Even the organic kind goes for cheap. If you were to have one "serving" - about 1/4 cup, each day, it'll be about $3-4 per week. We're talking majorly nutrient packed here, too. Fats, fiber, protein, magnesium, potassium, etc. One week supply = One import draft at your favorite bar.

cucumbers - really damn cheap, and surprisingly rich in potassium. One week supply = about 1/3 of one pack of cigarettes.

eggs - Say about $2-2.50 for a dozen jumbos. Fat, protein, etc. One week supply, if you eat 3 every other day = one gallon of gas.

generic yogurt - If you just go with the local store brand, unsweetened, it's usually about $3 for 4-5 days worth. One week supply = about 1/2 the tip from eating out at Applebee's.

*I'll name others later when I have more time to think. Everyone else feel free to add as well.

[John Izzo]

There is money to be made ANYWHERE....

[JoshDunn]

The fruit and veg in Australia has gone up 15% in the last three months. None of the shopping centre giants want to comment on why.

Getting stupid.

[Lost Dog]

Originally Posted by Barrett

I never can understand why healthy food is so much more expensive then junk food. For example I went to the super market today and I noticed everything on sale were the sugary cereal like cinnamin toast crunch. The day that Kashi cereals go on sale I will be the person with a shopping cart filled with Kashi Go Lean. Sorry for the rant but it really bothers me, and after listening to an old fitcast, i think episode 39??? When they were speaking about obesity. If America wants to do anything about this HUGE problem, no pun intended, I would suggest lowering the healthy food prices. Not only will unfit people begin to try to eat these products but it will open up a whole new world for them, just like it has for me.

It doesn't really work that way. Corn Flakes, Chex, Special K, etc. go on sale quite often. While I don't think they are healthy, most people classify them as healthy cereals.

When they go on sale, the people who eat them anyway buy extras to stock up. Maybe go wild and have extra cereal for a snack here and there. But, the guy who normally buys Frosted Flakes isn't switching to Corn Flakes, even if they are practically free this week.

...and the manufacturers don't put the premium healthy foods on sale because people don't buy more of them when they do. The health conscious just tend to buy the healthy foods, regardless. And, they are unlikely to eat twice as much this week because it was on sale, so it doesn't buy the manufacturer much to put them on sale.

Now, if the competition for the premium healthy foods gets steeper, then we'll see some sales (or price fixing ).

[Barrett]

Yea thats true, but it just seems as if they are shunning people away from eating healthy This is just an observation/rant. One other thing that I noticed in a price increase is milk. This is a very important staple in my diet because I use it to mix my protein and in my cereals.

-alittle off subject, but what does everyone mix there protein with other then water or milk????

[Buk]

Originally Posted by Barrett

-alittle off subject, but what does everyone mix there protein with other then water or milk????

Dale's Sauce or Ketchup

They aren't shunning poor people from eating healthy. I doubt many of them are trying to avoid an increased market share. If consumption increases, prices will decrease because a lesser impact of fixed costs and an increase in competition.

[Lost Dog]

Originally Posted by Barrett

-alittle off subject, but what does everyone mix there protein with other then water or milk????

Iced tea, iced green tea, Crystal Light, oatmeal, and coffee. Not at the same time.

[JoshDunn]

milk, always milk. Water tastes like horse feet.

Most people could get as much benefit from starting exercise rather then a complete overhall of the diet. Change in eating comes over time. People just need to move more. Thats my view.

[karky]

I think there is a suggestion in Norway about lowering taxes on greens, fruits and stuff, and upping them on fast food. I only wish they could lower the taxes on some lean mean like chicken and stuff, that's what really needs to get less expencive if you ask me..

[Alcoholiday]

Originally Posted by karky

I think there is a suggestion in Norway about lowering taxes on greens, fruits and stuff, and upping them on fast food. I only wish they could lower the taxes on some lean mean like chicken and stuff, that's what really needs to get less expencive if you ask me..

other countries, like norway, are always a lot more progressive than the US.

[Alcoholiday]

Originally Posted by Ian Kay

I agree that it's too bad that crappy food is so cheap and readily available.

That said, I'll add to Lisa's reminder that oatmeal is cheap. This is not to contradict your point, but rather to offer up some good solutions for the health/$ issue.

Cheap and Healthy:

bananas - Usually less than a quarter per fruit. 'Nuff said. One week supply at 2/day = Less than one movie rental "new release".

avocado - Yeah, they're about $1.50 per, but if you think about how nutrient dense they are, you could eat half every day and end up paying about $5 for the entire week for tons of good fat, fiber, potassium and B vitamins. One week supply = Less than one "Grande Burrito" at most Mexican joints.

pumpkin seeds - Even the organic kind goes for cheap. If you were to have one "serving" - about 1/4 cup, each day, it'll be about $3-4 per week. We're talking majorly nutrient packed here, too. Fats, fiber, protein, magnesium, potassium, etc. One week supply = One import draft at your favorite bar.

cucumbers - really damn cheap, and surprisingly rich in potassium. One week supply = about 1/3 of one pack of cigarettes.

eggs - Say about $2-2.50 for a dozen jumbos. Fat, protein, etc. One week supply, if you eat 3 every other day = one gallon of gas.

generic yogurt - If you just go with the local store brand, unsweetened, it's usually about $3 for 4-5 days worth. One week supply = about 1/2 the tip from eating out at Applebee's.

*I'll name others later when I have more time to think. Everyone else feel free to add as well.

Beans: tons of fiber, good proteins, and good carbs. real cheap. Cheaper if you buy bagged and make them, but still cheap in cans.

Frozen veggies/fruits: if you get stuff like frozen spinach (in a block), it's <$1 and is enough to last you awhile. a few blocks a week are cheap, and good vitamins and minerals. Frozen blueberries are pretty expensive, but taste just as good frozen as fresh in foods. You can get a big multi pound bag for like 7 bucks

Milk: a gallon of skim= 1450 calories, 139g protein. gallon of whole=2400 calories, 139g protein. even with milk prices going up, 139g of quality protein is still cheap. Milk is still $2.50-3.00 a gallon when on sale here, and $3 something when not. You can stock up, and then just buy again next time it's on sale, since it's basically on sale every other week here.

Plus, you can get pounds of beef/chicken on sale. A pound of extra lean beef is 3 bucks, and contains around 100g of protein
boneless skinless chicken breasts were 2 bucks a pound this week.

cans of tuna are dirt cheap, and contain 20g of protein.

Old school weightlifters gained muscle on beef, milk, and eggs. I think that's how the majority of people should still eat, who are looking to gain. Then, fill in the gaps with what you need. Maybe some oats, veggies, and some oils, and you have your diet. This is how some of the best strongmen eat... a few pounds of beef a day, gallon of milk, and eggs, and then fill in the gaps.

[thegreatone]

Shop at Aldi

http://www.aldi.us/index_ENU_HTML.htm

[andrew_plamondon]

Originally Posted by karky

I think there is a suggestion in Norway about lowering taxes on greens, fruits and stuff, and upping them on fast food. I only wish they could lower the taxes on some lean mean like chicken and stuff, that's what really needs to get less expencive if you ask me..

In Canada there's no tax on foods which weren't processed. Eggs, milk, veggies, fruits, etc, are tax-free while pre-packaged food isn't.

[gobbla]

fruit\vegi\meat

it's not that expensive if you're not buying processed stuff. Bad food is considerably cheaper, but good food isn't going to break you unless you're eating a lot.

[milkman21]

Back to the original question... the "expensive" foods are really the ones with the short shelf life, i.e. unprocessed foods. For produce and meats, for example, the turnaround on stock--> sale has to be under a week. If it doesn't sell this week, then you're up a creek.

On the other hand, most of the foods found in the belly of the supermarket can be stocked with no ill-effects for months on end. Boxes of Cinnamon Toast Junk, for example, can sit in the shelves for months without going bad. On the plus side, there are plenty of "healthy" foods that fall into this category, too. Foods like oats, beans, nuts, seeds, etc, are rather inexpensive (if you are a reasonably smart shopper) because they too have that long shelf life. To the grocer, there's very little risk for keeping tons of this stuff on hand. If it doesn't sell this week, then save it for next.