Today, many people think that eating healthy is not worth the effort. The idea that a quick and cheap burger at Mcdonalds is a proper meal has caused obesity and other detrimental diseases to become epidemic. Eating healthy is not as costly as most people think, and is much more beneficial to personal health.
One can easily sustain a healthy and delicious diet at a cheap price. There are so many detrimental effects unhealthy foods have on our bodies that are not worth the momentary taste of a Big Mac. Even in cases where eating healthier is expensive, the overall health costs which come from having a poor diet can outweigh the small savings gained from making the unhealthier, cheaper choice.
While choosing which health foods to buy, instead of buying expensive, processed “health” foods, sticking to basic fruits, vegetables and legumes is a more affordable decision economically and physically. The human body is made to eat foods in their natural form, but organic foods are not always the cheapest.
When choosing what to buy, it is also important to know when certain foods are in season. Not only are in season fruits and vegetables normally tastier, but they also are less expensive.
The stigma that eating healthy is expensive can be easily debunked. Healthy eating can be as easy as buying a bag of rice for 89 cents, beans for $1, and seasonal vegetables for under $2.10. A big mac meal at McDonalds is $5.99.
While eating healthy meals is important, it is also important to eat healthy snacks. Rather than buying a bag of chips, buying a bag of carrots is more affordable and beneficial. Not only are carrots a delicious snack, they are also full of nutrients. A bag of chips is actually almost twice the price of carrots.
A study from Harvard School of Public Health recently found that the cost difference between eating healthy vs. unhealthy is on average $1.50. So many people use the excuse that money is why they are not eating well, when what may really be stopping them is unawareness or misunderstanding.
3 Recipes for Eating Healthy on a budget:
- Sweet Potato Chickpea Bowl: 2 large sweet potatoes ($1), 1 bundle kale ($1), 25 ounce chickpea ($1), 1 avocado ($1.27). This comes out to be less than $5.
- Whole wheat pasta: Pasta ($1.49), Natural tomato sauce ($.99), Mushrooms ($2). This comes out to be under $5.
- Mexican bowl: Brown rice (.36), Black beans (.99), Avocado (1.25), Half a Tomato: (1.12). This recipe comes out to be under $4.
