From today's New York Times

[well.blogs.nytimes.com]

Healthy eating really does cost more.

That’s what University of Washington researchers found when they compared the prices of 370 foods sold at supermarkets in the Seattle area. Calorie for calorie, junk foods not only cost less than fruits and vegetables, but junk food prices also are less likely to rise as a result of inflation. The findings, reported in the current issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, may help explain why the highest rates of obesity are seen among people in lower-income groups.

The scientists took an unusual approach, essentially comparing the price of a calorie in a junk food to one consumed in a healthier meal. Although fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrients, they also contain relatively few calories. Foods with high energy density, meaning they pack the most calories per gram, included candy, pastries, baked goods and snacks.

The survey found that higher-calorie, energy-dense foods are the better bargain for cash-strapped shoppers. Energy-dense munchies cost on average $1.76 per 1,000 kcal, compared with $18.16 per 1,000 kcal for low-energy but nutritious foods.

The survey also showed that low-calorie foods were more likely to increase in price, surging 19.5 percent over the two-year study period. High-calorie foods remained a relative bargain, dropping in price by 1.8 percent.

Although people don’t knowingly shop for calories per se, the data show that it’s easier for low-income people to sustain themselves on junk food rather than fruits and vegetables, says the study’s lead author Adam Drewnowski, director of the center for public health nutrition at the University of Washington. Based on his findings, a 2,000-calorie diet would cost just $3.52 a day if it consisted of junk food, compared with $36.32 a day for a diet of low-energy dense foods. However, most people eat a mix of foods. The average American spends about $7 a day on food, although low-income people spend about $4, says Dr. Drewnowski.

But it’s easier to overeat junk food, Dr. Drewnowski adds, both because it tastes good and because eaters often must consume a greater volume in order to feel satisfied. Still, even those who consume twice as much in junk food calories are still spending far less than healthy eaters.

“If you have $3 to feed yourself, your choices gravitate toward foods which give you the most calories per dollar,’’ said Dr. Drewnowski. “Not only are the empty calories cheaper, but the healthy foods are becoming more and more expensive. Vegetables and fruits are rapidly becoming luxury goods.”

But they should compare long term raw fooders with what they eat by way of how many calories, because after some time, they don't need to eat as much due to assimilating more of the nutrients and vitamins from the fresh produce..so over time at being 100% raw I think that's when the savings kick in, plus of course they don't expend money on Dr.'s, prescription drugs, or otc drugs.

Also, those that are heaviest and poorest and eat the most are striving to get their needed nutrients and aren't getting them met due to poor assimilation therefore they are are always seemingly hungry and craving foods. They think they need to eat those filling cheap foods so they won't go hungry. Well..they ain't staring in the real sense of the word..but they are depriving their bodies of the required vitamins, and other nutrients.

Love,
Prism

i did not need any researchers to tell me this,

going raw sometimes=going broke...

ok, maybe a bit overboard, but why is it that fresh raw healthy food costs more than refined junk/processed food...and corn products? like corn is in everything...corn syrup,corn flour, corn...children of the corn?

hahaha, ok but like my food bill is way higher than most people where i work, and they eat mcdonald's, and frozen microwave crap.

when i was younger my mom taught me that fresh food was cheaper than processed food, and it was....circa 1970's

but now it is reversed, you can now buy twinkies, snickers bars and crap for less than it costs a head of lettuce...what up???



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/2007 01:58AM by pineapple girl.

The website allows comments. I noticed that no one commented on the benefits of a raw/vegan diet. Hint! Hint!

I've read about that phenomenon whereby obese junk food eaters crave more and more quantities of food because their nutrient requirements are not being met. They are nutrient starved but stuffed full of junk. Very sad indeed.

We are operating from a completely different paradigm...

<sigh>

I spend a lot on food.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/2007 02:01AM by Lee_123.

"We are operating from a completely different paradigm...

<sigh>

I spend a lot on food."

was that a response to me?

The first part was a response to what Prism posted. I was thinking about how it is sometimes difficult to communicate the value of eating raw/vegan to mainstream thinkers. We, here on the forum, are operating from a completely different paradigm. If you go to the website where the original article was posted, you will see below it, lots of interesting posts. None of which offers the possibility of eating raw/vegan/live foods. I'm too tired to go there and would probably not communicate my thoughts very well for a critical audience.

The second part was in response to the issue you brought up about the cost of food. I spend a lot on food. I wish healthy food was subsidized by a huge tax on junk food.

In the long run, it costs less to be raw, less food, less hospital bills

Yes but most people don't thik that way, sadly. I sometimes, when I am short on money, think that it would be nice to live on a bagel, 1 cup noodle soup and a McD burger a day lol. Costs like..$2?

Whatever, my diet is the most important thing to me. I would go without cable, new clothes, and use the library more than Barnes & Noble if it meant upholding my standards in what I consume.

so, let's not complain, but laugh.
we know how to do this at a lower cost. It's a matter of making space and time to do so...
sprouting our own
planting our own
joining a co-op
mono on bananas...
buy from the overripe bin

I eat about 1200kcal a day, on 80/10/10/frutarian+vitamins+tea, for about $6-10 a day. the 10 side if I have to grab from more pricey markets while I'm busy. I know that if I get short on money, I can stay raw and fruit-based and be at around $2-3 bucks a day.

how much do you all spend/where do you live (city, rural...)

measure twice, cut once.

"In Watermelon Sugar the deeds were done and done again as my life is done in watermelon sugar." ~r.brautigan

I make paintings

djachi wrote:


"In the long run, it costs less to be raw, less food, less hospital bills"


This is what I tell everybody when they say "it's so expensive to eat that way"

funny you should post this as today I worked out how much I spend on food per day.

I then asked people in my office and people on another forum I frequent (non raw) how much they spend on food in a day - and it wasn't that much different to me.
I eat 80/10/10 and all organic.
I was surprised that I don't spend that much in comparison with other people on standard diets.

Also I can consume a far greater volume of food for less. 1 pound of cooked veggies is far more expensive than 1 pound of raw as all the water has been taken out of the cooked food.

I blogged about this today!

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[www.azurastorch.blogspot.com]

actually - reading that times report - it just doesn't make sense.
calorie for calorie?
Are they insinuating that more calories are better?

What about everything else - aside from calories, which at the end of the day, ain't that big a deal!

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[www.azurastorch.blogspot.com]

Well a lot of people signed up for "cancer insurance" at the office today. I was really sad/mad when the presentator of the program that offers additional insurance was saying that the USA is so unhealthy, highes trate of heart disease and cancer etc. SO THAT'S WHY YOU NEED CANCER INSURANCE!
As if a cancer was inevitable but -- rest assured -- it will be paid for.
Yuck.

Wow, Cancer insurance...that is sad. Sounds more like a cancer assurance to me.

As far as eating healthier costing more, it seems like such an arbitrary statement. I was in my local healthfood store yesterday and the person in line in front of me had a small basket filled with "healthfood junk food', you know, like tofu meat substitutes like fake bacon, super sugary "healthy" sports drinks, flavored corn chips etc... Their total was close to $100.
I had probably the same amount of food (it would probably last me as many days), but it was all fresh fruits and veggies. My total was just over $60.
I think, as stated above, as raw we are living a different paradigm of "health".

this is both amusing and sad.
however, if you live in a rural area, it may be less expensive.

my grandmother lived on a farm during the depression. for christmas she would get a dollar and would make it last the entire year. but she never went hungry, and neither did her family and the family of 6 that was living with her, because they had food on their very small farm.

i can't wait to grow my own things.

The reason those high calorie low nutrients foods are so cheap is because they are subsidized by the US government. Take away the subsidies, and the prices will normalize. For example, the price of fruits and vegetables will stay the same, but beef might go up to $25 to $30 a pound. Grains are also heavily subsidized because they provide feed for livestock.

Bryan's absolutely right about the real costs of certain foods which are heavily subsidized by taxpayers. Water is the biggest commodity that is sold to agricultural producers at below cost by the government. So that means that most of what is grown using irrigation in the Central, Sacramento and Imperial valleys of California is tax subsidized, including organic fruits and veggies grown there. However, by comparison, beef is probably the most tax subsidized food commodity: water, hay production, grain feeds, publicly owned grazing land, transportation.

It's important to remember that people who eat healthy over the long term have fewer medical costs and are less of a burden on government programs for disability and medical care. If the government really wanted to save the taxpayers money, I'm betting that it would be more cost effective to subsidize healthy vegan diets than to pay the medico/pharmaceutical cartel the costs of caring for those people who got sick eating corporate agribiz junk food.

As far as personal costs go, I keep a detailed budget and over the past 2 years I am averaging $68 per week eating raw. The first year I did not garden and grow any of my own food so my costs were higher. This year they dropped some as I began to develop my garden space.

talk to your local govermentsabout subsidies and you willstart to see the big picture of why cheap crap is cheaper then whole food off the farm

start there and you will see

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist