Is it more expensive to eat healthy?

There is a general assumption in our country that eating healthy is too expensive. For this reason, many people (parents included) decide to buy "inexpensive" and unhealthy foods. Examples include pre-processed and junk foods. The fact is, for these people it is better to have cheap, unhealthy food than no food at all. Unfortunately, people are misinformed about the cost of eating healthy!

A new report shows that assuming healthy food is expensive doesn't hold water. In fact, if you're judging food by weight and not calorie content, eating healthier foods is LESS expensive than junk foods. This is a better way to judge the price of food because, simply put, a majority of us consume too many calories each day. Food quality is better gauged by nutrient content than by calorie content. For example, a person can eat a bag of chips and consume 1,000 calories without getting any real nutritional value from the chips. What this type of diet eventually will give people is obesity and a handful of health problems that go along with it.

A better way to approach eating is to eat all kinds of fruits and veggies. In doing this, you won't be consuming countless calories but will be getting all sorts of vitamins and minerals. Throw in some lean meats for protein (or healthy substitutes for vegetarians). With this type of diet, you will get plenty of calories to maintain a healthy weight and all sorts of positive benefits to your overall health. Also, you will quickly see that this eating approach doesn't cost much in comparison to an unhealthy diet. You'll be saving plenty by not buying $5 bags of chips and $6 quarts of ice cream!

To read more on the new report, check out this direct link to it: http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib96/.

If you have any questions regarding this topic, feel free to call our office at (847) 673-6600 or visit us on the web at www.HealingHandsOfSkokie.com!