debate-is it really more expensive to eat heathy?

i have been having some discussions w/some of my obese friends who are on limited incomes & who tell me that the reason they can't loose weight is that it is more expensive to eat healthy & that the unhealthy foods are more cheap. i mean i don't know whether to believe this or not. how do others feel about this? i mean i too am on a limited income but i am able to purchase inexpensive foods that are good for me. i mean where i live at eggs are on sale, so are several varieties of fresh fruits, veggies & i am always able to get chicken, turkey, greek yogurt and shrimp on sale. and because i have had gastric bypass surgery i eat alot less than i did before so my food bill is alot lower now. the money i save on food i can use to buy smaller clothes on sale. for me the surgery was a win win situation all the way around. i mean i live in like one of the Twinkie capitals of the Us and those things aren't all that cheap. here they have Twinkie eating contests, so sick!

This article is a few years old, but I think it has a good perspective:

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/healthy-vs- unhealthy-diet-costs-1-50-more/

On average, the cost of a healthy diet is $1.50 more per day than unhealthy food. For some people, that may present a serious burden.

However, it's also worth noting that healthy food also has an associated time burden. Chicken and fresh veggies may cost the same as a frozen prepared meal, but they will take more time to cook, and some people may not have the time for cooking and meal planning.

I grew up poor - my mother could combine pasta and cheap ground beef in various fashions and feed the family for days. A loaf of bread, a package of baloney and eggs - fried egg and baloney sandwiches for the fam, at least 3 meals. Fruit on the bottom loaded with sugar style yogurt, purchased as a treat because it was on its sell by date, everyone was happy!

Healthy? No.

Cheap, filling, and something she could prepare in between multiple jobs or keep on hand in the freezer vs making trips to the grocery (miles away)? Yes.

As an adult I have been fortunate to be able to buy good quality, healthy food ? and I?d eat enough of it for the whole family (and probably twice as much of the tasty unhealthy foods too).

To go further on Sparkekitty's post, I think eating healthy for some people is made more difficult because they don't know how to cook!

This was a big shock to me coming to the US, because in my family we all know how to cook. I grew up poor and didn't eat out until I was an adult. My mum and dad both cooked and I could cook a meal (meat & 2 veg) by the time I was about 7 or 8 because I was a latch key kid with a younger sister.

I also had home economics classes (cookery) including meal planning and nutrition all through school.

That's a great point! My family wasn't poor, but things were tight at times, and we ate a lot of pre-packaged meals. I learned how to make Hamburger Helper, spaghetti, and whatnot, but cooking vegetables wasn't something I learned until I was well out of graduate school.

That is a really good point! I learned to cook young but don't remember any cooking in home ec and I do know people in my age decade that can only microwave.

Not only are fresh produce more money in most cases..they also do not last long...seems like I am at the store every few days re-buying lettuce and other perishable items. When you are poor making multiple trips to the grocery store just isn't an option.

There are also food deserts, particularly in poor rural and urban areas.

When I first moved out on my own, the Dollar Menu was my go to..incredibly cheap and 100% unhealthy. The only thing I had in my refrigerator was Diet Coke (we all did in the 80's), bologna, Miracle Whip and bread from the Bread store (day old and cheap)

Times were tough but I managed..if only I could have learned of the issues and impact eating so unhealthy would have on me in the future..but hindsight is always 20/20.

Wasit Diet Coke.....or Tab?