Healthy Vs Unhealthy

[minioncookies]

Everyday you hear how americans are so overweight and struggling with their weight and how they can lose weight and it's the big talk of the nation that america is overweight... Well have they ever thought the reason people are so overweight is because they OVERPRICE the healthy food and they put all the foods that are filled with fat and calories for a reasonable price.. Pretty much what you can afford.. So My question is.. Why complain america is overweight instead of changing a few things.. Aha ha..

[myfreebees316]

Honestly they shouldn't complain because american's are not being given enough variety to choose from. Healthy foods nice and all but not when it costs and arm and a leg to buy. Produce and veggies have doubled and some have tripled in the last five years. There goes that option. Only ones staying consistent are the fast food chains which rake in the money when others can't afford stuff at the grocery store that would be healthier for them.

[kapeh12]

Personally, I feel there is a severe flaw in the argument that healthy foods are "too expensive".  The thing people seem to forget is even if the healthy foods are a little more expensive than the junk foods, your body will crave a significantly higher volume of the junk foods to feel "full" than the healthy foods due to how nutrient scarce they are - which means you actually end up buying more junk food to stay "filled", spending more than one would with the more "expensive" health foods.

Think about it.  How many people will sit down and eat a bunch of banana in one sitting?  Compare that to a bag of potato chips?  So people will buy 5 bags of potato chips at $1/bag because it's "cheaper" than buying a $1.50 bunch of banana.  So one spends $5 on potato chips for lunch vs $1.50 for 7 bananas (one for each day).

When I switched from eating boxed/processed foods to eating live foods, my grocery bill actually went down.  I used to spend an average of $40-50 per week with processed foods, and now I'm spending about $35 per week buying mostly fresh fruits/vegetables/meats.

The other thing, there are several vegetables that can be grown inside.  I just learned how if you buy a celery stalk, you can cut off the base, place the base in water, and the center will start to sprout new celery.  Transplant it to a pot, and in about 5 months, you'll have a mature plant to eat as needed, and it'll keep growing.  Start a plant like that every month, then you'll never have to buy celery again.  Same can be done for growing carrots, garlic, onions and lettuce - and many more.  Investing in this is more than worth the return in fresh produce.

There are many ways to keep grocery bills down and eat healthy.  One just has to decide to make the change and stick with it to see how you really do end up saving money by eating healthier.

Another benefit - think of all the medical bills one will not have by eating healthier.  You eat healthy, drink water, exercise - you don't get sick as much = savings on medical bills.  Don't forget to calculate that into the "cost" of eating healthier foods.  I'd rather spend an extra $10 a week for healthy foods compared with $100 in medical bills per month due to complications from unhealthy living...

[BlackSheepNY]

Everyday you hear how americans are so overweight and struggling with their weight and how they can lose weight and it's the big talk of the nation that america is overweight... Well have they ever thought the reason people are so overweight is because they OVERPRICE the healthy food and they put all the foods that are filled with fat and calories for a reasonable price.. Pretty much what you can afford.. So My question is.. Why complain america is overweight instead of changing a few things.. Aha ha..

There's a lot of reasons why some people may be overweight, none of which is anyone's business (most of the all the government).  How about we live and let live and leave it at that?  PS:  The U.S. isn't the only country with overweight people, we just seem to be the "center of attention" because there's MONEY to be MADE in all those weight loss programs, pills, etc.  If there's one thing the U.S. has PLENTY of, it's SUCKERS.

[ladavia89]

It's actually cheaper to buy real food and cook it then buy convenience foods.  I can go to the grocery store and buy mostly chicken, fruit, vegetables and rice/pasta and have enough to last around 2 weeks and it's cheaper than when I buy a junk food that doesn't fill me up that won't last a week

[vp44]

We live on a budget each month for food shopping. I found that you can mix and match food and still get a healthy meal each time. I watch so many cooking shows that I have learned that even healthy food can sometimes be bad food. I also learned that it is in preparation that will get you to the healthiness. Read labels see what it is that your putting in your body. Example->I also learned that a quarter pounder with cheese has less carbs than a restaurant salad. Why because of what is in it. Watch, watch, watch and read, read, read.

[vickysue]

I very seldom buy prepared, boxed or junk food.  I like a lot of the fresh veggies, but our dinky store keeps spraying water on the everyday and then when you bring them home they don't last long. So I prefer to buy at the distribution center. And then when the farmers market starts in July I buy a lot. Hubby used to only want beef and potatoes, but has started eating a lot of fresh  and healthy foods. took 20 years to train him.

[champak97]

It is actually cost effective to buy real food, than the junk food that sells for a few dollars. Fruits and vegetables are filled with fiber,vitamins, and nutrients and give you more bang for your buck.

[campbell829]

I find that some healthy foods are expensive however it is much cheaper to cook from "scratch" then buy processed food. You can also plant a garden to help with the grocery budget. I have chickens which provide us with healthy eggs.  Healthy living can be accomplished on a budget but you have to put some work into it.