food & money

Last week I discussed (ranted about) how the excuse that "healthy food costs too much" basically boils down to "I don't care that much." 

It's a very, very common rejoinder to those of us who encourage people to improve their nutrition, which is why health-oriented writers tend to beat that tubby little pony over and over again: it doesn't have to break the bank. 

You can certainly spend every last disposable dime to your name on top-quality food, if you so choose.  You could do the same on coffee or beer or cigarettes (and many people do).  

I'm not about to go out and find the cheapest-possible way to eat healthy.  I don't have to.  For one thing, I'm not broke anymore.  But more importantly: it's not my job to do that.  It's the job of those who say "it's too expensive." 

My position is that it is the objector's responsibility to substantiate her objection.  It is, in effect, the prosecutor's duty to prove the case - not the defendant's. 

What I'll do instead is more for my own edification.  I wanted to see if I can substantiate my own bias - toward healthy eating - and my argument that healthy eating is not more expensive than junky eating.  I'll present breakfasts, snacks, & dinners, as I make them, with my costs, and with an unhealthy comparison option. 

I live in a very expensive area and I do not seek out cheap versions of the ingredients I use.  I shop for convenience.  So the prices given here are not by any means the lowest anyone could possibly find - they are probably close to the highest anyone could possibly find.

Breakfast, with price per serving:

• oatmeal (1/2 cup, less than 4 oz by weight, running $1.89/lb):  about 44 cents
• powdered dry milk (1 tbsp; 58 cents/oz): about 27 cents
• ground walnuts (1 oz, from 1 lb pkg at $5.99): about 40 cents
• sugar (1/8 tsp): less than one cent
• cinnamon (1/2 tsp): less than three cents
• dried cranberries (1 oz, from 8 oz pkg at $3.99): about 50 cents
• total: approximately $1.64

That breakfast takes me less than two minutes to assemble, and one minute 15 seconds to cook at the office.  Or I could, you know, get a scone at Starbucks (zero nutrition option) for $3.

And speaking of coffee: I get mine at the office 19 days out of 20.  It is free.  Adding four (free) Mini-Moos costs me 40 calories.  Versus a $4 latte at Starbucks running nearly 200 calories.  Even if I were paying for the cream, I'd still come out way ahead.

I make a cup of tea 6 mornings a week at home.  At 20 bags per $3 box, the cost per serving = 20 cents, including a quarter-teaspoon of very expensive honey and a dollop of milk.  A pot of coffee two days a week at home: about three dollars.

Snacks, with price per serving:

• 4 oz lowfat cottage cheese: $1.00
• 4 oz unsweetened applesauce: 33 cents
• 8 oz plain nonfat Greek yogurt: $1.19
• banana: 35 cents
• pick two for any given day, generally one fruit and one dairy.  Cost per day: $1.54, max.  Or I could, you know, get a candy bar out of the vending machine for $1.00.  Look!  Healthy eating does cost more.  Oops, except I got two snacks for my $1.54, so total cost per snack is only 77 cents. 
• As to calories: each above-indicated snack comes in around 100 calories.  So I can easily have two snacks for a caloric "cost" well below that of a single candy bar.  Plus, I get calcium, protein, a little fiber, and other good stuff.

Dinner option 1 (pork tenderloin with Grillin' Beans, the least "healthy" option here), with prices per serving:

• 2 pork tenderloins, $8.50 = six servings; $1.42
• 2 cans Grillin' Beans, $4.98 = six servings; 83 cents
• total cost per serving: $2.25
• Or I could, you know, go to McDonald's and get double cheeseburgers for a buck apiece.  Yep: cheaper!  But also: less food! 

Dinner option 2 (chicken thighs with rice and vegetables), with prices per serving:

• 1.75 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, $8.23 = four servings; $2.06
• 1 c. gourmet rice, about $3 = four servings; 75 cents
• 1 lb organic frozen green peas, $3.60 = four servings; 90 cents
• total cost per serving: $3.71
• Or I could, you know, go to KFC and get a bucket and two sides, but I honestly don't care how much that would cost.  Yech.

Dinner option 3 (pork shoulder pot roast with onion and carrots), with prices per serving:

• 3.5 lbs pork shoulder, $12.25 list price, $8.75 club price = six huge servings; $1.46
• 1 lb carrots, 99 cents, six servings; 17 cents
• 1 lb onion, 99 cents, six servings; 17 cents
• 1 can tomato paste, $1, six servings; 17 cents
• total cost per serving: $1.97
• I can't even be bothered to think of a junk food for comparison.  This is laughably cheap.

Dinner option 4 (chuck pot roast with onion and carrots), with prices per serving:

• 3.5 lbs beef chuck roast, $21 list price, $14.56 club price = six huge servings; $2.43
• 1 lb carrots, 99 cents, six servings; 17 cents
• 1 lb onion, 99 cents, six servings; 17 cents
• 1 can tomato paste, $1, six servings; 17 cents
• total cost per serving: $2.94
• I'll compare this to six meals Mr. P and I recently got from two custom pizzas from Domino's.  (Yes, we do occasionally eat junk food.  At least we are aware that it is junk.  It's a lot easier to stay healthy despite occasional junk food if at least 75% of the time you are not eating junk.)  Two pizzas, $40 with tip, six servings; $6.67

 Dinner option 5 (chili), with prices per serving.

• 1 lb ground bison, $9.99 = six servings; $1.67
• 1 lb onion,99 cents,  six servings, 17 cents
• 1 bunch celery, $1.70, six servings, 28 cents
• 1 can tomato paste, $1, six servings, 17 cents
• 1 can diced tomatoes & green chilis, $1.29, six servings, 22 cents
• 2 cans S&W chili beans, $3.38, six servings, 56 cents
• total cost per serving: $3.07
• do we really need a comparison at this point? 

To me the virtues of my position seem obvious.  Going through this, the most I routinely spend for breakfast, snacks, and dinner on a given workday is under $7.  I honestly did not expect it to come in quite THAT low.

And again: that is in Beverly Hills, California; land of the expensive and home of the Botox.  Someone who wanted to could easily cut these dinner prices, probably in half, simply by choosing cheaper cuts of meat. 

I haven't included the cost of seasonings, and people who want to justify their junk food might jump in to say "spices are expensive!"  And yes, they are.  By the jar.  By the eighth- or quarter-teaspoon: no, not really.

Anyway.  This was interesting.  I don't suppose it will convince anyone who doesn't want to be convinced, but at the very least I have proved to my own satisfaction that when I say "healthy eating does not have to be expensive," I speak the truth.

Comments

[Dan @ Casual Kitchen]

Sing it Chacha.

Part of the issue is that the "healthy food is too expensive" claim fits very well into a political narrative. Once a person adopts a worldview that contains greedy food companies, a corrupt food regulatory system, powerful branding and advertising machines that compel us to buy, etc., it becomes quite easy to assume that we're all helpless, powerless and doomed to be obese.

And therefore the government must "do" something about it.

You can see this political narrative playing out quite regularly in the New York Times for example.

One of the reasons I satirize this worldview so much over at Casual Kitchen is because so many people subscribe to it.

[chacha1]

Hi Dan! Always love it when you stop by. :-)

I honestly think the best thing for my mental stability (and clarity) is not to watch network TV and not to read mainstream news media. I don't like to be too dismissive (cf. those who reference "the sheeple") but there is a reason ad-supported popular media is lowest-common-denominator.

I love it when you get satirical, btw. :-)