Low-calorie foods for a given weight seem to have a higher price when the price is measured per calorie. For example, vegetables and fruits, which are low in calories, are often a relatively expensive way to buy dietary energy. And since many of us want to consume fewer calories anyway, while still feeling full, satisfied and eating a decent total volume of food, this can offer the added benefit of switching to healthier foods, without increasing the cost. The gap between rich and poor does not end there either, since the Food Foundation revealed that children in the most disadvantaged fifth of households are almost twice as likely to suffer from obesity between the ages of four and six as those in the least disadvantaged fifth.
However, if we analyze it in terms of satiety and volume, many healthier foods tend to be more satisfying because of their cost, even when they provide a lower amount of calories. In short, healthy food is and is no more expensive than junk food, depending on how you look at it. The Food Foundation report states that 96 percent of yogurts and 92 percent of breakfast cereals intended for children (that is, with bright colors or cartoons on the packaging) surveyed had medium or high sugar levels. This means that if you want to lose weight, you shouldn't avoid eating healthier foods just because you perceive that the costs are higher.
According to the report, the poorest fifth of households in the United Kingdom would have to spend 40 percent of their disposable income on food to cover the costs of the Eatwell Guide, compared to just seven percent of the richest fifth. In addition to all of these factors, healthy foods are also believed to be more expensive than junk food. On the other hand, although these healthy foods, calorie-for-calorie, may be more expensive, the fact that they also tend to be more filling will allow you to consume fewer amounts of them while still feeling satisfied and losing weight. Food safety, health %26 Nutrition, obesity, regulation %26 Legislation, research %26 development, retail, supermarket, commerce %26 Economics.
The researchers suggested that unhealthy diets could cost less because food policies have focused on the production of “cheap, high-volume commodities”, which has led to “a complex network of agriculture, storage, transportation, processing, manufacturing and marketing capacities that favor the sale of highly processed food products to obtain maximum benefits from the industry.” It seems pretty conclusive that, per calorie, healthy foods are generally more expensive than junk food. So instead of focusing solely on calories, it's more important to focus on nutrient-rich foods that fill us up with fewer calories. The study concludes that, when analyzed in terms of volume and weight, healthy foods do not seem to be more expensive than junk food, even if they often contain fewer calories. Now that you know the truth about the real cost of eating healthy, check out this follow-up article, which is about how to eat healthy food on a budget.
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