This argument is sure to come up during any conversation involving healthy
eating. While it may be true in some cases - that healthy foods cost more - it's
not always true. We do have a choice, and we can choose to eat real, nourishing
food without breaking the bank.
As a nation, we are inundated with shrewd marketing tactics, with the intent to
convince us that we can only afford fast, convenient foods. We now depend on
these products to save us time and money - which are high priorities for most of
us. Our pantries and freezers are stocked up on easy foods that require little
preparation or none at all - other than popping the food into our mouths as we
drive to our next appointment.
I can't help but think that many of us, though it may be subconscious, have come
to rely on this argument as a valid excuse for not eating our veggies. If
something we don't like in the first place is perceived to be out of our reach,
all the better. Our dependence on convenience foods has only made this more
difficult, because we are no longer used to spending time in the kitchen finding
new ways to make real foods taste good. Instead, we rely on boxed versions of
traditional meals, which frankly aren't that great.
Unfortunately, this belief that healthy eating is too expensive only makes the
ever popular fast food "dollar menu" more luring for those who believe healthy
foods are out of their financial reach. This habit of replacing highly
nutritious foods with high-calorie-low-nutrient foods, however, has a cost of
its own. The few dollars saved now will certainly be spent later in the form of
copays and coinsurance required to manage the undesired health consequences
lurking in the future.
At some point, we must ask ourselves some tough questions about the price we are
willing to pay for our food - and our health. When I hear complaints of the high
cost of produce, I think to myself, "more expensive than what?" We are
essentially saying that our health is less important than other "stuff" in our
lives. It's difficult to understand how the Coach store at the outlet mall this
weekend was packed, and the line - to no doubt make purchases of at least $100
per person - was wrapped around the back of the store. If we are going to make
any improvement in our health as a nation, we cannot continue to pass up heads
of broccoli, while continuing to drop significant portions of our paycheck on
fashion accessories.
In an attempt to disprove the idea that eating healthy requires a second job, I
set out this weekend to the Austin Farmer's market to take a closer look:
|
Farmer's Market |
Local Grocery
(non-Organic) |
| Carrots (1 bunch) |
$3.00 |
$1.79 |
| Lettuce (2 heads) |
$5.00 |
$3.58 |
| Green Onions (1 bunch) |
$2.00 |
$0.69 |
| Grapefruit (1 fruit) |
$1.00 |
$1.01 |
| Mushrooms (26 @ $5 / lb.) |
$2.15 |
$1.71 |
| Brussels Sprouts (1 lb) |
$5.00 |
$2.99 |
| Tomatoes (10 @ $4 / lb.) |
$7.84 |
$4.05 ($1.49 / lb.) |
| Basil (1 bunch) |
$1.00 |
$2.19 |
| Cilantro (1 bunch) |
$1.00 |
$0.50 |
| Oregano (1 bunch) |
$1.00 |
$2.19 |
| Cucumber ($2.50 / lb.) |
$1.26 |
$0.88 |
| Heirloom Broccoli |
$3.00 |
$1.88 |
According to this comparison, for less than $10 more (the cost of 3 cafe mochas
at Starbucks), you can enjoy local, nutritious produce from the farmer's market.
Almost $4.00 of the extra cost is in the tomatoes alone, which are technically
out of season. The only reason they were even available at the farmer's market,
was because the farmer grew them inside a greenhouse - I know this because I was
able to ask him directly. The local farmer's tomatoes were vibrantly red in
color, as opposed to the reddish/green hydroponically grown ones at the local
grocer, which were not appealing in the least. Furthermore, the local tomatoes
were grown in soil, which makes them more nutrient dense than their
hydroponically grown counterparts.
If $10 is significant, then choosing the cheaper version of these vegetables is
much better than choosing none at all; but I'm pretty certain that $10 or $20
won't break the bank for most households. In fact, insurance copays alone are
typically more than that.
We have a great opportunity to make smart, nutritious choices about the foods we
eat, but that requires us to look closely at our priorities. We are ultimately
the only ones who can make that decision. Making smarter choices today will
undoubtedly reward us with health savings in the long run.
