Healthy Foods are Not More Expensive

Healthy Foods are Not More Expensive

When you compare the price of foods by weight or average portion size, vegetables and fruits are less expensive than most dairy, protein, and moderation foods. It’s only when you compare price per calorie that less healthy foods are cheaper than fruits and vegetables.

Getting the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables costs as little as $2-$2.50 per day. Researchers found no significant difference between the average prices of 153 fresh, frozen, canned, and dried fruits and vegetables. Average prices ranged from under 20 cents to over $2 per edible cup equivalent, depending on the specific fruit or veggie.

Food Miles?

Food miles is a concept relating to the distance food travels as a measure of its impact on the environment. This definition only includes distance food travels and does not consider total energy use in the production of the product. Growing a product in its ideal location with the best production techniques generally produces the best product with fewer overall energy inputs.

Locally Grown?

Bananas, oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, mangoes, kiwifruit, cranberries, figs, papayas, persimmons, dates, jicama, avocados, sweet cherries, raisins, and artichokes are a sampling of items that are grown only in a few U.S. states, if grown in the U.S. at all.

Eat Seasonally?

This is a terrific way to find the best tasting produce at the best price, but recognize that a season may only last a few weeks. This is why preserving foods through canning, freezing, juicing, or drying helps provide these same terrific products year-round.

Source:  More Matters