Don’t Buy the Hype — Healthy Food Isn’t More Expensive!
Avoid overpriced trends and keep it simple to eat healthy on the cheap.
Like most people looking to get healthy, when I started out I knew the first thing was to get my diet in check. The fast food and snack cakes had to go, that much was obvious. I also knew I needed to start making healthier choices in general. Also like most people, I thought that change was going to cost me. The processed foods and freezer fare I was used to were just so much cheaper than healthy, whole ingredients — or so I thought…
It’s a fairly common belief that a healthy diet is expensive — one that keeps far too many people from making the switch to a healthier lifestyle. But as I soon discovered, I was able to put together a decent diet on roughly $100 per month. Whenever I mention this, people are shocked: “Do you have some kind of inside connection at the store?” “Are you extreme couponing?” They just can’t believe a healthy diet can be that cheap. Turns out there’s a reason for that — and it isn’t entirely due to the prices at the grocery store.
The Health and High-Cost Myth Exposed
It’s not necessarily surprising that people think of healthy food as expensive. Health food stores are well-stocked with items that cost more than comparable foods elsewhere. Especially in recent years, a niche of specialized, high-priced brands has emerged. Gluten-free and organic versions of standard foods abound, and at twice the cost or more. These are often marketed as healthier alternatives, which in the case of gluten-free and celiac sufferers is true but, by and large, there’s little else about them that confers additional benefit over other foods.
Bearing far more responsibility for the false impression that healthy foods are expensive are our own accidental biases: We associate cost with quality, and assume that higher quality purchases must, as a matter of course, cost more. Studies have shown that in this instance, where healthfulness is the value in question, we assume food that costs more must be healthy, and vice versa.
That’s not to say some healthy foods don’t cost quite a bit more than we’d like. Grass-fed beef, for example, costs on average $3 more per pound than grain-fed. While there is some added benefit to eating grass-fed beef, there’s nothing wrong with opting for cheaper cuts on sale at your local grocery store. The truth is, a healthy diet can be downright cheap — if you do it right.
Don’t Buy the Hype
Statistically, celiac disease only affects 1% of the population. While up to 6% more of the U.S. population may suffer from non-celiac gluten sensitivity, as much as 86% of people who believe themselves to be gluten-sensitive actually aren’t. What gives? As with other restrictive diets like paleo and keto, there’s a certain allure there, particularly because the switch to one of these specialized diets seems to deliver a result. The problem there is that any change in diet can lead to some results, especially if you’re removing something from your diet.
In the case of going gluten-free, a lot of carb sources are excluded — meaning carbs are cut in general. While there may not be any benefit there beyond fat loss, it’s enough to sell people on the idea — and to some extent, sales are the point. Turns out gluten-free is big business, with a recent estimate putting sales of gluten-free foods worldwide at over $4 billion annually.
The same goes for foods labeled “organic”, only more so — racking up over $35 billion in sales in the U.S. alone just a few years ago. That number has no doubt grown by now. But here, even more so than with gluten-free, there’s a lot of hype. One study comparing organic foods to conventional foods found no remarkable difference between the two in terms of nutritional content. And as far as other concerns that tend to drive people toward organic food options, like pesticide use? Organic farming still relies on pesticides, only they’re organic, too — which doesn’t necessarily mean any better — and used in far larger amounts than the conventional alternatives.
Yet another fad attempting to cash in on the high cost of healthfulness is the cleanse. While relatively cheap do-it-yourself recipes for “detox” drinks abound, there are also brand-named products available, and they are by no means cheap — with some companies charging hundreds of dollars for only a few days’ worth of their product. Is it worth it? Not in the least. Renowned fitness and sports nutrition expert Dr. Jim Stoppani explains:
At the end of the day, the need to shell out extra cash for these kinds of products simply doesn’t exist. It may feel healthier knowing you’re eating free-range gluten-free organic non-GMO meals, but the reality is it’s likely all in your head.
Keep it Simple
The real trick for fitting my new healthy diet into my budget was simplicity. There’s a reason why the stereotypical bodybuilder diet is chicken, rice, and broccoli — they’re cheap. For someone adding muscle mass, it’s easy to eat foods like that in abundance because it won’t break the bank. The same goes for anyone trying to get healthy.
Staples like oats, rice, chicken and pork, eggs, tuna, milk, cheese, and steamable veggies are the mainstays of my diet and keep the budget low. Skinless, boneless chicken breast, for example, runs less than $2 per pound at most stores. The same goes for certain cuts of pork. Eggs are rarely more than $1 a dozen. By stocking up on these and just changing up my recipes, my diet is healthy, inexpensive, and varied enough to stave off boredom.
Now, you don’t have to limit your options as much as I have. Even I’ve branched out from this basic list using the Food/Nutrient Database on JimStoppani.com to find alternatives based on their macro profiles.
Ditch the Kit — Do it Yourself
The most important aspect of my transition to healthier living was learning to cook properly for myself. I wasn’t living off of microwave food by any means, but I definitely relied on meal kits and processed foods that came with a lot of bad nutritional baggage. Cooking from scratch was a game changer. With a fridge and pantry full of the basic staples listed above, among other things, the real secret’s in the seasoning. Spice is the variety of life.
Get familiar with some basic recipes, as well as cooking methods that can help you avoid things like adding extra fat to your daily macros. A good non-stick skillet — or better yet, cast iron pan — can greatly reduce the need for oil or butter when cooking. Appliances like slow cookers or the increasingly popular InstaPot can also make preparing your own meals a breeze.
By putting together meals yourself from whole ingredients, you’re not only saving money in the long run, you also have better control over what goes into them. That means it’s even easier to stay on track if you’re following a plan like Dr. Stoppani’s Dieting 101.
Additional Tips
While I’m not an extreme couponer by any means, I do try my hardest to chase down any and all sales. Keep an eye out for discounts, especially on meats. If your grocery store has a rewards program, be sure to enroll. Perhaps the best way to save on your groceries is to buy in bulk. If you have a warehouse-style retailer like Sam’s Club or Costco in your area, membership will pay for itself in no time and leave your budget looking a lot larger each month. Buy foods in large amounts, portion, and freeze. With only a few cheap trips to the store you can stock your kitchen for an entire month.
I’ve been leading a healthier lifestyle for three years now, and that includes a healthy diet composed of clean, whole ingredients. Never once have I found myself breaking the bank trying to put together my meals. If you avoid the trappings of over-hyped diet plans and stick to the basics not only can you make healthy eating affordable, but also enjoyable.
Have some cost-saving tips of your own? Leave them in the comments below!
To learn more about Dr. Stoppani’s Dieting 101, as well as access to his Food/Nutrient Database, dozens of healthy recipes, plus articles and videos by Dr. Jim Stoppani himself on everything from nutrition to training and supplementation, head to JimStoppani.com
