In the 21st century, it has become increasingly more expensive to buy healthy foods. Buying a pound of fresh, wild-caught salmon costs between 15 and 25 dollars. Wild blueberries can be anywhere from $4-$6 per pound. Just one avocado can go for $1.20 to $1.50, making the popular breakfast of avocado toast cost $2.80 to make on your own, and most cafes sell it for $8-$14. People nowadays would logically rather go to a drive-through and pay $2 dollars for a tasty, fast, and easy meal. Health buzzwords have infested social media, with foods being labeled as “Metabolism-Boosting”, “Detoxing”, and as life-changing “Superfoods”. Expensive supplements have posted ads everywhere, telling you that they’ll “boost brain function”, and “improve memory”. Energy drinks even contain unnecessarily high amounts of B-Vitamins, though to raise energy, and use marketing tactics such as “natural caffeine”, which is more or less the same as any other caffeine. All that these companies really want is money; they don’t care if their products are healthy or not. They’ll say anything to raise profits, and usually it works. What needs to happen is people stop buying products that have no real benefits, and go back to eating cheap and nutritious foods.
The inflation of food prices is causing obesity rates to rise, as well as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Long ago in the middle ages, kings were fat and unhealthy because of their wealth, and this was true for other rich people. However, the peasants were at a healthy weight, had better teeth, and less chronic diseases. This is because kings had the luxury of buying expensive foods at the time, like refined sugar, white flour, red meats, and rich sauces. Peasants on the other hand ate what they had, which was whole grains, fresh produce, and little meat. So, it is obvious that people must go back to the old ways of eating in order to improve their health; buying very cheap, nutritious foods and eating what is available during the season. Nowadays, however, many ‘health’ foods seem to be quite a bit more expensive. White bread costs $1.50 – $3.00, while whole grain bread costs $2.50 to $4.50. Its obvious to see why many would choose the white bread; it’s just cheaper. But, bread is an expensive food anyway because of the processing it takes to produce a loaf. Plus, society bases food prices on calories, not nutrients, so whatever foods grow more calories for less money are cheaper. A $1 burger contain 400 calories but few nutrients, while $1 of spinach contains 25 calories but far more nutrients.
Foods that are cheaper will be less processed or homemade, without all the nasty ingredients like preservatives, dyes, extra sodium and fat, and they’ll be more nutrient dense than their processed counterparts. For cheap and healthy eating to be effective, all essential nutrient requirements must be met. A proper diet must contain fiber, and complete protein, vitamins, and minerals like calcium and iron. Foods that fit this criteria of minimal or no processing , while still containing all necessary nutrients are legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, canned fish, and dairy.
Legumes contain plenty of fiber, which is essential for gut health. They are also one of the greatest sources of plant-based protein. They don’t contain adequate amounts of every amino acid, with all beans lacking in Methionine. Mother nature has thought of this, though, and has made grains contain the missing Methionine in beans. This is why it’s so common in many cultures to pair rice and beans together; the combination eaten together is a complete protein. Eating complete proteins is extremely important, as they are essential for muscle repair, hormones, the immune system, and neurotransmitters. Iron is also another essential nutrient, as it helps with carrying oxygen in the blood. Beans are an extremely good source of iron, with 1 cup of cooked black beans containing 3.6 mg of iron, or 20% of the daily recommended value. Additionally, rice and beans are some of the cheapest, nutritious foods on the planet. A simple meal of one cup of beans and 1 cup of cooked rice costs just 35-45 cents, though that does not account for oil or spices added during cooking.
Fresh fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins that don’t come from grains or legumes, especially vitamin C, which can cause the infamous disease of ‘Scurvy’ when deficient in ones’ diet. Apples are one of the cheapest fruits money can buy, which is why apple juice is usually blended with other juices, and they’re also quite nutritious. They contain fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants. Bananas are another cheap and nutritious fruit, containing potassium, Vitamin B6, and fiber. Fruits are a great, healthy snack that can replace other more expensive options like protein bars, granola, nuts, trail mix, and pre-made dips with crackers. Potatoes are a very inexpensive vegetable, and despite their bad reputation, they can be very healthy when prepared properly. When baked or roasted, not fried, they are a great source of Vitamin C, potassium, and fiber if the skin is left on. Sweet potatoes are an even healthier option, containing plenty of Vitamin A. Cabbage is also a nutritious and cheap veggie, containing Vitamin C, K, fiber, and Folate.
An essential mineral that is commonly lacking in poor diets is calcium, but that can easily be reached by choosing cheap, unprocessed dairy products, eating canned fish containing small bones, or choosing calcium-rich vegetables. Just 1 cup of milk contains 25% of the daily recommended value for calcium intake. Yogurt and cheese still retain this calcium, even from the processing. Milk is famously known for being high in calcium, but for lactose intolerant individuals, other ways to get calcium must be found. Canned fish with bones is quite high in calcium because of the bones. Canned fish also contains other important nutrients, like complete protein, B Vitamins, and Omega 3 Fatty Acids. However, vegans can’t have either dairy or canned fish, so there must find plant-based sources of calcium. Collard greens are relatively cheap, at only $1.50-$2.00 per pound, yet they contain 210 mg of calcium per 100 grams, which is about %18 of the daily recommended value. They can also be found canned as a long-lasting and easy-to-prepare alternative. White beans are also very high in calcium, containing 90 mg of calcium per 100 grams cooked, while 1lb of dry white beans only costs $1.20. There are many other ways to get calcium in the diet inexpensively which also fulfill dietary preferences like veganism, including fortified plant milks, fortified cereals, and fortified orange juice, but these foods are usually more expensive than legumes and leafy greens.
Many people think that they must eat unhealthy food because they just don’t have the money to pay for healthy foods. However, low-income does not automatically mean that fast food must be relied upon; there are many foods that are cheap and nutritious. Food deserts, which are typically low-income communities lacking convenient grocery stores, have too many fast food restaurants, and are lacking transportation of produce. However, this can be solved by starting community gardens, hosting farmers’ markets, and donating to food pantries. There are over 300,000 edible plant species on the Earth, and 2,500 animal species used as food, but the average household only eats 20-30 core foods. This is a problem. People don’t see all of the options that are out there, so if the core foods rice in price, then they think that everything is expensive, which is just not the case. A healthy diet can be achieved while being friendly to the wallet by eating nutritious, cheap foods. Eating local, in-season produce can also help, as it requires less transportation because of the locality, and less transportation lowers the price. To eat healthy and cheaply, a person doe not need to starve themselves, rather, they need to choose the right foods at the right times, getting the most nutrients for their money.
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