Are healthier foods less expensive in other nations?

[Saturos]

I've heard a while back that the cost of junk food is actually more expensive than stuff like fresh fruits and veggies in countries like Canada as well as freshly cut deli meats over pre-packaged brands like Oscar Meyer. Is this true? If so, then I'm really pissed at the US right now. "omg! obesity is SKYROCKETING! Americans eat so poorly and UNHEALTHY!"

Gee, I wonder why? :dozey:

A f**king bunch of bananas costs almost $7.00 compared to $3.00 for a bag of potato chips.

Given, I don't eat junk food regardless, but it's good incentive in most people's minds to buy a bag of Lays which they probably prefer anyways over fruits, veggies, and healthy snacks like trail mixes and such. (which the costs are ridiculous).

I buy healthy stuff all the time, but it's really annoying when I have to make sacrifices to buy some cheaper junk food garbage once in a while just because the economy's shit and I have bills to pay. I feel like I have to exercise twice as hard to get all those preservatives, fats, and sodium out of my system.

I just want to kick the secretary of agriculture, secretary of health, and the secretary of the treasury right in the balls right now. I should just form them up in a line party and round up people who feel the same way and we can all just kick them in the balls down the line for being lousy administrators.

 

[Warped]

I've heard a while back that the cost of junk food is actually more expensive than stuff like fresh fruits and veggies in countries like Canada as well as freshly cut deli meats over pre-packaged brands like Oscar Meyer. Is this true? If so, then I'm really pissed at the US right now. "omg! obesity is SKYROCKETING! Americans eat so poorly and UNHEALTHY!"

Gee, I wonder why? :dozey:

A f**king bunch of bananas costs almost $7.00 compared to $3.00 for a bag of potato chips.

Given, I don't eat junk food regardless, but it's good incentive in most people's minds to buy a bag of Lays which they probably prefer anyways over fruits, veggies, and healthy snacks like trail mixes and such. (which the costs are ridiculous).

I buy healthy stuff all the time, but it's really annoying when I have to make sacrifices to buy some cheaper junk food garbage once in a while just because the economy's shit and I have bills to pay. I feel like I have to exercise twice as hard to get all those preservatives, fats, and sodium out of my system.

I just want to kick the secretary of agriculture, secretary of health, and the secretary of the treasury right in the balls right now. I should just form them up in a line party and round up people who feel the same way and we can all just kick them in the balls down the line for being lousy administrators.

i went to Canada and they had more healthy food than junk food there, and when I got back to the states it was a relief! Also in the US here, junk food is cheap and healthy food was expensive. in Canada every food was expensive

 

[xcellerate]

yea, I have that problem a lot. I mean to go buy the ingredients to make a SIMPLE sandwich can cost over $10. Bread, turkey, cheese...generally I run out of turkey before bread so I spend about $2.50 per sandwhich and I normally eat it with chips or soup, so that's another $1 or so.

...or I could go to little caesars pizza and get a large 1-topping pizza for $5.45 (after tax) and get 3 meals for $1.81.

 

[Dog--]

For like a bushel or whatever you call it of around 8 bananas it's like $3.00 here in Canada.

Yes, healthy food is tons cheaper here then in the states.

 

[Viperidae]

Well either I live in some dreamland or everyone else is wrong, because ALL food 'round here is more expensive than the US equivalent.

 

[Dog--]

Well actually, it might just be here, I don't remember prices of things in Toronto or the big cities, I don't go there often (maybe like 10 times a year). I say it might be just around here in Canada because it's like pure farms out here.. Southern Ontario. Atleast the Niagara Region..

 

[Danimal]

A f**king bunch of bananas costs almost $7.00 compared to $3.00 for a bag of potato chips.

I only read this part (Too busy thinking about huge knockers that stretch shirts out of proportion), and tbh a bunch of bananas would give you more, like, food, than a packet of chops.

 

[Saturos]

yea, I have that problem a lot. I mean to go buy the ingredients to make a SIMPLE sandwich can cost over $10. Bread, turkey, cheese...generally I run out of turkey before bread so I spend about $2.50 per sandwhich and I normally eat it with chips or soup, so that's another $1 or so.

...or I could go to little caesars pizza and get a large 1-topping pizza for $5.45 (after tax) and get 3 meals for $1.81.

I've had a similar problem too. I like making semi-homemade burritos which consists of lettuce, tomatoes, flour tortillas, refried beans, hamburger, and all the ground peppers and seasonings required to make the sauce. It's just so damn expensive.

There have been days where I almost had to resort to getting those frozen pre-made burritos which are cheaper. I almost purchased them, but at the last minute I tossed them back in the freezer in utter disgust. Have I really sunk so low as to purchase FROZEN FOODS?!?!?! Bah, I thought to myself. I'd rather do without.

 

[gFrohman]

It's cold-hearted Capitalism at work: health food has become a popular craze (a good one though), so the demand for organic, natural, healthy food is high. When the demand is high, prices go up.

Though there are healthy foods that aren't too expensive; the stuff that has to be imported is always a little more expensive. When it comes to shopping for healthier foods, I always see the extra money I spend on better food as less money I'll be spending at the doctor's office later in life.

 

[VirusType2]

I don't know what alternate reality Saturos lives in but a bunch of bananas are like $2.50 here.

Personally, I think potato chips are ****ing disgusting.

I can buy the ingredients and make meals for about the same price as the fast food joints - maybe a little cheaper. And the advantage is that I can make them vegetarian - chili, tacos, spaghetti, burgers... anything.

 

[gFrohman]

Personally, I think potato chips are ****ing disgusting.

I agree; I can't eat 'em.

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

I'm pretty sure that "health foods" haven't gone up in price because of demand. If demand were becoming greater than supply, then that might be the case. However, consumption of "health foods" is still much, much lower than regular food. This means that they can't afford to sell it at the kinds of prices where they make a fraction of a penny profit on each unit sold.

Having said that, a lot of "health food" is over priced just because it's marketed as special. Special things cost more.


Crisps are wonderful! SQUARES are probably my favourite. I haven't eaten any sort of crisp in about a year though.

 

[Saturos]

I don't know what alternate reality Saturos lives in but a bunch of bananas are like $2.50 here.

Personally, I think potato chips are ****ing disgusting.

I live in a f**king black hole. You have no idea how hard it is.

...and yes, only lard butts eat potato chips. You are what you eat, so don't be like me and eat fruits and nuts.

/I made a joke LOL LOL

 

[Tacoeaterguy]

God... I eat junkfood all the time. I'm done. For some odd reason, this thread has encouraged me to eat healthier. I would tell you what I weigh, but I'de be pretty embrassed because of how light I am.

I'm also gonna work out every day now.

 

[VirusType2]

$7.00 for bananas? I find that unbelievable. Either you bought a small banana tree or you live in New York.

 

[Saturos]

God... I eat junkfood all the time. I'm done. For some odd reason, this thread has encouraged me to eat healthier. I would tell you what I weigh, but I'de be pretty embrassed because of how light I am.

I'm also gonna work out every day now.

For light people, eat/drink lots of protein and carbs. Good carbs.

Unless you earn a full salary though, (I doubt it, your only 14 right?) good luck sticking to that diet plan.

 

[dfc05]

I don't know where your bananas are coming from, but around here (Texas) they're $0.49 per pound. I know my parents are able to cook good, healthy meals for under $5, and that's feeding four people.

However, I briefly stopped at a grocery store in Pittsburgh since I'll be moving there soon, and saw some normal, non-organic cauliflower for over $3 ea. or something absurd like that. So I guess food prices can vary by location.

I really hope I can cook cheap meals. I'm already expecting to be short on cash and I really dislike fast food. I have some experience growing veggies, so I'm planning on growing my own spinach and lettuce on my apartment patio to save a little bit of money. My water is paid by management so it would basically be free to grow apart from buying the dirt (up to ~$10) and planter (~$7, possibly free if I can find someone's junk on Craigslist!).

 

[Tacoeaterguy]

For light people, eat/drink lots of protein and carbs. Good carbs.

Unless you earn a full salary though, (I doubt it, your only 14 right?) good luck sticking to that diet plan.

Yeah... I just thought about that. My mom buys alot of fruit that just goes to waste, so I'll eat that. The funny part is, I just downed a giant bowl of chips, and a tall glass of coke. I'm doin great on the diet haha.

Yeah I am 14 btw. I eat alot of carbs, but sadly not the good ones. And what do you meen by good carbs?

 

[VirusType2]

I'm pretty sure that "health foods" haven't gone up in price because of demand. If demand were becoming greater than supply, then that might be the case. However, consumption of "health foods" is still much, much lower than regular food. This means that they can't afford to sell it at the kinds of prices where they make a fraction of a penny profit on each unit sold.

Having said that, a lot of "health food" is over priced just because it's marketed as special. Special things cost more.

This is exactly right.

And I hate all that fancy packaging they often use. The packaging looks like someone is in a cottage somewhere tying fancy bows on their jars.

Also, when buying fruits and vegetables, they can be expensive when they are out of season because they are imported. Like pumpkins in the spring, for example.

 

[Raziaar]

I really like cheap, super healthy foods that don't spoil quickly.

Things like brown rice, lentils, and plain whole rolled oats are three for starters. Oh, and then there are frozen vegetables that are great.

If anybody else has any others to add to that, let me know. I'd like to know.

 

[Saturos]

BTW, I do have a banana tree in our backyard, but for some reason the bananas are sickly and small. How many different species of banana trees are there anyways? Oh, I also have a fig tree, pecan tree, and a cherry tree too. All I need is an apple tree and an orange tree.

Yeah I am 14 btw. I eat alot of carbs, but sadly not the good ones. And what do you meen by good carbs?

It's definitely not potato chips. Just look it up on Wikipedia, the all-knowing oracle of the web.

Fresh potatoes are a good example though. I have several recipes for mashed potatoes. I like mashed potatoes. Mmmm-nom-nom-mon.

 

[Raziaar]

Yeah... I just thought about that. My mom buys alot of fruit that just goes to waste, so I'll eat that. The funny part is, I just downed a giant bowl of chips, and a tall glass of coke. I'm doin great on the diet haha.

Yeah I am 14 btw. I eat alot of carbs, but sadly not the good ones. And what do you meen by good carbs?

Good carbs are carbohydrates that require more effort on the part of your body as well as longer to break down, and the energy they provide typically lasts longer as a result. They leave you more satisfied for longer, rather than having a carbohydrate crash where you're hungry again quickly after eating nutritionally poor carbohydrates.

 

[Commander Stove]

@Saturos- I believe the bananas we know in the grocery stores are actually breed like that, something about breeding it with another fruit, don't cite me on this.

Anyways, there was a time when I was at university where I used to eat lots of unhealthy food. There was a mall near the campus and many of the students ate from the food court. But the fast food was more expensive than the food I would make at home. The average meal at the food court was about $10, and that was for only one meal (usually 3 meals a day since I would spend most of my day at the campus). Eventually, I started to get real sick. That and the stress of university work led to many stomach problems.
But then I tried making stuff at home. I once made a pasta dish for about $6. The good part was that it was big enough for more than one meal.

for tl;dr people, one fast food meal = $10, several serving homemade healthy food = $6
All I was really buying with the fast food is convenience.


btw, I live at the west coast of Canada, Vancouver area.

 

[Saturos]

@Saturos- I believe the bananas we know in the grocery stores are actually breed like that, something about breeding it with another fruit, don't cite me on this.

That's what I've been thinking. That somehow they are cross-bred or something.

Also, the foodcourt in our local mall is expensive too. I think the others are right in saying high prices has to do with high demand, but then with so many junk-food junkies in America, why is healthy stuff so expensive? In dfc05's case, maybe it's because he's so close to Mexico, where alot of produce is imported from, and during off-seasons too where produce is imported out. So many variables.

BTW, I like stoves. Can I slam my head in your door? :E

 

[G(ordon)-man]

Haha, in Estonia junk food is expensive but healthy food is very cheap. A bag of chips costs almost 3 dollars, but you can get 1 kilo of bananas for 2-4 dollars. not to mention lettuces, potatoes etc.

Also 75% of estonia is forest, ancient forest, over 5000 years old. So going to forest and picking mushrooms and berries is free. No wonder Estonia has the lowest obesity rank in whole Europe.

 

[dfc05]

That's what I've been thinking. That somehow they are cross-bred or something.

Also, the foodcourt in our local mall is expensive too. I think the others are right in saying high prices has to do with high demand, but then with so many junk-food junkies in America, why is healthy stuff so expensive? In dfc05's case, maybe it's because he's so close to Mexico, where alot of produce is imported from, and during off-seasons too where produce is imported out. So many variables.

Our bananas here do tend to come from Mexico, so that may be it. I think some stores have been getting more US grown stuff though, after that incident with the salmonella on the cilantro.

Are your bananas the "finger banana" variety? They are smaller than normal bananas but not particularly "sickly" looking.

 

[Dinnesch]

Here in the Netherlands you can get a good-quality cucumber for 0.30 euro($0.40).

 

[Raziaar]

That's what I've been thinking. That somehow they are cross-bred or something.

Also, the foodcourt in our local mall is expensive too. I think the others are right in saying high prices has to do with high demand, but then with so many junk-food junkies in America, why is healthy stuff so expensive? In dfc05's case, maybe it's because he's so close to Mexico, where alot of produce is imported from, and during off-seasons too where produce is imported out. So many variables.

BTW, I like stoves. Can I slam my head in your door? :E

Well, big businesses have gotten comfortable using the cheapest ingredients and making unhealthy products that people love to eat.

They charge more for salt free or low salt varieties of canned foods, they charge more for 'low fat' foods, which is bullshit in of itself, and they charge more for products that do not contain cheaper artificial sweeteners instead of real sugar.

Fast food, snack food, junk food is so commonplace that the healthier stuff that used to make up the bulk of the American diet is more rare and fewer people produce it to sell it. So prices are up there.

It sucks really.

 

[gFrohman]

Also, when buying fruits and vegetables, they can be expensive when they are out of season because they are imported. Like pumpkins in the spring, for example.

Very true. Some fruits & veggies are expensive at times because they're out of season (that's why it's a pain in the ass getting fresh cheap avocados in the midwest).

TBH, I've gone to trying to grow certain fruits & veggies myself, and not only is it cheaper IMO, but the food tastes so much better (I grow strawberries, tomatoes, and chiles).

 

[VirusType2]

According to some hardcore nutritional experts, the fruits and veggies at the supermarket are bad for you. They don't even stock organic fruits and veggies at my local supermarket. I've asked.

 

[Raziaar]

Very true. Some fruits & veggies are expensive at times because they're out of season (that's why it's a pain in the ass getting fresh cheap avocados in the midwest).

TBH, I've gone to trying to grow certain fruits & veggies myself, and not only is it cheaper IMO, but the food tastes so much better (I grow strawberries, tomatoes, and chiles).

How much produce do you get through the year though?

I would love to grow my own tomatoes and onions. But I don't know the first thing about starting or maintaining a garden.

 

[Eejit]

Fruit and veg tends to be a lot cheaper here in regular (i.e. not full of hippy organic whatever crap) dedicated shops than in the supermarkets.


Cultivated bananas are propagated vegitatively (cuttings) because the seeds have been bred out of them, and usually only give one or two good crops before you have to replant.
There are many different types in Asia, but elsewhere you'll only find the 'normal' dessert kind and occasionally plantains.

 

[VirusType2]

How much produce do you get through the year though?

I would love to grow my own tomatoes and onions. But I don't know the first thing about starting or maintaining a garden.

Find out how much sun they need.
Find out what season to plant.
Water the base, not the leaves.
Don't water when the sun is out.
Do not over water.

Best to do a quick fact search on whatever you are planting.

 

[gFrohman]

I'll get a fairly good amount of tomatoes (normally I'll have extras, actually). Depending on the type of tomato plant I'm growing (cherry vs. heirlooms vs. etc), I can have a lot for a week or so. And tomatoes can grow all year (I keep the plants inside for the winter). Strawberries are harder to keep in that they grow only at certain times of the year, and other critters enjoy them too.

Growing produce isn't too difficult, but it does require a little planning and patience.

 

[Raziaar]

I have no patience to wait a year to grow something I want to eat right now!

 

[gFrohman]

Oh lord no, they don't take all year to grow, lol.

Tomatoes only take maybe a couple weeks or so to get going, depends on the type (cherry tomatoes grow faster, at least for me they do).

I meant that you can grow tomatoes all year round, so you don't have to worry about no tomatoes for the winter.

 

[VirusType2]

You can always take up gardening when you retire. Something to do.

 

[Eejit]

What exactly does Saturos mean by "healthier foods"?
From his post it seems just ingredients rather than premade/prepackaged, particularly fruit and vegetables.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

There have been days where I almost had to resort to getting those frozen pre-made burritos which are cheaper. I almost purchased them, but at the last minute I tossed them back in the freezer in utter disgust. Have I really sunk so low as to purchase FROZEN FOODS?!?!?!

I love those!

Personally, I think potato chips are ****ing disgusting.

I love those too!

 

[Dodo]

how i despise US food *shudders*

-dodo