Dispelling the Myth that Junk food is cheaper than Healthy food. (mushrooms, healthiest)

[CaptainNJ]

Originally Posted by Candy~O

Isn't this more of an opinion???

if it gets repeated enough times, some people will believe it.

[Chatteress]

Originally Posted by Candy~O

Isn't this more of an opinion???

That's what I've learned from reading articles on nutrition as there is lots I still need to learn. Unfortunately, I grew up in a poor household where proper nutrition wasn't the norm and I'm trying to educate myself on how to change years of poor eating habits to healthy ones. It isn't easy then you have all these "health" experts being condescending when you are stating what you've learned. Sometimes the fight to eat healthy just makes me want to throw my hands up in the air and just say forget it! Not once can I find any advice that addresses the challenges of eating healthy when you have multiple jobs on a budget. Every time I stock up on healthy foods, I wind up throwing a lot of stuff out because they spoil fast. I don't really care for my own cooking and the last thing I like to do is eat the same leftovers all week long. When you are single, it's hard to prepare well-balanced, healthy meals without having tons of leftovers. I like my foods freshly prepared and cannot stomach leftovers beyond one day and won't eat it.

[Nomander]

Originally Posted by Chatteress

I did not realize that ham was healthy? Since when is pork considered healthy?

Nothing wrong with ham.

Like anything, moderation is key. The ham in a meal like this is small pieces, not a gorged meal of ham itself and it is far better than eating the fast food meals that are being discussed, or are you attempting to claim eating those fast food processed meals are the same as a bit of ham in the recipe I mentioned?.

[Nomander]

Originally Posted by Chatteress

Red meat isn't very healthy which is one of the reasons why I don't eat much of it. I have no issues with a little pork here and there but I would not even pretend that it is a healthy option.

Garbage. In fact, a healthy diet requires a certain amount of red meat in it.

[CaptainNJ]

Originally Posted by Chatteress

That's what I've learned from reading articles on nutrition as there is lots I still need to learn. Unfortunately, I grew up in a poor household where proper nutrition wasn't the norm and I'm trying to educate myself on how to change years of poor eating habits to healthy ones. It isn't easy then you have all these "health" experts being condescending when you are stating what you've learned. Sometimes the fight to eat healthy just makes me want to throw my hands up in the air and just say forget it! Not once can I find any advice that addresses the challenges of eating healthy when you have multiple jobs on a budget. Every time I stock up on healthy foods, I wind up throwing a lot of stuff out because they spoil fast. I don't really care for my own cooking and the last thing I like to do is eat the same leftovers all week long. When you are single, it's hard to prepare well-balanced, healthy meals without having tons of leftovers. I like my foods freshly prepared and cannot stomach leftovers beyond one day and won't eat it.

you are listening to people who need to complicate something that is very simple because nobody buys a 2 page book on nutrition.

you dont have to stock up on "healthy foods" or avoid anything. just limit your daily intake.

[Chatteress]

Originally Posted by CaptainNJ

you are listening to people who need to complicate something that is very simple because nobody buys a 2 page book on nutrition.

you dont have to stock up on "healthy foods" or avoid anything. just limit your daily intake.

My issue isn't limited my daily intake, it's getting enough daily nutrients and eating more fresh versus processed foods. That's the battle I'm having.

[CaptainNJ]

Originally Posted by Chatteress

My issue isn't limited my daily intake, it's getting enough daily nutrients and eating more fresh versus processed foods. That's the battle I'm having.

those "nutrients" are overrated. there is no magic in fruit or vegetables. you really dont need to worry that you are getting enough unless you actually have found that you have a deficiency.

[slackjaw]

An eight pack of hot dogs is what a couple bucks? 8 Buns add another dollar. Ramen 5/dollar. I haven't bought cheapo mac and cheese in awhile but its gotta still be about 3/dollar. A turkey pot pie is about a dollar too.

You'll get no argument from me on how good for you that stuff is, but I remain unconvinced that a meal of junk food is more expensive than a healthy one.

[KittenSparkles]

I think a big factor in eating healthy, home-cooked meals on a regular basis is the planning aspect of it.

In order to eat this way on a regular basis, a person needs to

A. have access to a collection of recipes and the ability to evaluate them to know if they are going to taste good, be too-time consuming, etc.
B. have some cooking skills
C. have the cooking utensils, pans, etc.
D. have the spices, oils, and other regular ingredients commonly needed in most recipes
E. be able to think ahead for more than a couple of days- decide what they will want to eat and when
F. think about how to buy ingredients that can be used in multiple recipes before they go bad
G. be able to time the cooking of the perishables so that they are used before they go bad

I could go, but you get the point.

As someone who loves to cook, but at times, has been too busy/stressed out to do so, I realize that the list above can be a huge deterrent to regular at-home cooking even if I greatly desire to eat healthy home-cooked meals.

So..... for this reason, I am not one to judge the busy single parent, or the two-parent family with long commutes, or the person who takes public transportation....or those with other reasons that make it very challenging to regularly do all of the things on that list.

That being said, learning to cook at home can be done..... I think it becomes cheapest when one is regularly using up all the ingredients they buy and using up all the perishables before they expire.

I want to put a plug in for this awesome blog - I think this person has created an awesome collection of very user-friendly, not-super-expensive, and generally very tasty recipes. She prices out each of her recipes, so of course her costs are going to be based on the time she posted them and the region she lives in , but I think its helpful for people trying to think about the cost of the food they are cooking. And no, I am not the blogger. Budget Bytes

[Chatteress]

Every time I buy fresh foods to cook, they wind up not being used in time ... It's more cost-effective for me to buy the pre-packaged stuff than fresh foods ... I'm trying to eat healthier but have difficulties mustering up the energy to cook a well-balanced meal for one....