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Eating Healthy Is Cheaper Than You Think
By Alexandra Sifferlin @acsifferlin
Dec. 05, 2013
12 Comments
The smart people at the Harvard School of Public Health
(HSPH) have crunched the numbers and it’s official: the
healthiest diets cost just $1.50 more than unhealthy diets.
While cost is an issue in when it comes to adding more fresh
produce and leaner meats such as fish in your daily diet,
researchers of a new study published in the BMJ say that few
studies have actually evaluated how much more expensive a
healthier diet might be.
So the HSPH team conducted a meta-analysis of 27 studies
from 10 higher income countries that compared price points
for healthy and less healthy diets. They studied the price
differences per serving and per 200 calories for a variety of
Getty Images/Blend Images
specific foods, as well as prices per day and per 2,000 calories,
which is the average daily recommended caloric intake for U.S. adults.
DE TA LER
The results confirm that healthier fare, like fruits, veggies and fish are more expensive than
unhealthy foods like processed meals and snacks and refined grains. That’s because current food
policies support inexpensive but high volume production, and favor easily manufactured and
processed foods that provide more profit per unit for the food industry.
However, swapping out some of these less expensive, and less healthy foods, for fresher and
Ninety Tons of Prepared Food
Recalled for E. Coli
9 Shocking Food Facts
11 Foods That Are Changing the
World
more nutritious ones added up to only about $1.50 more per day.
That might not be a problem for some, but the study authors acknowledge that people with lower
incomes may not be able to afford the added cost. But, they hope, the small difference may put
more nutritious foods within reach of more people, if food programs aren’t as deterred by the perceived high cost of eating better.
“While healthier diets did cost more, the difference was smaller than many people might have expected. Over the course of a year, $1.50
[per] day more for eating a healthy diet would increase food costs for one person by about $550 per year. This would represent a real
burden for some families, and we need policies to help offset these costs,” said senior study author Dariush Mozaffarian, an associate
professor at HSPH and Harvard Medical School.
Ultimately, however, the researchers suggest that production systems that make healthy foods more economical to produce, and
therefore are more in line with processed food prices, are necessary. That way, healthier foods may become more accessible, health care
costs for chronic diseases related to poor diets may also start to drop.
Alexandra Sifferlin @acsifferlin
Alexandra Sifferlin is a writer and producer for TIME Healthland. She is a graduate from the Northwestern University Medill School
of Journalism.
![TIME
Apps
ylimaF & htlaeH
Home
Medicine
Diet & Fitness
Family & Parenting
Love & Relationships
Mental Health
Policy & Industry
Viewpoint
FOOD & DRINK
Eating Healthy Is Cheaper Than You Think
By Alexandra Sifferlin @acsifferlin
Dec. 05, 2013
12 Comments
The smart people at the Harvard School of Public Health
(HSPH) have crunched the numbers and it’s official: the
healthiest diets cost just $1.50 more than unhealthy diets.
While cost is an issue in when it comes to adding more fresh
produce and leaner meats such as fish in your daily diet,
researchers of a new study published in the BMJ say that few
studies have actually evaluated how much more expensive a
healthier diet might be.
So the HSPH team conducted a meta-analysis of 27 studies
from 10 higher income countries that compared price points
for healthy and less healthy diets. They studied the price
differences per serving and per 200 calories for a variety of
Getty Images/Blend Images
specific foods, as well as prices per day and per 2,000 calories,
which is the average daily recommended caloric intake for U.S. adults.
DE TA LER
The results confirm that healthier fare, like fruits, veggies and fish are more expensive than
unhealthy foods like processed meals and snacks and refined grains. That’s because current food
policies support inexpensive but high volume production, and favor easily manufactured and
processed foods that provide more profit per unit for the food industry.
However, swapping out some of these less expensive, and less healthy foods, for fresher and
Ninety Tons of Prepared Food
Recalled for E. Coli
9 Shocking Food Facts
11 Foods That Are Changing the
World
more nutritious ones added up to only about $1.50 more per day.
That might not be a problem for some, but the study authors acknowledge that people with lower
incomes may not be able to afford the added cost. But, they hope, the small difference may put
more nutritious foods within reach of more people, if food programs aren’t as deterred by the perceived high cost of eating better.
“While healthier diets did cost more, the difference was smaller than many people might have expected. Over the course of a year, $1.50
[per] day more for eating a healthy diet would increase food costs for one person by about $550 per year. This would represent a real
burden for some families, and we need policies to help offset these costs,” said senior study author Dariush Mozaffarian, an associate
professor at HSPH and Harvard Medical School.
Ultimately, however, the researchers suggest that production systems that make healthy foods more economical to produce, and
therefore are more in line with processed food prices, are necessary. That way, healthier foods may become more accessible, health care
costs for chronic diseases related to poor diets may also start to drop.
Alexandra Sifferlin @acsifferlin
Alexandra Sifferlin is a writer and producer for TIME Healthland. She is a graduate from the Northwestern University Medill School
of Journalism.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/eatinghealthyischeaperthanyouthinktime-131216134704-phpapp02/85/eating-healthy-is-cheaper-than-you-think-time-1-320.jpg)
