Why is some food more expensive than others? What can we do to save money and still be healthy?

After taking the time to reflect on the first week of class and all the interesting things we discussed, one thing that really stuck with me and made me think was the question that was asked “why is a cheeseburger at McDonalds 99 cents while a salad is seven dollars?” I personally have never thought much in depth about why certain foods are more expensive than others. Rather it is at a fast food joint or a grocery store. For example, say you are at the store and you can either get a soda for 75 cents or an apple for around a dollar. Sure the apple is a bit more expensive but think about all the nutrients you are getting from that apple and what you would not be getting from the bottle of soda. In addition, an apple would keep you much fuller than a bottle of soda would which in result causes you not to be as hungry and you would not spend more money on food. A quote from an article called “Straight Health” stated, “Instead of worrying about the damage healthy food does to your wallet, worry about the damage unhealthy food does to your body.”

This quote helps me move a little more into the direction of what we should actually be eating and what effects it has on our bodies. When we watched the movie In Defense Of Food, they also really focused on what food is actually good for you and what is not. For example, a lot of the bad food we eat increases our risk for heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes. In addition if we change our diet, and eat food from the produce section and give our bodies natural and good ingredients which can help us prevent those same diseases. 

Also in the movie was an 11-year-old boy who had gained 30 pounds in one year. The boy’s mom was being interviewed and she went on to say how surprised she was that he had gained that much weight because she thought she was feeding him healthy food but it turned out it was not so healthy after all. That then rises the question of what should we actually be eating and buying at the grocery stores? Also stated in the movie In Defense Of Food was that when you are shopping the quieter the better. Other suggestions were to stay away from the middle isles of the grocery store, try and grow your own fruits and vegetables, avoid eating food you see advertised on TV and only eat foods that can rot. Something else that was mentioned was how bad the western diet is. It tends to make lots of people sick and involves lots of meat eating, flour, sugar, and cheap and processed foods. 

It was then suggested to eat like the French do, which means eating a lot slower, and actually enjoying your food. They think of having meals almost as an event instead of just sitting down and eating as fast as they can and not talk to anyone. It is also said that eating slower makes you feel full faster. “Scientist have known for some time that a full stomach is only part of what causes someone to feel satisfied after a meal; the brain must also receive a series of signals from digestive hormones secreted by the gastronomical tract.” https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-eating-slowly-may-help-you-feel-full-faster-20101019605

Therefore, when you eat slower you tend to end up eating less and in the long run it will help you save money and be able to afford healthier foods.

To go back on the topic of why healthy foods are more expensive than unhealthy there was a study done in 2014 that scientifically backed up the fact that “unhealthy food is about $1.50 cheaper per day, or about $550 per year, than healthy food.” https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/05/eating-healthy-vs-unhealthy_n_4383633.html At first when you hear that it is only $1.50 more to eat healthy (for this study it was based on a fruit, vegetables and fish while the unhealthy diet was processed foods, meats and grains) it does not seem like that big of deal until you look at it in the long run $550 per year can be a lot of money to people. Therefore, people choose to go the cheaper choices, which are the unhealthy food, but then later on in life they have a good chance of developing a health condition from these choices that they are making and end up paying more money then intended on medical bills. Then when they get to that point in their life $550 does not seem too bad anymore.

Another way to save money is by growing your own food. Also in the movie In Defense Of Food they had camps where younger kids would go to pick fruit and vegetables and try new healthy foods to eat. I thought this was super important because the more you expose people to healthy food at a younger age and get them in the habit of eating it, as they get older they would have already tried lots of fruits and vegetables and will influence them to hopefully make the healthier choice. 

They also had a part of the movie that showed a chef that was giving young men a second chance and teaching them how to cook. They decided to start growing their own food so that they knew where it was coming from and that it is healthy. All they had to do was walk next door to the other room. They showed a clip of the main chef being interview and he talked about how cool it was to see all the young adults eat and enjoy their salads because they were the ones that made it and who knows if they would not have enjoying it as much or not even eat it because it was store bought or it was meaningless because they didn’t grow it. Personally, I feel like if I were to grow my own vegetables there would be more of a chance of me actually eating it and enjoying it because I know exactly where it came from and I probably worked hard to maintain the food so I would actually want to eat it and not let it go to waste.

Overall, there are lots of ways and resources to help you make the healthy choice and be smart about what you're eating and how much. I have learned a lot just from three days of taking this course and I feel like people are missing out on a lot of important information about what they should put in their bodies and what they are actually spending their money on.

Katie Coronado 

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