Consumers face dilemma: Cheap junk food or pricey health food

[Tyler Vaivada]

By Cassie Fleming
GateHouse News Service
Posted Aug 14, 2008 @ 10:28 PM
Last update Aug 14, 2008 @ 11:33 PM
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. —
When buying groceries, how much you spend depends on where you push the shopping cart.

With 75 cents in the produce aisle, you can purchase one serving of fruit: an apple, a cup of strawberries or a cup of grapes. But those three quarters in the snack aisle buy three times as many servings: three granola bars, 12 Oreos or 25 potato chips.

And if you want to get the most calories for your money, stay near the junk food. Compared to the 400 calories provided by a candy bar, a dollar's worth of a tomato will go as far as 18 calories.

Because fruits and vegetables are generally more costly than snack foods, many people are torn between saving money and eating healthily. For those on a tight grocery budget, steering clear of higher-priced produce seems to makes sense.

"My friends trying to lose weight are frustrated. It's too expensive," said Hidee Hayman, 25. "Junk food's so cheap."

But is spending grocery money on snack food cost-effective?

"Yes, junk food buys more calories, but they are empty calories," said Brooke Trimble, dietitian at St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island, Neb. "These calories have limited nutritional value."

However, ways to eat healthy while not emptying your wallet exist, she said.

"Flip through the sale ads every week," Trimble said.

Often the in-season fresh fruits will be less expensive than other fruits, said Shannon Frink, a Hy-Vee dietitian.

"Always be aware what season it is," she said. "Those fruits are on sale and will be better quality,"

Buying whole fruits and vegetables is also cheaper than purchasing them pre-packaged and cut-up, Frink said.

"Take packages of baby carrots, for example. They are much more expensive than just buying carrots," she said.

Canned and frozen fruits and vegetables are less expensive than the fresh counterparts. If not overcooked, they retain their nutritional benefits.

"Frozen produce actually offers more nutritional value because it is picked and then frozen almost immediately, rather than picked and transported," Frink said.

When buying canned items, consumers should make note on how it's packaged. Fruit canned in heavy syrups lose nutritional value, she said.

With two children ages 4 and 9, Hayman said she knows it can be tempting to fill up the shopping cart with sugary snacks.

"I just try to watch what's on sale and stock up on frozen fruits and veggies," she said. "And save the chips for barbecues."

The Grand Island Independent

Copyright © 2008 GateHouse Media, Inc. Some Rights Reserved.

[Tyler Vaivada]

This just had to be brought up.

For many people this is a significant barrier.

You definitely notice the difference in the quality of food when you go to, say, a Price Choppers versus a Whole Foods market.

I COULD NOT find organic anything in Price Choppers, just to name a difference.
The produce and freshly made food section is also vastly bigger in Whole Foods.

[Kristoffer Romero]

Some great advice. I face exactly the same problem, since I'm a grad student and don't make tons of money. It's honestly so much cheaper to just buy the no-name brand hotdogs instead of red peppers. I often have to cook based on what fresh fruits and vegetables are on sale, and buy most of my other veggies frozen.

[Guru]

There would be a better incentive for people looking to lose weight or become healthier if healthy foods were cheaper, but if you taxed junk foods in the same way tobacco is taxed, then there would be a general outcry against it, and if you subsidized healthy foods, well... that would take a lot of money out of an already tight budget. So what to do... it seems like we can't place the responsibility on the government yet, at any rate.

[Brian]

<3

[Kristoffer Romero]

nope, not yet. As with most things, responsibility rests upon the individual to make his/her own choices. I'd just hope that they're informed choices, which is why we are here! Vitamins and sunshine and rainbows!!1