This is from a U.S.-centric viewpoint, though insights from other countries are appreciated.
Nearly every article on the topic says healthy food is 1.5-2x+ the cost of UPFs and other foods generally viewed as unhealthy. That hasn’t been my personal experience at all, bit clearly there is more to the story – because every source on the internet contradicts my opinion.
Groceries are pricey and it’s hard to budget as a single person because of portion sizes. Even so, foods like poultry and vegetables are far cheaper to cook at home than to buy at a restaurant or (from a nutritional perspective) the frozen foods section at Kroger.
Some foods – like certain kinds of beef or fish – are either similar to or slightly cheaper to get a restaurant or frozen food item as opposed to making healthier types at home.
I guess some fruits are kinda pricey and eating healthy is a challenge in a food desert, but otherwise I’d spend so much more on UPFs as opposed to buying whole foods.
What part of the story am I missing?
In: Economics
Meats and vegetables are cheaper than UFP’s, BUT you need to know how to cook and it does take time. Like, literally 2-6 hours, which is not an insignificant amount of time if you have a regular job. Your evenings would be spent cooking instead of relaxing or doing other activities.
So take your salary for 4 hours per day, 28 hours per week, and add THAT to the cost of raw meats and vegetables, as “opportunity cost”. Then add 15% to your gas or electricity bill for running the stove for a few hours per week.
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