--- title: Why Eating Healthy Won't Cost You More | TIME description: One study found that you’d only have to spend a few quarters more each day on a meal that’s good for you than you would for cheaper, less healthful food canonical: https://time.com/video/NSr5rmbB/ og:title: Why Eating Healthy Won't Cost You More og:description: One study found that you’d only have to spend a few quarters more each day on a meal that’s good for you than you would for cheaper, less healthful food og:url: https://time.com/video/NSr5rmbB/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/NSr5rmbB/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Eating Healthy Won't Cost You More twitter:description: One study found that you’d only have to spend a few quarters more each day on a meal that’s good for you than you would for cheaper, less healthful food twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/NSr5rmbB/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Why Eating Healthy Won't Cost You More > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Why Eating Healthy Won't Cost You More [Watch (HLS stream): Why Eating Healthy Won't Cost You More](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/NSr5rmbB.m3u8) (2:39)  _Published 2015-01-05. One study found that you’d only have to spend a few quarters more each day on a meal that’s good for you than you would for cheaper, less healthful food_ --- Jul 27, 2023 5:43 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [7 Healthy Foods That Cost Less Than $1 MONEY](/video/W2qBekuM/) ### 7 Healthy Foods That Cost Less Than $1 MONEY [3 Healthy Reasons to Eat More Pineapple](/video/shrOf98o/) ### 3 Healthy Reasons to Eat More Pineapple [U.K. Kids Spend Less Time Outside Than Prison Inmates, Study Says](/video/YvlrNuPA/) ### U.K. Kids Spend Less Time Outside Than Prison Inmates, Study Says --- ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] As a mother, I would like to feed my kids healthy foods that are good for them. That's not always the case. Because it's, it's faster and less expensive if I go to a fast food restaurant or if we're eating while we're out. It's become conventional wisdom that healthy foods cost more which is often cited as a reason that many people choose things like this over this. But in fact a healthy diet can be quite affordable, depending on which foods it includes. A review of twenty- seven studies from ten countries concluded that the healthiest diets consisting of foods like veggies, fish, and nuts... Cost on average about $ 1. 50 more per day per person than unhealthy diets high in processed foods and refined grains. But within specific categories of foods, healthier options aren't necessarily more expensive. For example, one study found that 100 % fruit juice costs the same as fruit drinks with added sugars. And that whole grain cereals were actually cheaper than less nutritious cereals. Then costly products, marketed as healthy, with labels like natural, bulky grain or organic aren't really any better for you and even when they are, you don't need to buy these designer foods to have a healthy diet. Instead, go for basics like beans, whole grains, low fat dairy, vegetables and fruit. A healthy meal for four made up of these items would run about $ 14. Now compare that to an unhealthy meal consisting of chicken fried steak, french fries, soda and store bought chocolate cake. It would cost about $ 5 more. Make that fast- food fried chicken with sides, biscuits and soda, and the price is nearly twice that of the healthy meal. Now granted, certain healthy foods like fresh fish can run up your grocery bill. But by sticking to a mostly plant diet and choosing carefully, you can keep costs in check. And you may even save money by shelling out less for processed foods. Speaking of which even though the bag of chips cost less than the bag of carrots, you get more servings of carrots so they actually cost less per serving. Plus the carrots are much more filling which means I'll eat less later. Now, that's what I call a good deal. 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