The True Cost of Eating Healthy

With ten dollars, you can choose between buying a variety of donuts or a smaller number of apples. While donuts provide more calories, it’s important to understand that not all calories are equal. Donuts are packed with saturated fats and processed ingredients, while apples offer fiber and essential vitamins. Despite their nutritional benefits, you’d need to eat more apples to match the calorie count of one donut, costing you around five extra dollars. This highlights a common dilemma: the cost-effective choice often isn’t the healthiest one.

There’s a significant link between diets low in fruits and vegetables and the rise of chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes, which are now among the most serious health issues in the nation. Although produce is vital for a healthy diet, many Americans are not consuming enough, partly due to cost.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are generally more expensive to produce than crops used in processed foods. For instance, fresh strawberries must be hand-picked, whereas strawberries for preserves can be harvested by machines, making them cheaper. This labor-intensive process is reflected in the higher price of fresh strawberries compared to processed ones.

Government subsidies also influence the cost disparity. The USDA provides substantial support for crops like wheat, soy, and corn, which are staples in many processed foods. However, leafy vegetables don’t receive the same level of subsidies. As a result, products containing high-fructose corn syrup and soybean oil are often cheaper, making less nutritious foods more affordable.

To encourage healthier eating, strategies beyond simply raising costs for unhealthy foods are necessary. Taxes on products like tobacco and alcohol have proven effective in reducing consumption. For example, as cigarette taxes increased over the past forty years, per capita consumption of cigarettes steadily declined. Some researchers suggest that a similar “junk food tax” could help. This tax would target non-essential items such as candy, soda, and chips at the manufacturing level, potentially steering consumers toward healthier choices by making junk food more expensive.

However, a junk food tax alone won’t solve the issues of obesity or the high cost of healthy eating. Other initiatives, like making produce more appealing or affordable, are also needed. Since 2014, the USDA has allocated over $65 million to programs that make produce more accessible for lower-income individuals. Additionally, the Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program (FvRX) allows doctors to prescribe vouchers for produce to patients at high risk for diet-related diseases.

Growing produce at home or in community gardens can promote healthy eating with minimal financial investment, but the time required for gardening and cooking can be challenging for busy families. While it’s still unclear which strategies will be most effective, experimenting with these approaches is crucial. If Americans consumed a more diverse and larger quantity of fruits and vegetables, the overall health of the population would likely improve significantly.