Debunking the Myth that Fast Food is Cheaper than REAL Food

[LipstickLady 25,682]

Many people blame rising obesity rates on the high costs of food and I have to (go figure!!) disagree. Is fast food really less expensive than "real" food? I know it's easier, but let's talk cost. Sure, I agree that buying a week's worth of food at one time feels like you are spending more overall, but broken down by meal, your savings can be pretty good especially if you shop store brands and watch for coupons and sales.

Fresh eggs are inexpensive as is a loaf of whole grain bread, generic Cereal, quick cook oats, applesauce. Frozen concentrated OJ, apple juice or grape juice is cheap and I've always watered it down by half to lower the sugar per serving and my kids don't know the difference. coffee Beans cost almost nothing, too.

Bags of brown rice, dried beans, whole grain Pasta, potatoes. They are all complex carbs, healthy, and pennies per serving.

Frozen veggies are much better than canned, are picked and frozen at their peak of freshness and great for you. Fresh veggies in season cost pennies per serving, but go for frozen for off season choices.

Fruit in season is the best. Bananas are always cheap, as are apples if you buy them by the bag.

Canned beans, jarred Tomato sauce, canned Soup, and Peanut Butter are great staples and if you read the labels, there are healthy options.

meat is a tough one, admittedly, but tuna and canned chicken are often on sale and can be stocked up on. Whole chickens are inexpensive as are whole pork loins. I buy ground beef on sale and freeze it.

As far as dairy, blocks of cheese can be grated or sliced, the family sized containers of yogurt aren't expensive, and cottage cheese can be bought for pennies per serving.

Real food is NOT much more expensive it's simply not as convenient. It takes longer to prepare, it takes more planning, and utilizing leftovers is usually involved. Cooking and prepping in bulk is a great option as well as using that freezer for something other than ice cream.

What other options are out there that I missed?

[LezzieLez 180]

You're totally right on this one. The cost of PROCESSED food are higher than getting fast food. That's just because the stores are processing the food in bulk with cheap chemicals/preservatives to make them last longer.

I still eat at some fast food establishments (chick fil A is my fav) but it is cheaper and healthier for me to just cut up a chicken breast and saute it or bake it into nuggets.

Besides coupons, butchers for meat is a great option or farmers markets for fruit and veggies if frozen isn't desirable. I personally like the steamfresh brand. You can share a meat package deal with family or friends. For convenience, I buy bagged salads and split it into servings.

I buy nuts in bulk from costco and mix it with Cereal for a snack and it lasts me a long time.

[Elode 8,093]

I agree! We have been working on making one of our acres a complete garden for the last few years. I have been invited to learn how to can from my neighbor lady so that's where I'll be after harvest. That helps to save money and I'm on a dehydrating kick here as of lately making my own Jerky and dried fruits. It's actually really fun and I in the process I can cut down all the sugar and salts that go into our food. We eat out sometimes but we prefer to eat at home that way I know exactly what I'm put In my mouth. I also use my crockpot a lot and most crockpot meals aren't very expensive to make plus you have leftovers to freeze ect....I think it all depends on how much time and energy you want to spend on preparing your grocery list and meals. The amount of girlfriends I have and guys I know that can't cook is sad. We live in a world of "convenience" so it's easier for some to just go through a drive-thru.

[alwaysvegas 702]

I think learning to cook should be part of the required learning for weight loss surgery. But I've enjoyed cooking for years, so I'm biased. Now tomatoes shall me thrown at me for suggesting another hoop to jump through for weight loss.

But, seriously, the best way to know what goes into your meals (as much as possible) is to make as much as you can from fresh foods. I don't do organic and likely never will. I grew up with lead-based paint, asbestos, DDT, no sunscreen and at the beach for weeks, and a parent who smoked with me in the car. Gotta love the 1970s!

But I still keep a reasonable eye on what's going into my body. I don't make everything from scratch always. For example, I learned how to make mayo. It was good, but too tedious for the amount I use. I also learned how to make my own low carb BBQ Sauce and tweak it for fun.

When I learned to cook (a goal I had in college) I started with a box of Hamburger Helper and looked at the ingredients. I then bought fresh ingredients based on what was in there and started learning what ingredients went together. The internet was just taking off back then, so the learning curve was a bit longer because cookbooks were pricey for a college guy.

These days, there is so much free information about food preparation and a bajillion recipes out there. I understand that time can be an issue, but it's the same trade-off we make for exercise. Look at what you spend your time doing and see what you can trade for cooking.

Edited March 26, 2015 by AlwaysVegas

[alwaysvegas 702]

As far as dairy, blocks of cheese can be grated or sliced, the family sized containers of yogurt aren't expensive, and cottage cheese can be bought for pennies per serving.

Speaking of dairy, I recently discovered sodium citrate, which makes the most amazingly-easy cheese sauces. It's available from Amazon. It's a bit pricey, but you only use a teaspoon for about 8 oz of cheese. Check out the article: http://www.chow.com/recipes/30493-perfectly-melting-cheese

No need to learn how to make a bechamel sauce! Just Water and sodium citrate. The cheese is insanely smooth and tastes of nothing but pure smooth cheese. And it works with low fat cheeses. I think fat free cheeses are blasphemous, so I've never tried that.

I've made the following:

• Mozzarella and Parmesan with italian seasonings and garlic.
• Cheddar (or Mexican blend) with chili powder, cumin, cilantro, hot sauce
• Gouda with herbes du provence
• Swiss with thyme and black pepper
• White cheddar with rosemary

These all go well over low fat cuts of chicken, pork, eggs, or tofu. I've also used low-sodium/no sodium broth in place of Water and I think that adds even more flavor.

Edited March 26, 2015 by AlwaysVegas

[LipstickLady 25,682]

As far as dairy, blocks of cheese can be grated or sliced, the family sized containers of yogurt aren't expensive, and cottage cheese can be bought for pennies per serving.

Speaking of dairy, I recently discovered sodium citrate, which makes the most amazingly-easy cheese sauces. It's available from Amazon. It's a bit pricey, but you only use a teaspoon for about 8 oz of cheese. Check out the article: http://www.chow.com/recipes/30493-perfectly-melting-cheese

No need to learn how to make a bechamel sauce! Just Water and sodium citrate. The cheese is insanely smooth and tastes of nothing but pure smooth cheese. And it works with low fat cheeses. I think fat free cheeses are blasphemous, so I've never tried that.

I've made the following:

• Mozzarella and Parmesan with italian seasonings and garlic.
• Cheddar (or Mexican blend) with chili powder, cumin, cilantro, hot sauce
• Gouda with herbes du provence
• Swiss with thyme and black pepper
• White cheddar with rosemary

These all go well over low fat cuts of chicken, pork, eggs, or tofu. I've also used low-sodium/no sodium broth in place of Water and I think that adds even more flavor.

WOW! Good to know. Now make a video showing us how.

[Elode 8,093]

Video! Video!

[alwaysvegas 702]

Video at the top of the article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/06/nacho-cheese-sodium-citrate_n_6108794.html

Another good video:

It seriously is just Water + sodium citrate + cheese!

Edited March 26, 2015 by AlwaysVegas

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

My Whole Foods tips:

• Buy from the loose bins.
• Sign up on their website for sales alerts and coupons.
• They have just started a rewards program but it's only in a small area. You can sign up to be notified when it comes to your area.
• Buy their 365 store brand, expecially if you are buying their frozen veg

Saving money buy shopping farmer's markets and produce markets in your area,

Buy fruit veg when in season and freeze. I always have a freezer stash. I buy double. One to eat, one to freeze.

I use apps like Target Cartwheel, Ibotta, berry Cart and Checkout 51 to save money. You candouble dip and redeem offers on these apps on the same product. For example Say Target cartwheel has 5% off avocados, then Ibotta and berry Cart offer $.50 cashback on avocados. You can redeem in all 3 places. Sometimes this will even make items free.

I also clip coupons.

[Stevehud 1,790]

when people say fast food is cheaper, i think its true to a point, of course, its not cheaper when you look at how much wight gain costs you in medical bill, clothes sizes, etc etc. But in many cases such as inner cities it is in fact much cheaper, in NYC for example, large grocery stores are rare and many people have the choice of small boutique stores, bodegas etc or speciality shops, butcher shops for meats, etc, so it can be daunting, I will agree a big part of this is convenience aka laziness on the part of people, it's easier to grab something than it is to cook, A friend described it as they work until 5 bu due to transportation issues they dont get home until 6:45 then if they cook they dont get to eat until 7:30 8 o'clock and they dont have time to eat that late, so grabbing something is the option many people choose, also for people who cannot save, they cannot drop 100 bucks at a time on a weeks groceries, so they spend the 5 or 6 bucks to get the meal daily. SO there are many contributing factors, but all in all if you make the time and effort it surely canbe done. I know i never realized how much i spent on fast food and eating out until this surgery, which forced me to cook more, which i love anyway but was so lazy and tired every day coming home from work, i just got into those lazy habits and the rest is history. Now i make sure i am prepped and ready for meals as im sure many of us are. I know on gym nights for example i have my chicken already cut , marinated , and my pots or pans are out and ready etc. , i start the cooking while the wife showers then i shower while she finishes and plates, its a great system , but nnever bothered to have it before again due to being fat and lazy.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

@@Stevehud - Now you're crossing the line into the social-economic issues like food Desserts and ghetto or poor tax. Yes there are areas even in urban cities where there aren't may decent supermarkets and people have to rely on foods from corner stores and bodegas. There is also such a thing as a ghetto/poor tax which basically comes down to something as simple as not making enough to truly get ahead. In essence, Tom need to buy groceries but Tom make minimum wage and has to buy rent, etc... Now of course there is a sale on chicken breast for $15, which Tom could split up and make multiple meals from, but he also has to pay all those other bills off that min. wage salary. So instead Tom is probaly going to buy the chicken wings or something off the dollar menu at McD. It's not really cheaper in the long run, but because Tom only make minimun wage which is ridiculously low in this country, Tom can't afford to to do the long range planning of buying the chicken breast. So it's not really cheaper, it's just cheaper right now.

[Stevehud 1,790]

Blerdgirl as i said i do believe it to be cheaper when taken in the long run, but cheaper now is different than cheaper overall. For example if i buy 15 dollars worth of bread and deli meats i can make sandwiches for the week at a cost of 3 dollars pr sandwich, but i have to outlay 15 dollars, i have to take the time to shop , take the time to make the sandwiches each day. i have to have something to pack them in, maybe they dont have the ability to refrigerate per se at work. So they take the easy way out, they spend 5 dollars a day buying a 5 dollar combo meal at wherever, now to them them its easier and cheaper to purchase the daily sandwich/burger etc than it is to make the food instead. Now obviously they could save even more if they bought some chicken breasts maybe cooked them all on sunday slice em up to be made into sandwiches each day but to many people they wont take that time to do it and they would rather pay 5 bucks a day than 15 bucks at once. But i do think that most of it is laziness wrapped up in what we call convenience.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Stevehud

[woo woo 872]

I think we are now talking about two entirely different issues here.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

@@Stevehud - That's not my point. My point is many may not have the $15 to begin with, but they do have a few bucks to eat off the dollar menu.

That still doesn't change the fact that dollars & sense wise it's cheaper to buy fresh food versus fast food. What you're talking about is more of a time management issue would could be solved with a little food prep. This is why as I stated, there may be socio-economical reasons why people don't buy fresh.

[Stevehud 1,790]

we actually agree on the end point blerdgirl, i think a lot of people eat fast food out of laziness disguised as convenience, i know i did, and yes i save alot more buying food portioning it and cooking it myself, heck i can get a ton of meals out of a head of broccoli compared to the small amount i get ot of a bag of frozen, or even pre cut. my current favs are a half turkey half beef meatloaf i bought individual little loaf pans and i make a half dozen or so at a time and then freeze them right in the pan then when its meatloaf night just refrigerate leave for work come home pop em in the oven and bang. its too easy. and the butcher i go to loves the fact i eat Protein almost exclusively and always jokes about cutting up things for me.

i personally love many of the vegan products on the market, no im far from vegan but these products do help me with my weight loss, as I know youre probably aware of how good they can be. For example theres a brand called Maya Kaimal, Indian foods, i love the chickpea chips, and they are sending me a bunch of free foods to taste test for my blog, i love Indian food spices sit very well with my sleeve and they keep chicken from getting boring and many are vegan , in addition to say coupons etc, this is a way i supplement my food bill as well. heck ive had so many free shake mixes, drinks, and food for taste tests its been wonderful.