Is healthy diet always expensive?

The idea that healthy food costs more than junk food is something you hear a lot.

For example, when comparing two chocolate desserts, one of which contains less fat, the price of the latter per calorie will be higher. But if you look at the price per unit of weight, then 200 grams of chickpea will cost less than 200 grams of bacon. Moreover, the second option should be considered more correct, if only because when buying products in the store, we focus on their weight, Journals PLOS reported.

Why is this even important?

According to WHO, over 1,900,000,000 adults are overweight worldwide, while 650,000,000 of them are obese. As for children, the main problem for them is high-calorie foods with low nutritional value, which increases not only the risk of obesity, but also the risks of chronic diseases in the future.

It is very important to remind yourself that yogurt with chia seeds, flax bread and coconut chips are, of course, quite healthy, but so far no one has excluded vegetables and fruits, beans and oatmeal, dairy products and seeds from this category.

Yes, studies show that lower-income people are more likely to choose low-nutritive and high-calorie foods. But the reason here is not that these products are cheaper, but because they, firstly, saturate better, and secondly, they are often easier to cook.

What could you buy for your health diet?

Meat and fish are important components of a healthy diet, which, however, can be replaced by cheaper, but no less nutritious vegetable protein (beans, peas, lentils);

Frozen, canned, and dried fruits and vegetables are often cheaper than fresh, but still nutritious. Plus, they are stored longer, so they can be safely purchased on a stock basis.

Products from the “just warm up” series often contain more salt and fat than we would like. Also think about sending your favorite dishes to the freezer, after dividing them into portions.

Cow's milk is still needed by the body, so it cannot be completely replaced with non-dairy milk, which, moreover, is more expensive.

Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter