I’m not going to bore you with statistics, but it’s a well known fact that more and more people are becoming overweight.  I’m sure that poor eating habits and lack of daily exercise are a part of the problem but there’s another hidden factor that some people many not realize.

I’m gonna get right to the point – eating healthy is frigging expensive!!  I’ve seen countless documentaries and news reports discussing why there are more and more people becoming overweight/obese and this is why!  Last month, my baby started on solid foods.  I’ve always made my own baby food and was shocked at the cost of a few simple fruits/vegetables.  Take a look at these receipts:

So for receipt #1 – a small bag of green beans and four avocados came to $11.63.  Individually, there’s not much you can do with these items (except make baby food!).  For that price, I could go to McDonald’s and buy a Double Quarter Pounder meal deal (burger, fries and a drink) and leave the restaurant with change in my pocket.  Two ingredients vs an entire meal.  Think about that for a minute.

Receipt #2 – plum sauce, grapes, corn and broccoli for $15.20.  Now did you notice the savings on the grapes?  Grapes are crazy expensive and they’re rarely on sale.  So let’s add on my savings and take away the plum sauce.  So my produce now costs $15.35.  Again, not much you can do with those three ingredients on their own.  You could make a snack out of the grapes I guess!  For $15.35 I can take my entire family to McDonald’s and buy two children’s happy meals (burger/nuggets, fries/apples, yogurt and a toy), two hamburgers, two small fries and two small drinks for Hubby and I.  Feed an entire family vs 3 ingredients.  Scary, right?

It’s awfully hard to cook up a scoff when the cost of 2-3 ingredients is the same as a family meal at McDonald’s!  Let’s try on a larger scale.  Time to put together a full, healthy meal.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a receipt for that but THIS Newfoundland Mommy knows her prices!  Let’s make a traditional Sunday cooked dinner!  (Not Jigg’s dinner because salt beef is through the roof!!)

• Roast Beef – $18.00
• Potatoes – $4.50
• Turnip – $2.00
• Carrots – $2.50
• Peas – $3.00
• Broccoli – $3.50
• Cabbage – $2.00
• Onions – $3.00

So all together that’s $38.50 for a single healthy meal.  Or, I could take my family to McDonald’s twice and go back a third time for happy meals for my kids.  If you were a low income family trying to make your dollar stretch, which option would you choose?

More needs to be done to help people gain access to healthy foods at a lower cost.  Community gardens are an amazing  option!  My town has just started one and I’m very excited about it.  Anyone can go and help tend the garden and your “payment” is access to free fruits, vegetables and herbs.  Communities also need to support local farmers and markets.  The more people who shop local, the lower prices will go!

Don’t judge people who are overweight.  Some of them simply may not be able to afford to eat healthy.