Food Choices - Cost

     When it comes to choosing food there are three main attributes people use to choose which are cost, taste, and convenience. These can be unconscious or conscious choices. So if we’re trying to change our diet, how can we combat our old habits? Let’s start by talking about the first attribute, cost. 

 Healthy food does not have to cost significantly more than junk or unhealthy food. According to Walmart, a 15 oz bag of Cheetos crunchy cheese flavored is $3.48 while 1 lb (about 16 oz) of fresh carrots is about $0.92. The Cheetos are about 23.2 cents per oz with carrots being about 92 cents per lb (92/16oz = 5.75 cents per oz), so by weight the carrots are cheaper. There are 160 calories per 28g of the Cheetos, while there are about 12 calories per 30g of carrots. The Cheetos have about 10 g of fat (1.5g being saturated fat), 250 mg of sodium, 15 g total carbohydrates (less than 1g being from fiber), 2 g protein, and .4 mg iron all per 28 g of Cheetos (about 21 pieces per serving, 15 servings per 15 oz bag). For 30 g of carrots, you get about .07g of total fat (including saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated), 21 mg of sodium, 2.87 g of carbohydrates (.8g from fiber), .28 g of protein, 10 mg of calcium, 0.09 mg of iron, 96 mg of potassium, 252 mcg of vitamin A, and 1.8 mg of vitamin C. So the carrots cost less, have fewer calories, less bad fat and more good fat, less sodium (meaning less hypertension), fewer carbohydrates, and more vitamins and phytochemicals. The amount of protein and iron the Cheetos have, have little impact on overall diet. 

What about cost in relation to calories? If the current recommended intake is around 2,000 calories, how much would it cost to eat that many calories? If we’re basing this simply off of the carrot/Cheeto example, it would cost less than $3.48 to eat 2,000 calories of Cheetos (160 calories * 15 servings = 2,400 calories per 15 oz bag) and about $10.17 dollars to eat 2,000 calories of carrots (about 181 calories per lb (12 calories per 30 g, about 453.59 g in a lb, 453.59/ 30 = 15.11 servings, 15.11 servings*12 calories is about 181.43). 2,000 daily calories/ 181 calories per serving is about 11 servings needed in a day. 11 * $0.92 (cost per lb/serving) is $10.17). The Cheetos are about 2,400 calories per 15 oz while the carrots are about 2,000 calories for about 11 lbs. 

So the Cheetos are cheaper by calorie than the carrot, but you get far more volume with the carrots than with the Cheetos. So based on nutritional info and cost per volume, the carrots make more sense. 

This is not just for carrots and Cheetos. According to Walmart, 1 lb of individual baking russet potatoes is about $0.48 per lb, 20 lb of long grain enriched white rice is $8.48, sweet onions are about $0.98 per lb, and 8lb of dried pinto beans is $5.98. However meat does tend to bring the price up. For example a 5 lb bag of frozen chicken breasts is $9.76. However, the USDA’s suggestion (according to choosemyplate.gov) for daily protein intake  is between 2 and 6.5 oz (or equivalent) depending on age, sex, and physical activity. So assuming someone ate 6.5 oz of chicken a day, the bag of meat would last about 12 days  (80 oz in 5 lbs. 80 oz total /6.5 oz daily  is 12.30 servings per bag). 

To conclude, while cost may seem to be a valid excuse for not eating healthy, when broken down it actually makes more sense to eat healthier than to not.