Food Prices, Why are they so crazy?

[MeowMeowMeow]

Come to europe problem solved (:
10 eggs for 1,60eu. 5 lemons for around 1eu

 

[DinohScene]

Healthy food is expensive everywhere.
Bottle of Volvic is above 1 quid whilst a bottle of off brand fanta is less then 40 cents iirc.

 

[slaphappygamer]

Also, nowadays, both parents have to work to provide food, shelter, and clothing. It’s hard to have time to cook. By the time everyone gets home, we all tired. But yes, as previously said, cook ahead. Make large dinners on the weekend that you can serve throughout the week. Premise salads aren’t that bad, either.

 

[pustal]

So I started the Keto diet and one thing I can't get over is the cost of healthy food. I mean, no wonder people are overweight in the USA (or is this a global problem?) First off, there is basically barely any food that doesn't have unnatural chemical additives and the food you do find is insanely expensive. There is no way in hell someone on food assistance could afford to buy groceries for a month based on how much they get for a single person (around $200). I don't shop at the yuppie food stores, I stick to old fashioned Wal-Mart or other "cheap" stores and their fruit, meat and veggies are insanely priced. $0.80 for a single lemon? $15.00 for a steak? 12 eggs for $6.00? $5.00 for 4 sticks of real butter? What the hell is going on? How does the government talk about eating healthy, but then expect people to be able to spend tons of money on food? They don't realize that everyone doesn't make $60,000 a year! Food is a joke even more so at the latest chains of "healthy" food stores (Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, etc ...) where they want $30.00 for a steak! I guess I'll have less money to buy stuff like the Switch I want or the new surround sound receiver I need (my old one is overheating a lot). It shouldn't be so damn expensive to eat healthy! Although, I guess I'll stick with the Keto diet for a while as my blood sugar levels are fucking awesome (I actually stopped taking some medications for the diabetes). Can someone try to explain to me why healthy food costs so much in the USA?

I recently went on sort of a keto diet (diabetic diagnosis caught me by complete surprise) anyway yeah if you watch the prices of everything in a store eating healthy VS eating food to survive is easily two times as expensive and more depending on how low you wanna go into the food pyramids basement...

It's super hard to go keto and not spend a fortune, it's possible but you gotta get used to the idea of eating canned and frozen veggies and if it's bread or pasta it has to be 100% whole wheat and even then small servings, you can eat lots of proteins but stick to chicken and fish if possible beef is cheaper and eggs are cheaper but then you do the cholesterol dance.

The important thing to remember, eat as healthy as possible but no matter how healthy you are, your dying... Just don't be so wound up in healthy living that you miss out on the living part.

Life just isn't worth living if I can't have a Big Mac at least on my birthday or something... lol

Edit: Some tips I have, check everything... I got some seasoning packets thinking "It's just taco seasoning and I used 90% lean beef I should be fine!" it was fine but I read the back of the packet and was surprised at the amount of sugar in it, I knew there was salt out the ass but sugar too. Not a lot of sugar mind you but I am trying to get rid of every gram possible to the point I switch the brand of sliced ham I used and I am lucky to have a great memory so I can keep track of all this stuff. But to reiterate read the ingredients list on everything and know how much of this and that your shoving in your body.

Healthy food is expensive everywhere.
Bottle of Volvic is above 1 quid whilst a bottle of off brand fanta is less then 40 cents iirc.

Also, nowadays, both parents have to work to provide food, shelter, and clothing. It’s hard to have time to cook. By the time everyone gets home, we all tired. But yes, as previously said, cook ahead. Make large dinners on the weekend that you can serve throughout the week. Premise salads aren’t that bad, either.

Several things, the price seems to be more of an American issue than global. Although in some countries there is too much processed food, fresh food is easy to buy at a cheap price. I believe the US problem is derived from: too great of a concentration of people for the agriculture and farming produced, requiring a great need of industrial processing for mass consumption and lack of coorporate regulation and coorporate friendly regulation like the dairy regulation. For some reason it seems that newer generations are losing cooking skills as well, but you can actually make simple, healthy food quickly, if you have the ingredients.

The price issue is what I believe that make things like keto so popular in the US, toguether with the expensive medical care. I have many reservations about it and particularly about dealing with diabetes. Bear in mind that carbon hidrantes are needed for calcium absorption and too much fat causes problems like the gout (and feet problems can be really an issue for diabetic people). It's perfectly possible to have diabetes under control without going keto, the problem is processed foods are full of carbon hydrates (the US is a particular problem due to the excessive use of corn syrup).

 

[Psionic Roshambo]

Several things, the price seems to be more of an American issue than global. Although in some countries there is too much processed food, fresh food is easy to buy at a cheap price. I believe the US problem is derived from: too great of a concentration of people for the agriculture and farming produced, requiring a great need of industrial processing for mass consumption and lack of coorporate regulation and coorporate friendly regulation like the dairy regulation. For some reason it seems that newer generations are losing cooking skills as well, but you can actually make simple, healthy food quickly, if you have the ingredients.

The price issue is what I believe that make things like keto so popular in the US, toguether with the expensive medical care. I have many reservations about it and particularly about dealing with diabetes. Bear in mind that carbon hidrantes are needed for calcium absorption and too much fat causes problems like the gout (and feet problems can be really an issue for diabetic people). It's perfectly possible to have diabetes under control without going keto, the problem is processed foods are full of carbon hydrates (the US is a particular problem due to the excessive use of corn syrup).

I am jealous of the EU and some other countries who block some of the more questionable chemical additives they put in food here. Also why is it so much cheaper to dump strange chemicals in our food VS just using normal natural ingredients? I swear it's like some episode of X-Files where the government is experimenting on us... We are the lab rats for the rest of the world maybe... lol

And yeah I didn't go full keto diet thing, even having type 2 diabeetus. I did swipe some recipes and some idea's from some keto web pages because they sounded interesting. I cut way back on potatoes and white bread (I still eat some whole wheat or multi grain bread.) I don't drink any soda or eat candy anymore, combined with the meds I managed to cut my A1C in half (some sort of blood sugar test I still don't quite comprehend fully...) but the Dr is happy with my progress in 90 days I went from "OMG Your blood could be used on pancakes!!!" to "Well it's a high for a normal person but considering you have diabetes your really well off!" 7.1 A1C so that's nice for now I want it bellow 6.5 preferably like 5.5

I am going to look up that gout thing... Sounds like something I should be scared of what ever it is...

Edit: My original A1C was like 12.9 or something, I know the first lab said the machine couldn't read my blood and they sent me to the hospital I got to the hospital they said "You seem fine? Your walking and talking...." I said "I feel fine?" was crazy lol

 

[FAST6191]

I am jealous of the EU and some other countries who block some of the more questionable chemical additives they put in food here. Also why is it so much cheaper to dump strange chemicals in our food VS just using normal natural ingredients?

"Normal natural ingredients" you have to plant/catch/cultivate and then harvest, process and extract, maybe also deal with hippies if it is insects, animals or fish that you source things from. Possibly also purify (mush apples up for that nice natural flavour and find yourself dealing with more cyanide than you ideally want to have to deal with).
Nice clean industrial chemistry can do it all day long, no worries about farmers and failing crops, output consistent and appreciably pure product for far less money if you do it right.

Equally while I have had more than a few issues with some of the FDA's actions over the years, mostly on the medicine side of things, they do seem to do OK for food additives from where I sit.

 

[Psionic Roshambo]

"Normal natural ingredients" you have to plant/catch/cultivate and then harvest, process and extract, maybe also deal with hippies if it is insects, animals or fish that you source things from. Possibly also purify (mush apples up for that nice natural flavour and find yourself dealing with more cyanide than you ideally want to have to deal with).
Nice clean industrial chemistry can do it all day long, no worries about farmers and failing crops, output consistent and appreciably pure product for far less money if you do it right.

Equally while I have had more than a few issues with some of the FDA's actions over the years, mostly on the medicine side of things, they do seem to do OK for food additives from where I sit.

I recently watched a whole documentary on the whole round up ready crops thing... Some of it was complete BS but some of was true.

 

[pustal]

I am jealous of the EU and some other countries who block some of the more questionable chemical additives they put in food here. Also why is it so much cheaper to dump strange chemicals in our food VS just using normal natural ingredients? I swear it's like some episode of X-Files where the government is experimenting on us... We are the lab rats for the rest of the world maybe... lol

Well, firstly bulk buying makes it cheaper, and mantained food for a long time is cheaper than produce it in less quantity more times, so a lot of it goes to preservants. Then there is a lot of operational research going on - it's slight less expensive to sell 800g of meat with some additives than 1kg of meat, and by scaling it to millions of units it means quite a great amount of saving. Then there are subsidies going on, like corn syrup, so many producers just add corn syrup on it to make it cheaper and sweater.

I am going to look up that gout thing... Sounds like something I should be scared of what ever it is...

Gout is basically the accumulation of uric accids, resulting of several factors, including the high consumption of mostly meat.

My original A1C was like 12.9 or something, I know the first lab said the machine couldn't read my blood and they sent me to the hospital I got to the hospital they said "You seem fine? Your walking and talking...." I said "I feel fine?" was crazy lol

Well congrats. Make sure you exercise too.

But what I mean is the point that of a diabetic diet is to have relative low amounts of cabs, but doesn't need to be 0, only very moderated. Also there are different types of carbs, there is fast absorption carbs, that is what you find in sugars (and corn syrup) and low absorption carbs, that is what you find mostly in amid like in rice, portateis and bread (do note that the problem in the US is that even in bread there is corn syrup, which makes it highly caloric and with fast absorption carbs). Slow absorption carbs take longer to be digested and absorved by the body, which feeds it for a longer period of time and maintains the levels of energy consumed, which also helps balance the diet with exercise. Fast absorption carbs will only spike your blood levels. A good aim for a regular person I'd say would be for around 20 ~ 40g of slow carbs per meal. A moderated portion of rice will give you around 30g, two big potatoes 20g, a moderated portion of pasta 20g. In Europe 100g of bread usually have around 40g of slow carbs. Fruit has faster absorption carbs but isn't as bad as plain sugar or corn syrup, a regular piece of fruit has about 10g of carbs.

Lactose is a type of sugar, and also faster absorption, can't remember the values, but what has lactose also is bad for you. I think cheeses like feta and mozzarella are too fermented to make it matter much, but again another problem of processed food is the injection or reinjection of lactose in milked derivatives and other products even for conservation purposes. Also most cheeses produced in the EUA aren't even legally able to be called cheese but "milk related product" in Europe.

 

[Psionic Roshambo]

Well congrats. Make sure you exercise too.

But what I mean is the point that of a diabetic diet is to have relative low amounts of cabs, but doesn't need to be 0, only very moderated. Also there are different types of carbs, there is fast absorption carbs, that is what you find in sugars (and corn syrup) and low absorption carbs, that is what you find mostly in amid like in rice, portateis and bread (do note that the problem in the US is that even in bread there is corn syrup, which makes it highly caloric and with fast absorption carbs). Slow absorption carbs take longer to be digested and absorved by the body, which feeds it for a longer period of time and maintains the levels of energy consumed, which also helps balance the diet with exercise. Fast absorption carbs will only spike your blood levels. A good aim for a regular person I'd say would be for around 20 ~ 40g of slow carbs per meal. A moderated portion of rice will give you around 30g, two big potatoes 20g, a moderated portion of pasta 20g. In Europe 100g of bread usually have around 40g of slow carbs. Fruit has faster absorption carbs but isn't as bad as plain sugar or corn syrup, a regular piece of fruit has about 10g of carbs.

Yeah I still eat bread, and I do sneak a fry or something in once in a while (but until I got my A1C lower I was avoiding any and all sugars for a bit) I think your right about the carbs thing, I don't think you can eliminate them completely and it would be a bad idea if you did. In my case was just a good idea until I figured out what was going on.

It's true they put sugar in everything here as an example I used to love "Honey smoked ham" from the deli, I looked it up 4 slices, the perfect amount for a sandwich was like 8 grams of sugar I switched to Black Forest Ham and it's like 2 grams of sugar for the same 4 slices. Not sugar free but it lets me get carbs in other places with out making my blood all candy flavored.

 

[cots]

Yeah I still eat bread, and I do sneak a fry or something in once in a while (but until I got my A1C lower I was avoiding any and all sugars for a bit) I think your right about the carbs thing, I don't think you can eliminate them completely and it would be a bad idea if you did. In my case was just a good idea until I figured out what was going on.

It's true they put sugar in everything here as an example I used to love "Honey smoked ham" from the deli, I looked it up 4 slices, the perfect amount for a sandwich was like 8 grams of sugar I switched to Black Forest Ham and it's like 2 grams of sugar for the same 4 slices. Not sugar free but it lets me get carbs in other places with out making my blood all candy flavored.

Yes, it would be a bad idea to eat a ZERO carb diet, but the Keto diet includes carbs just not a lot of them. Before the diet I was eating 250-350 a day (mostly junk/fast food) now I'm down to around 20-30 a day and the diet is going well. After the "keto flu" I feel much better and I've lost 30 lbs in like 3 weeks. I've cut out 2 medications for diabetes and my levels are really good. I get my A1C tested in another 3 weeks so I'll make sure to let you all know if it's improved. The last time I was tested it was like 7.8.

 

[Psionic Roshambo]

Yes, it would be a bad idea to eat a ZERO carb diet, but the Keto diet includes carbs just not a lot of them. Before the diet I was eating 250-350 a day (mostly junk/fast food) now I'm down to around 20-30 a day and the diet is going well. After the "keto flu" I feel much better and I've lost 30 lbs in like 3 weeks. I've cut out 2 medications for diabetes and my levels are really good. I get my A1C tested in another 3 weeks so I'll make sure to let you all know if it's improved. The last time I was tested it was like 7.8.

Yeah please update this I am not sure how much weight I have lost but I am sure it is something like that too but in 90 days.

2 medications? They put me on Metformin and Glimapride (I am almost sure I misspelled those.) but nothing else... I wonder if there was something better (these seem to be working great, or it was my diet and stuff.. lol)

 

[cots]

Yeah please update this I am not sure how much weight I have lost but I am sure it is something like that too but in 90 days.

2 medications? They put me on Metformin and Glimapride (I am almost sure I misspelled those.) but nothing else... I wonder if there was something better (these seem to be working great, or it was my diet and stuff.. lol)

Jardiance works well. It makes your body pass sugar through the urine (you will have to urinate every hour or so), but it's expensive and I quit taking it due to my diet. I was also taking a fast acting insulin 3 times a day and I also stopped doing that. Now I'm just left with Metformin and nightly long lasting Insulin. Hopefully when I lose more weight I will be able to stop the insulin (which I did before in the past).

 

[Quantumcat]

Fresh food is cheaper. E.g. spaghetti bolognaise:

• 500 grams cheap mince $4.50
• 1 packet of pasta 80c
• 1 jar of passata $1
• 2 cloves of garlic 20c (a whole garlic might be $1)
• 2 handfuls of green beans $2

Total $8.50, feeds about 4 people.

Compared to a frozen or microwavable meal that could cost you $5 or more per serve, or fast food that would cost you $10-$12 per person.

Here, fresh food does not attract GST (goods & services tax) making it cheaper. I think the US needs to do something similar - it should be cheaper to eat more healthily if they want to deal with the obesity health crisis (not that we are doing much better, we are probably in the top 5 fattest nations. I think unhealthy food should attract extra tax, like they have heaps of extra tax on alcohol and tobacco to discourage people from using them)