why is healthy so expensive

[Tina87]

I didn't have time today to make my lunch for work and thought I go to the wholefoods markets shop and find something there.

I ended up with a lovely box of salad & veg + a falafel and an egg.

(it seems healthy to me)

I added a prezel stick, which is not the best option (even though mfp said high in protein) but as a German I always had some form of bread with my salad and I thought if I leave it out I might want something more unhealthy later. Plus I think I should slowly transition from leaving bread out of my diet and not do it straight away.

well long story short I added a pear and had to pay £9.75 maybe it's not a lot but for me it is.

however it gave me ideas for my next salad and what I can put in rather then just the classics

[MW50]

That does seem expensive when you look at the cost of the raw ingredients. However it also looks very tasty and would be quite time consuming to make.

[Hidden]

It is a lot but you say it's given you fresh ideas for lunches you can prepare for yourself so maybe in that sense it has been worth it this time ☺x

[Hidden]

It's definitely expensive just for a takeaway lunch but healthy needn't be expensive. Places like Tesco do salad bars now, Pret, Eat etc do salads for take aways, and as you say all these things could be made in advance to take with as a packed lunch. You can buy packets of falafel mix to make your own falafels (then freeze), roast a load of veg and freeze them in portions, boil a few eggs and keep them ready peeled in the fridge, even things like boiled potatoes/nice bread/crackers etc can be frozen in portion sizes, then compiled together to make a great salad box each day. Hope you feel inspired at the very least - this must have been delicious

[Zest Healthy BMI]

Hi Tina87,

Your salad box looks amazing - wow! Delicious, nutritious and tasty...! I know you're concerned about cost, and I would suggest looking out for those times when they reduce the cost of veggies, as it does happen at various times in supermarkets, and they are still fresh and delicious at such times, just a lot cheaper. Also, certain supermarkets seem to sell produce cheaper than others, so worth comparing!

Regarding ideas for salads etc, I see you've had some useful responses already, but you might want to take a look at the Collation Recipe post, as it has some threads about salads in there:

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh....

Good luck and hope you find something you enjoy that is reasonably priced.

Lowcal

[Elissy 3kg]

Small shops have larger overheads, organic produce sourced locally,....

I would love to buy more in my local health food shop, but sadly my budget doesn't always allow it.

On another note, the food looks really great, and I would've gone for a pretzel too, yum.

Shame you can't buy them frozen here, used to love making them with the kids 😋

Might have to make some from scratch, always wanted to try, never got round to it 😉

[Cooper27]

Healthfood supermarket are super-expensive, and appeal to a very specific clientelle (not going to shame anyone here!) I don't shop there very often as their price tags just put me right off, even though I love the look of some of their food.

Just to highlight the markups they have, I once bought a fancy cauliflower from wholefoods for £3. I later discovered a local organic veg shop near my work, and found the same cauliflower there for just £1. For a little while wholefoods were also selling pre-peeled oranges for £3.50!

As a rule, i think reafy-prepared healthy food does cost a little bit more (less preservatives, shorter shelf life, fewer processed ingredients, more preparation time), but it needn't be that expensive! You can get a nice salad in Tesco for around £3, a bowl of soup from a local cafe for £2, we have a brewers fayre next to my work who do a chicken and bacon salad for £5.50. You just need to shop around a bit.