Cost of healthy ad lib eating

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

From

washingtonpost.com

see, for the potential cost of healthy ad lib

healthy eating, the below.

200 calories/day is not highly dissimilar to

the energy intake of CRers.

The Cost of Compliance

By Sally Squires

Tuesday, February 22, 2005; Page HE01

It's easy to find bargains at fast-food restaurants, where dollar

menus and other deals entice cost-conscious consumers. But what about

healthful eating? More specifically, what about eating according to

the new U.S. Dietary Guidelines? Can you do it without taking a big

bite out of your wallet?

We decided to do some math, using the latest guidelines for an

average intake of 2,000 calories per day and typical prices in the

Washington region.

Fruit. (Goal: 2 cups daily.) At $3 and higher per cup, fancy fruit

such as raspberries will be a pricey choice. But there are plenty of

low-cost options: (each piece of fruit named here equals

approximately 1 cup): bananas (30 cents each); navel oranges

(starting at 60 cents each); apples and pears (80 cents each); and

grapefruit (about $1 per fruit). Canned and frozen fruit are

considered nutritionally interchangeable with fresh fruit, and they

sometimes cost less. For example, frozen unsweetened raspberries run

about $2 per cup. Fresh peaches start at 60 cents each, while a cup

of Del Monte Peaches in juice runs 80 cents.

Estimated cost to meet the dietary guidelines: about 90 cents/day

(one banana and one navel orange).

Vegetables. (Goal: 2 1/2 cups daily.) A large, hearty salad is a

thrifty way to meet the guidelines. A head of romaine or red leaf

lettuce starts at about $1.50 and easily provides two cups of veggies

for about 75 cents. For flavor and variety, add half a cup of mixed

vegetables (diced baby carrots, tomatoes, purple cabbage and

cucumbers) for about 40 cents.

Other options: A cup of fresh broccoli runs about 75 cents. An ear of

corn -- equal to about a cup -- runs about 50 cents. But those on a

budget will find plenty of values in the frozen-food case, where

broccoli runs about 30 cents per cup; frozen peas and corn are about

60 cents/cup; corn and string beans, 40 cents/cup. Canned vegetables

are another penny-pinching option. Canned corn, string beans, peas

and other vegetables run about 50 cents per cup, including low-sodium

and no-added-sodium varieties for those concerned about controlling

blood pressure.

And while an order of fast-food fries can cost as little as a buck,

baked fries made at home (or a baked potato instead) run about 50

cents or less and come with a fraction of the added fat.

Estimated cost to meet the guidelines: about $1.25 /day (a large

salad and a half-cup of canned peas).

Grains. (Goal: Three 1-ounce servings of whole grains and three 1-

ounce servings other grains daily.) So what's an ounce? Figure on one

slice of bread; a half-cup of cooked cereal or rice; or roughly a cup

of most ready-to-eat cereals.

Expect to dig deeper into your pocket for some whole-grain products.

Uncle Ben's Instant Brown Rice can cost about 28 cents per half-cup --

seven times more than white rice. As for long-grain brown rice, even

house brands can set you back 75 cents per half-cup. Whole-wheat

pasta can be a better deal at about 25 cents per half-cup, although

it's still twice the cost of regular pasta.

Whole-grain bread is a better bargain. Figure about a dime per slice

for most whole grain vs. about seven cents per slice for Wonder White

Bread. Plan to shell out even more for " low-carb " and " light " breads.

Pepperidge Farm Carb Style runs 20 cents per slice -- twice the cost

of other bread. Wonder Bread Light has just 40 calories per slice but

costs 17 cents per ounce -- a third more than whole grain or regular

white.

Whole-grain cereal is another good buy, especially oatmeal. A half-

cup of Quaker Old Fashioned Oats costs about a dime -- far less than

a comparable serving of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes or Corn Flakes (28

cents/serving). Or shave a couple of cents with whole-grain Cheerios,

original or Honey Nut, (26 cents /serving) or Post Shredded Wheat and

bran (about 22 cents/serving).

Estimated cost to meet the guidelines: 30 cents for the whole grain

(two slices of whole-grain bread; 1/2 cup oatmeal); 15 cents for

other grains (1 cup of white rice; 1 slice of white bread).

Milk and Dairy. (Goal: 3 cups daily.) Substituting nonfat for whole

milk won't make any difference at the checkout, since they cost the

same -- about 32 cents per cup. Those with lactose intolerance will

pay double for Lactaid milk, which is less likely to cause

gastrointestinal distress.

Or eat 1 1/2 ounces of cheese, the guidelines' equivalent of a glass

of milk. That runs about 40 cents for deli Swiss, about 50 cents for

reduced-fat American. As for yogurt, a cup is equal to a cup of milk.

Best buys are plain yogurt. (Add your own fruit.) A cup of Dannon

plain, nonfat yogurt costs about 72 cents -- about a dime less than a

comparable serving of Dannon Danimals Drinkable Low Fat Raspberry

yogurt. By comparison, imported yogurt such as Total costs more than

$1 per cup.

Estimated cost to meet the guidelines: $1 (2 cups of milk, 1 1/2

ounces of cheese).

Meat and Beans. (Goal: 5 1/2 ounces daily.) Beans are the bargain

here. About 1 1/4 cups of cooked beans will meet the full day's

requirements for protein and cost around 50 cents. (The guidelines

recommend about 3 cups of beans per week.) Farm-raised salmon starts

at $2.80 for 5 1/2 ounces. The same portion of canned salmon costs

about $1. (Two servings of fish or seafood per week are advised.) By

comparison, boneless skinless chicken breasts cost about $1.60 for 5

1/2 ounces; 90 percent lean chuck runs about $1.50; and center-cut

pork chops cost roughly $1.30.

Estimated cost to meet the guidelines: about $1.50 (a half-cup of

beans and a 4-ounce chicken breast).

Oils. (Goal: 6 teaspoons daily.) Healthy tub margarine (without trans

fats) runs about 16 cents for six teaspoons. Other options: low-fat

mayo (about 10 cents for a day's worth); light salad dressing (about

25 cents per day) or vegetable oil, such as canola, olive, safflower

or others (about 30 cents/day).

Estimated cost to meet the guidelines: about 10 cents (low fat mayo).

So what's the bottom line? A little more than $5 for a full day's

worth of modestly priced nutritious food (including oatmeal, milk,

fresh fruit; beans and rice; whole grain and white bread, a hearty

salad and a cup of peas). That's about the cost of one average fast-

food meal.

Choose ready-to-eat cereal, add more chicken or meat, cheese and

pricier fruit and vegetables, and the amount can easily rise to about

$7 per day.

Or if you want to dine on fresh wild salmon, imported yogurt,

raspberries, arugula salad -- the works -- expect to spend $20 or

more per day per person . Multiply that by 365 days a year, and . . .

well, that's some math we'd rather not do.

Cheers, Al Pater