Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Eating healthily costs about $1.50 more per day per person, according to the most thorough review yet of the affordability of a healthy diet.
"For many low-income families, an extra $1.50 daily is quite a lot," says Mayuree Rao of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, who led the analysis. "It translates to about $550 more per year for one person, and that could be a real barrier to healthy eating."
Rao and her colleagues reached their conclusions after analysing 27 studies from 10 high-income countries, mainly the US, comparing price data for healthy versus unhealthy ingredients and diets. For example, one study compared the cost of a diet rich in fruit and vegetables versus one that was deficient in them. Another compared prices of specific healthy and less healthy items, such as wholegrain versus white bread.
Individual items were closely matched in price. Meats saw the largest difference: healthier options cost an average of 29 cents per serving more than unhealthy options.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24714-a-healthier-diet-costs-150-more-per-day.html
"For many low-income families, an extra $1.50 daily is quite a lot," says Mayuree Rao of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, who led the analysis. "It translates to about $550 more per year for one person, and that could be a real barrier to healthy eating."
Rao and her colleagues reached their conclusions after analysing 27 studies from 10 high-income countries, mainly the US, comparing price data for healthy versus unhealthy ingredients and diets. For example, one study compared the cost of a diet rich in fruit and vegetables versus one that was deficient in them. Another compared prices of specific healthy and less healthy items, such as wholegrain versus white bread.
Individual items were closely matched in price. Meats saw the largest difference: healthier options cost an average of 29 cents per serving more than unhealthy options.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24714-a-healthier-diet-costs-150-more-per-day.html