Being "sold" the wrong idea of healthy foods.

[hamchan]

You can get that stuff really cheap on loss leader. Loss leaders for the foods H and I normally eat are pretty uncommon. I disagree with you about a burger not being filling either. It has a lot of fat and protein, both of which will keep you feeling full. I often wind up throwing out most of my fries, if I get fast food from a burger place, because I'm too full to eat them. If you were talking about soda, candy, anything that is mostly refined carbs, I'd agree. Fat, protein, and complex carbs stick with me a long time, regardless of the source.

[HappySaver]

First, let me say that because I think eating healthier is more expensive in no way means that I'm advocating against it! I've been a proponent of healthy eating on this board, and I think the short term expense of eating well more than pays for itself in the long run by protecting your health, your energy levels, and your happiness.

But I stand by my statement. You can't compare fresh fruit with a fast food burger. That's an uneven comparison. Fresh fruit is a snack, not a meal. I would never have just fruit for a meal - it's not healthy or filling either. Compare the fruit with an just an order of fries or a dessert at McD's and that's a more even price comparison. I agree with hamchan about being more full with proteins, fat and complex carbs.

If you're looking for ways to cook inexpensive, nutritious meals, beans are the way to go. They're far cheaper than meat and very nutritious.

[disneysteve]

Certainly I agree that you can't compare an apple to a hamburger. J.Apple902 seemed to be saying that cooking from scratch was more expensive because you could just spend $1 at a fast food place instead. My point was that neither a burger or an apple is a complete meal. You can't get a complete meal at McDonald's for $1. A complete meal costs $5 or $6 or $8. For a fraction of that amount, you could instead cook a much better meal. Heck, for $8 you could probably feed your family a meal.