Eating Healthy on the Cheap

The public health community sees the economic downturn differently than most. For example: gasoline prices going up? Great! In the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study, they found that rising prices of gasoline may be associated with an unintended increase in physical activity. Every 25-cent increase in gasoline price was associated with about an extra ten exercise units—roughly equivalent to 17 minutes of additional walking per week for every extra quarter per gallon.

What effect might the economic downturn have on healthy eating, though? Recently, researchers at Harvard compared the cost and healthfulness of various foods across the country, hunting for the best nutritional bargain. They conclude that people should purchase more nuts, soy, and beans, and whole grains—and less meat and dairy.

Although spending more money was associated with a healthier diet, large improvements in diet may be achieved without increased spending. The purchase of plant-based foods may offer the best investment for dietary health.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

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• Bernstein AM, Bloom DE, Rosner BA, Franz M, Willett WC. Relation of food cost to healthfulness of diet among US women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Nov;92(5):1197-203.
• Hou N, Popkin BM, Jacobs DR Jr, Song Y, Guilkey DK, He K, Lewis CE, Gordon-Larsen P. Longitudinal trends in gasoline price and physical activity: the CARDIA study. Prev Med. 2011 May 1;52(5):365-9.

• animal products
• beans
• cost savings
• dairy
• exercise
• grains
• Harvard
• legumes
• meat
• nuts
• Plant-Based Diets
• soy