Who Says You Can’t Afford Healthy?

After the second edition of The Evolution Diet took off, I received many emails, some of which lamented the cost of health foods. One fan said that she wanted to eat healthy but just didn’t have enough money to do it. I replied that if a struggling author could afford to eat healthy, then anyone could. It’s all about priorities.

Of course, that begs the question of whether health foods are more expensive. And to be fair, most health foods are more expensive than the processed junk you find at fast food restaurants or grocery stores. A fresh-squeeze pineapple aguas fresca, for instance is $2.50 while you can get 16 ounces of cola for under a dollar.

But not all healthy foods are more expensive than equivalent amounts of gustatory trash. I recently dined at Whole Foods (given the epithet Whole Paycheck by some) recently and was able to get a delicious and nutritious paleo meal for the same price as a Big Mac and fries. I got two filets of sole with a honey ginger glaze and a hot kale salad with pineapple. A half-pound at the hot bar came to $4.32, a little under what the Big Mac meal would have cost.

This isn’t Your FIt Foods—you’re going to have to search out your cost-effective health foods—but you CAN do it. And you’re going to be so much healthier and happier for it!