The Mediterranean Diet: Too Bad It Costs More to Eat Well

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You're right that healthy eating is cheaper if you buy "raw materials" instead of pre-made salads and expensive brands. A big tub of Dannon yogurt is cheaper per ounce than a small carton of premium Greek yogurt. Lentils are cheap and cook quickly; lentil soup can be made in batches very easily and inexpensively.
So, I wonder that you didn't do that, and make this a more fair comparison. If the Western eater had been buying pre-packaged bologna sandwiches and single servings of milk and cereal, that diet would have cost a lot more.

Alice of TX 4:39PM August 20, 2010

i recently read this artical and want to let everybody know about mexican pancakes...... They are very good and healthy. they are low fat, but i put sugur on mine so that kinda defeats the purpose, but oh well. if you want a good diet, you must look up the mexican pancake diet. all other diets you will have to pay. just look up the resipe for maxican pancakes and you will find that they are easy and afforable to make.

rob of VA 4:54PM February 24, 2010

This is so true. I does cost more to eat healthy. Healthy eaters typically invest in organic foods, hormone free foods, herbs, supplements, vitamins, minerals, probiotics, workout equipment, shakes, and various therapies to compliement their healthy eating habbits. Too bad the food industry isn't more geared towards eating clean and healthy.

Jennifer Loganathan of NY 6:35PM December 20, 2009

I'm single and want to eat healthy and low calorie and not eat the same thing over and over or spend an hour each day preparing my meal from lots of pricy ingredents (of which the remainder goes to waste before it is needed again) Can you give me some options?

carol of TX 3:08PM October 22, 2009

In Greece, at least the rural parts, the people grow and make much of their food themself. They have goats, which can live off the arid lands, and birds - but not chickens usually - which they use for milk, meat, and eggs. The goat milk is milk, but also makes cheese and yogurt. There is also fish available if you know fishermen, and you can trade eggs or meat or yogurt or other things for fish. Also, if you have land, you can grow olives, which can be for eating or for pressing for oil. There is grapes grown locally, which can make wines. In markets in towns and villages, you can get fruits or vegetables that cannot be grown locally, or are out of season.
Also, you did not mention flat bread! Flat breads are smaller and of diffrent flour than Americans bread. For breakfast and lunch, you can often have goat cheese, olives, and flat bread. Sometimes you have fresh fruit from the tree, also.
Honey is also important, and it is healthy too. It is used to complement flavors though - not like in America where much (most!) of the food is too sweet from much added white sugar.
People in Greece also drink red wine and water, and not the kinds of drinks found so much in American and Western countries. There is soda, but it is for special occasions, not all the time.
Finally, the family cooks its own food. There isn't pre-made or cooked for you food as much as there is in the other Western countries. People don't rely on fast food or restaurants.

athene of MO 7:48PM October 21, 2009

medeiterranean diet is not bad too much as u mentioned in the title, coz u took only the differences in price view ,while as i'm a dietetion and i'm comparing the food diet u used meditteranean having more nutritional dense than caloric dense which is been laked in western diet.since it depends on fats food rather than healthy food.
note that always healthy food cost more than junk food coz ur using more ingrediants and variety of food is considered.thnx

hiba of FL 5:07AM October 21, 2009

This article does not bring up the fact that the Western based diet (high meat and dairy diet) is subsided by our taxpayer money. The reality is the meat and dairy industry gets billions of dollars to keep their prices low and in comparison healthier foods get 10% of subsidies in the food industry. So if you calculate the amount of your tax money is going to lower the price of that Bologna sandwich, it probably be a better comparison. Probably the healthier diet will win hands down.
Also we need to think about the cost in medical bills as a result of a bad diet. We do not need Health Care Reform to fix our country, we need Lifestyle reform.

Nate1980 of AZ 4:23AM October 21, 2009

I have raised my family on what could be considered the Mediterranean diet. Gotta do your own cooking! That will save lots of money. As I was raising the fam, we bought bulk from a co-op. We were able to eat freely and were able to afford it.
I love how healthy we all were and are because of the diet. It was well worth the effort and any extra cost that may have occurred.

apollocircle of CA 11:01PM October 20, 2009

The main difference in the price of food in this article seems to be that in both the breakfast and lunch of the Mediterranean diet, the subject is eating nothing but prepared foods. I myself have a very healthy diet and cook all the meals that I eat during a typical weekday. It requires me waking up an hour earlier, but I save a lot of money, eat well, and enjoy what I'm eating. I don't think that it costs more to eat healthier, but it certainly takes more effort.

Hans of CA 8:09PM October 20, 2009

Diets are based on acquired taste habits. Diets are also based on economic factors. Sugar and fats taste good. They are a pleasure to eat. Few humans are prepared or able to defer satisfaction behaviors. The reported over weight and obese numbers of the US are evidence. Fortunately, health concerned and activated dieters are able to buy and eat sensibly. Re: Salad dressings. Eliminate all of them. Use lemon juice. Years ago we took the bowls of salad dressings off our restaurant tables. Customers emptied them and asked for more. We dressed the salads in the kitchen and that was the end of excessive salad dressing consumptions. Next, quit buying snack food and bags of candy. Inventory the cupboard and the kitchen...get rid of all the 'temptation' foods. Remember, the Brits came out of WW2 in better health than when it started. Learn what those food allowances were.

George Steed 3:35AM September 29, 2009