Eating healthy is cheaper than buying junk food, study reveals

FORGET what they told you about a healthy diet. A new study has found eating clean is cheaper than buying junk — but there’s more to why we’re so unhealthy.

EATING healthy hurts the hip pocket less than a diet filled with fast food and booze, according to a study.

But busy lifestyles, poor cooking skills, convenience and enticing advertising may be swaying shoppers towards poor choices, a public health nutrition expert has warned.

It’s cheaper to eat healthier than junk food, a new study has found. Picture: iStock

Professor Amanda Lee led research that calculated following healthy diet guidelines focused on fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, lean meats, poultry and unsaturated oils and spreads cost a family of four about $600 a fortnight.

This compared with about $720 a fortnight for an average household’s current diet which included a high proportion of junk food and alcohol.

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Final results from the research were this week presented at the Dietitians Association of Australia’s national conference.

“There is a common perception that healthy foods are more expensive than unhealthy foods but that is not the case when you consider a whole diet,” said Prof Lee, an Australian Prevention Partnership Centre senior adviser.

An unhealthy diet costs us more. Picture: Supplied.

A healthy lifestyle is cheaper to maintain than a diet of booze and junk food. Picture: Supplied.

“We need to make it easier for people to improve their diet. We need to increase the availability of healthy food and decrease the promotion of unhealthy foods and drinks.”

The study found that a family of four spent 58 per cent of their food budget on ‘junk’ foods, sugary drinks and alcohol.

Alcohol swallowed about 12 per cent; takeaway foods 14 per cent; and sugary drinks 4 per cent. Other discretionary items such as cakes, biscuits, lollies made up 28 per cent.

@KarenCollierHS