Many people don’t have a good understanding of the differences between healthy food and junk food.
They assume healthy food is better, but besides more expensive. Is this the encase? Let’s take a closer look. We’ll examine the breakdown of calories first.
Contents
- 0.1 Calories are simply a unit of measurement for energy.
- 0.2 Macronutrient differences:
- 0.3 Micronutrient differences:
- 0.4 This is why getting the majority of your calories from healthy foods is ideal.
- 0.5 Healthy Food vs. Junk Food Prices:
- 0.6 Eating healthy generally isn’t more expensive at high-end restaurants.
- 1 The places I’ve found eating healthier to be significantly more expensive are fast food and fast-casual restaurants.
- 2 When you consider these options, it’s not surprising that people who struggle financially choose unhealthy fast food.
Calories are simply a unit of measurement for energy.
You may have heard the following:
- 1 calorie is the amount of energy it takes to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree
- 1 calorie equals 4.184 joules
- 1 calorie in the context of food is 1 kilocalorie (kCal).
All of these are dependable and as you can see, it’s all a way to measure energy.
Whether you get a calorie from a fruit, vegetable, or ice cream, you’re calm ingesting the like sum of energy, so in that smell, the calories are the same. however, there are important differences in the makeup of those calories.
Macronutrient differences:
The calories in food fall from protein, carbohydrates, or fatty, which are the three types of macronutrients.
- Protein is 4 calories per gram, so a calorie of protein is 1/4 of a gram of protein
- Carbohydrates (carbs) are 4 calories per gram, so a calorie of carbs is 1/4 of a gram of carbs
- Fat is 9 calories per gram, so a calorie of fat is 1/9 of a gram of fat
Although each of these calories provides the same amount of energy, the consistency uses energy from different macronutrient sources in different ways. here is a very simplistic view of how the energy from each macronutrient is utilized:
- Protein calories help to build and repair muscle
- Carbohydrate calories provide energy for strenuous activity
- Fat calories provide energy for mild activity and help you absorb vitamins and minerals
There’s much more to all three, but for the sake of this answer, I’ll keep it elementary.
Micronutrient differences:
Foods besides contain respective micronutrients, which are what we normally know as vitamins and minerals. Micronutrients do not contain a significant enough sum of energy to be “ counted ” in terms of calories, but they do play a significant function in your health and well-being. Micronutrients enable your torso to perform casual functions. Some are even critical for survival. A miss of micronutrients in your diet will lead to deficiencies which can result in serious health problems over time. Healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, contain more micronutrients than junk foods, such as chips and sugarcoat. You may have heard these debris foods referred to as “ empty calories ” for this cause.
This is why getting the majority of your calories from healthy foods is ideal.
If you do this, your nutritional bases will be covered and you can still enjoy occasional “ debris food ” without sacrificing your health. To recap :
- A “healthy food” calorie is the same as a “junk food” calorie in terms of energy
- Calories differ in their source of macronutrients, which determines how that energy is used in the body
- Calories also differ in their micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) content, which are essential to bodily functions and overall health
Healthy Food vs. Junk Food Prices:
Is eating healthy more expensive? It depends on where you are eating.
If you’re preparing meals from scratch at home, then eating healthy is not more expensive.
It can be a lot cheaper. I’ve bought two Publix Greenwise 8 oz. top sirloin filets for under $ 10. That’s a fraction of what you ’ vitamin D pay at even a mid-tier chain restaurant and if you know how to prepare steak, it will taste good equally good, if not better.
Xem thêm: 12 Healthy Foods That Are High in Iron
This is how I cook steak. Add some potatoes and veggies for a few bucks and you’ve got a healthy, delightful, and satisfying meal that serves two people for under $ 15. If you’re eating out, eating healthy may or may not be more expensive.
Eating healthy generally isn’t more expensive at high-end restaurants.
At high-end restaurants, healthier choices like salmon or wimp are normally about the same price or cheaper than insalubrious entrees like burgers or pasta. An entrance salad may be much cheaper than a traditional entree. You can normally besides substitute healthier sides like veggies with a kernel entree for small to no excess charge. however, if you order a salad as an appetizer, that will cost you excess.
The places I’ve found eating healthier to be significantly more expensive are fast food and fast-casual restaurants.
If you go to a fast food restaurant, like McDonald’s or Wendy’s, a salad will cost you about $ 7 or $ 8. But you can get a stool load more unhealthy food for under $ 5 by ordering from the respect menu.
Wendy’s has a 4 for $4 deal which is a big hit that’s “winning customers back.”[1] In the 4 for $ 4, you can get a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger or chicken sandwich, nuggets, fries, and a pop for $ 4. That ’ sulfur is three to four times the calories as a salad for half the price. even if you go to a “ healthy ” fast target like Chipotle, by the time you’re done, you’re looking at around $ 10 for a salad or bowl. If I choose to eat healthy at a fast put, I would opt for Chipotle over a Wendy’s South salad since it’s only a copulate buck more, but way more tasty and full. But still, it’s not equal to the value of the 4 for $ 4. At Taco Bell, you can credibly get flush more calories for under $ 5 than at Wendy’s sulfur.
When you consider these options, it’s not surprising that people who struggle financially choose unhealthy fast food.
M Shack is a local anesthetic hamburger articulation that has both healthy and unhealthy options. I ’ vitamin D categorize it on the higher end of debauched casual. Their burgers are in truth tasty, but not besides expensive. You can get a Sunrise Burger, which has “ Bacon, Sunny Side Egg, American Cheese, and Shack Sauce ” for $ 6.95. Or you can get an Omega-Fit, which is “ Two Salmon Cakes, Sweet Bell Peppers, Farro Salad, Seared Kale, Edamame, Sunny Side Egg, No Bun ” for $ 11.95. Whether it’s this case or the $ 10 Chipotle meal, I consider the extra $ 5 to be the premium you pay to eat healthy at fast places.
Read more: Healthy Choice Traditional Pasta Sauce
Paying more for healthy food is annoying at the moment, but it pays off in the long run with disease prevention, improved quality of life, etc.
To summarize :
- If you want to eat healthier without spending a lot of money, then prepare your meals at home
- If you eat at high-end restaurants, eating healthier probably won’t be more expensive
- If you eat at fast food or fast-casual restaurants, be prepared to spend a lot more on healthier options