Healthy eating is a priority to reduce chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes where the cardiovascular illnesses. But one of the most commonly reported barriers to getting people to eat more healthy and balanced diets is cost. Also, to be able to answer the question “Does it really cost more to eat healthy?” »American researchers have decided to take a closer look food prices and eating behaviors in seven rich countries (Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, New Zealand and Canada) and two emerging countries (Brazil and South Africa).
“While we tend to say that the cost of a healthy diet is an obstacle and that it is partly because of this thatone in three Americans is obese, no one has systematically evaluated or quantified this price difference between healthy food and less healthy food, ”explain the researchers from Harvard School of Medicine who launched this meta-analysis.
For this long-term work, the American researchers used the results of 27 surveys already published and relating to the eating habits of the 9 countries selected for the study. Conclusion: by comparing the costs, they showed that the healthiest food cost on average 1.50 dollars (or 1.10 euros) more per day and per person, than the least healthy food. “Over a year, this can represent a real burden for some families, and it is certain that it is an obstacle to promoting a healthy and balanced diet,” they conclude.
