Admit it, we all choose the cheaper way out, especially when it comes to our diet. While this is negatively nutritional, there is more junk to eating healthy than to resorting to your favorite fast food chain. We can all agree that there are huge benefits to eating a healthy meal or shopping for healthy groceries, but the cost of eating healthy make me question if it is actually worth it.

Surely, there are stacks of reasons why junk food is bad for you. So what are the reasons for choosing the high-calorie, low nutrition food?  It is the low cost that makes buying out cheap food the most common alternative. According to Harvard University, the cost for eating healthy for one person a day is an extra $1.50 when opting to not buy mainstream junk food. The price sounds small, but the cost can grow up to about $2,200 per year for a family of four, stated by Harvard University. This can become a huge issue for struggling, low income families, especially when considering the monetary costs.

Milton Stokes, a registered dietitian and a spokesman for the American Dietetic Association, reports that “Most Americans fall short of the recommended servings…The lower their economic status, the more of their income is spent toward food.” This means that a person with a lower income of about $20,000 will spend a larger percentage in dollars on food than a person making about $200,000 a year, “even if they buy the same amount”, adds Stokes. This demonstrates that the lower your annual income, the more money you put forth into food. So with a low income, the food options are faint.

Of course, simply buying raw vegetables and fruits is an option, but not everyone has the experience or time to cook and prepare goods. It is also difficult to manage making healthy food when there are more exciting and easier to make food for convenience’s sake. If you are working a full time job or going to school, it would be natural that eating healthy would not be a top priority. There are millions of people out there struggling to make ends meet, let alone consciously supply themselves with a healthy meal. Many Americans are forced to live on a frugal budget, so they have no choice but to resort to a cheap fast food restaurant where it is more affordable without having to worry much about emptying their pockets. We live in a very prosperous and privileged society, but most people do not have it as lucky as we do. There are so little alternatives to live a healthier and cheaper.

Matters of convenience aside, we are literally addicted to our junk food. Carla Williams from the ABC News Medical Unit suggests that “the problem can be solved only by eliminating financial barriers, creating incentives to buy healthy foods, and cultivating changes in peoples’ attitudes.” For example, foods with a low nutritional value such as soda are currently being priced with tax, and those revenues from the taxes can be used to subsidize foods with a higher nutritional value. This issue cannot be faced by individuals alone. Williams believes that the government should take a greater role in subsidizing produce. The struggle for costly produce and other healthy foods is an issue that affects the lives of many. I want people to live a happy and healthy life, regardless of their economic stance.