A chronic problem in America is the rising statistic of obesity. It plagues adults and children alike and is creating a national health crisis. Losing weight can lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes and other long-term illnesses. Unfortunately, many individuals claim that the cost of losing weight is too much. Here you will see a few of the cost breakdowns of average meals eating at home and of eating out.

Breakfast: At Home

Eating breakfast at home is a relatively cheap and healthy endeavor. If you are a meat eater, you can easily have one egg, 3 strips of bacon, wheat toast and orange juice for the low price of $2.45. Vegans can eat especially cheaply in the morning, as well, with a breakfast of thawed frozen blueberries, yogurt, orange juice and oatmeal for only $1.50.

Breakfast: Dining Out

If you choose to eat out at a diner for breakfast, your average cost would be close to $10. However, most people arguing low cost are eating fast food. It is nearly impossible to eat a full breakfast at a fast food restaurant for less than $5. A breakfast including a sandwich, hash browns and coffee from McDonalds is pushing the $5 ceiling of cost and is far less healthy than the above homemade options.

Lunch: At Home

For the meat eater, or fish lover, it is quite simple to have a low-cost lunch. Consider eating a cheddar tuna melt, carrot sticks and an apple for only $2.25. For the vegetarians, you could have a delicious tomato, mozzarella and pesto sandwich with carrot sticks and an apple for $2.90. It is also quite simple to bring a protein shake for lunch that could aid weight loss and be affordable.

Lunch: Dining Out

Fortunately, many fast-food restaurants offer value menus that cater to the working lunch crowd. Unfortunately, these foods are extremely unhealthy, with low nutritional values and high fat content. A lunch of two Jr. Roast Beef sandwiches and a large curly fry will cost you $5.84 from Arby’s.

Dinner: At Home

Homemade burritos consisting of tortillas, shredded cheese, chopped onions, olives, beans and slow-cooked chicken would cost you only $0.80 apiece if made at home. Keep in mind, you can buy those ingredients in bulk and freeze multiples of those burritos for other meals. The high fiber and protein content of the beans add many health benefits to this meal.

Dinner: Dining Out

If you choose to order a combination dinner from a fast-food joint, you will likely be paying roughly $7 a person. If you choose to order from the value menu again, you can get a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger from Wendy’s for $2.19 and add a small fry, frosty and drink for $3 more. The fat and caloric content of that meal is likely to be all or more than enough of your daily caloric amounts.

Conclusion

With preparation of your food and foresight, it is easy to have healthful meals throughout the day at a fraction of the cost of eating out. Keep healthy, ready-to-eat snacks with you all day to help boost your weight loss and never overindulge.

Categories: General