Times are tough. Not only is the economy bad but for many of us, Winter is a time when buying food, especially produce, can be pricey. There are certain foods though that I refuse to live without. Cashews are one of my weakness, and even though cherries and avocados cost more than I want to spend, they're nutritious and so very tasty and end up in my grocery cart. So tell me, what healthy expensive foods do you splurge on? Are there certain foods you used to buy organic, but are forced to buy conventional now because they're cheaper?
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Speak Up: What Healthy Expensive Food Do You Splurge On?
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Laura Scott
i splurge on mixed nuts and dried fruits. If they go on sale, i try to stock up!
i still don't understand why they are so expensive!
1I live in an area of Boston where the only grocery store I have access to is Whole Foods...so I'm pretty much stuck buying expensive food no matter what. I really don't mind though - nutrition is one area that I don't mind spending a little more on.
2Fish is what really kills me- and I live in the Pacific NW! I get a CSA also, which can be WAY more expensive than just buying veggies at the grocery store, but is much cheaper than buying all the veggies I need at the farmer's market.
3Renee3327 I'm in MA too but south shore. Thank God I have Shaws and other places to choose from. When I do splurge it's on nuts.
4Definitely cashews, almonds, walnuts. I like to buy the bags of nuts in the shell so it takes longer to eat them because I have to actually crack the shell.
5Other than that, trail mix. I love dried apricots and pineapple and banana chips. Well worth the money even if it is dehydrated fruit!
Almonds, dried fruit and granola bars.
6Raw almond butter, organic avocado, and organic spinach (the spinach is $7.99/lb where I am!)
7I splurge on mixed nuts too. I love them and they're a great snack. I try to ration them out so I don't eat them all at once though
I also buy grass-fed beef whenever I can...it's not always available at the butcher shop in
my neighborhood. Even though I don't really eat beef, my husband loves it and he's worth it to me.
8I'd say at least 80% of the food I buy is organic, which obviously is more expensive. I also only buy organic/pastured meats, which are a *lot* pricier (and make me eat a lot less meat). Interesting stat, though: in the 1950s, people spent about 1/3 of their household income on food; now people spend about 1/8. Shows where our priorities are that we're willing to eat industrial garbage in order to afford cable TV, cell phones, oversized cars, etc.
9cherries are defiantly my splurge. love them.
10When Honey Crisp apples are in season, I like to get some. Although they can still be $1.50 a pound. I used to splurge on Greek Yogurt, but now it's not really in the budget. I'm going to learn to make my own here soon.
11The biggest splurge is meat. I am definitely in the "meat if anything should be used as a condiment, not main course" camp. When I use it I go for the locally source, organic variety from the ranches or farms nearby. It is pricey, so used sparingly.
12I splurge on snacks and bread for my child. Which means fruits and crackers or graham cookies for her, also lean meats. We have seemed to balance out our budget finally and are back to buying things the way we used to, food also isn't as expensive as it is in other parts of the country.
13I buy mostly all organic food so everything i buy seems like a splurge. But its worth it to me to feel good about the quality of the food i'm eating. I can cut corners somewhere else.
14Bars. Granola bars and protein bars. Oh, and sometimes an organic apple or two.
15I live in NYC and the closest and most convenient grocery store is Whole Foods so I by default pay a lot too. Sometimes in the summer if the weather is good, I'll trek around to cheaper markets and farmer's markets, but I really have to play it consciously when I'm shopping at WF. Usually nuts and cheese are my splurges - I spend a lot for less of the better cheese, and really make it last.
16Fresh fruit, in general. And the berries I love seem to cost the most this time of the year. ($3.99 for a half-pint of blueberries!) Sadly, it's WAAAAAAAY cheaper to buy something off the dollar menu at McDonald's. I believe that's a big part of the obesity problem.
17Oh gosh. Rainier cherries! I don't care what they cost. When they're in season, they're going in the cart.
18almonds, avocados, raspberries. i try to get everything organic that i can but have had to cut back a little bit lately...i still go for organic on the things like potatoes, berries, and carrots but have switched to nonorganic broccoli and oranges.
19Raspberries. They are so expensive!
20I splurge on PEANUT BUTTER! Good quality peanut butter is entirely worth the extra money. Also almond butter. I love Peanut Butter & Co. and Barney Butter!
21I love the burgers from Burgerfuel as they make healthy gluten free burgers - but they cost about $10 each burger, so i only have them very occasionally
22Veggie burgers, fish and tomatoes. I can never find cheap tomatoes, even if they're in season. I buy my berries frozen to save. And I don't eat meat.
23My splurges at the grocery store last night were cherries and quinoa.
24Walnuts and pecans. I still don't understand why they cost sooo much! It's only worse because we had a number of pecan trees in our yard growing so I wasn't used to paying for them at all. Wish I'd eaten more when they were free!!
25I'm fortunate to not have been affected by the economic downturn. I still buy all the same foods, 99% organic, too. I find that really, my food bills haven't even increased (of if they have, it's been insignificant). When you buy seasonal produce--not imports--and buy whole foods instead of processed foods, it's far less expensive to eat healthy. I look for sales, buy bulk foods, and cook from scratch and I probably spend less money than most people overall.
26avocados! yummmmm
27avocados, asparagus, dried mango, raspberries, shrimp. delicious!! i forgot about cherries... how did i forget about them?! they sound sooo good right now. next grocery trip...
28I can't think of anything that I "splurge" on. However, I have never been known to look at prices at the grocery store. I tend to just pick up what I want. I shop the same way that I always have for groceries.
29I gave up the cable so that I could continue to buy the healthest food that's within our budget. I've given up convienence foods like veggie burgers and prepared hummus. I've always loved to cook, but now I m getting really creative to replace those convience foods. I also only buy in season and domestic produce...otherwise it just doesn't have any flavor by the time it gets to the NE.
30organic fruits .. like cherries, strawberries, kiwis, and avocados
they're all (not just organic) imported.. that's why.. expensive
and also (though not necessarily healthy, especially if you eat this is large amount at once) i love macadamia nuts, honey roasted haha
31Organic apples for sure. They're one of the highest on the list of produce which use the most pesticide, etc. I include one every morning, so it's worth it.
32HONEYCRISP APPLES!!!
Expensive as high, very short season and worth the $3.99 per apple.
Oh man I want one right now but the season is over. BOO!
Second splurge would be Organic Bing Cherries. I will pay $6.99 per pound or more for these lovelies.
33Sorry "Expensive as hell" - got all excited about the honeycrisp apples.
34Whole Foods is really the only supermarket chain where you can get really fresh produce. There are a few Superfresh's scattered around the country, but I haven't been to one yet.
Anyway, I LOVE pomegranate(the fruit) and the POM iced teas. Pomegranate is definitely my favorite fruit and at $3 per pomegranate, it's not cheap either, especially considering I eat them about every other day when they're in season.
I also love ice cream made from coconut milk. I'm lactose intolerant, so I can't eat regular ice cream and soy ice cream tastes like crap. The coconut milk gives it a subtle coconut flavor and it's just as rich and creamy and delicious as ice cream made from cow's milk.
Matcha (green tea) powder is really expensive, but it lasts me about 6 months and I love green tea ice cream. I just mix the matcha into some vanilla ice cream(with coconut milk of course).
35$3.99 for ONE honeycrisp apple !!!??? Where on earth do you shop? Go to whole foods and it's $2-3 per POUND !!
36Arghhh I just spent so much money grocery shopping. But here's the thing, I LOVE to eat, and I want to eat healthily, because in the long run good health will pay off anyway, whether it's in decreased medical bills, or simply because I'll be fit enough to work more.
So I don't look at price, but I am sure that organic raspberries, avocados, asparagus, bell peppers, apples, and nuts set me back. And I don't eat any meat, so surely I save some money there, however, I don't just stick to nuts, beans and tofu, I am a fan of the processed soy "fake meat" products and veggie burgers also, which are probably just as expensive as meat (of course they probably don't count as healthy!). And Amy's anything is pretty expensive, but I love the soups and pizza. Drool. I just ate, but this discussion is making me want seconds! So yeah, I don't really hold back at the grocery store.
37I feel like cheap/healthy food is so hard to find! My grocery bills would be way lower if I didn't choose healthy foods. But my healthy/delicious splurges are fresh produce: asparagus, broccoli, alfalfa sprouts, and pineapple.
38omg..
Probably one of the more expensive habits I have is going to Buffalo NY (
I am from Canada ) to stock up on FAGE yogurt.. I buy like 30!! lol..I wish it would come to Canada 
39My boyfriend thinks I am crazy for all the stuff I buy! I am such a foodie..I don't really think you can put a price tag on your health! Besides, I don't drink or smoke.. so I figure I can justify it
FAGE yogurt! I live in Canada and they don't have it here
.. my boyfriend and I drive to
Buffalo,NY and I stock up.. I mean literally I buy 30 lol! I am such a foodie if I want something I buy it 
Lately I have been buying conventional produce though.. at my grocery store organic broccoli is $4.99 right now!!!
40Fruit- especially berries, veggies, and nuts.
41Oh and fish- salmon, and yogurt.
42I spend most of my grocery money on fresh produce...I'd say the most expensive things I can't live without are avacados and berries. I used to buy organic, but I don't anymore because it became too expensive. For some reason I always need my salad greens to be organic though.
43Organic fugi apples-my favorite!!!
44Raw/unsalted Walnuts
Organic Apples, Blueberries, Carrots, Cherries and Tomatoes
Amy's Kitchen California Style (vegetarian) Burger
Uncle Sam or Cascadian Farm Cereal
Morningstar Chik Patties
Morningstar Crumbles
Nature's Promise No Salt Added Peanut Butter
Nature's Promise Whole Grain Bread
Olive Oil
Those are the more expensive items however I consider them health investments. Yes, I do succumb to certain unhealthy desserts however for the most part my diet is pretty healthy. Still working on the desserts issue
.
45* Forgot to list "Organic Romaine Lettuce." Love it mixed with garbonzo and kidney beans with a slice of tomato on top.
46At the Whole Foods here in SF Organic Honeycrisp Apples are $3.99 per pound. I was just there tonight and there are a few left. Sucker that I am for them - I bought one. It;s super firm and juicy -yum - and I picked the smallest I could find and it weighes nearly a pound. 1 apples $3.49 but worth it, I'll cut it into slices and store it in the fridge and munch on that one apple for 4 or 5 days.
At Safeway the Honeycrisp or not organic, they are tiny, anemic looking apples and there are somehow mealy. At Safeway they are $2.99 per pound.
Expensive either way you slice it.
47I think my entire grocery bill is a splurge. I buy the most healthiest, nutritious foods.
48probably avocados and tofu - I live in the UK and tofu isn't as cheap as it is in the us.
I'll also occasionally splurge on really nice chocolate, but that's a treat.
49Berries (even raspberries are horrendously expensive, and I live in Scotland!), fresh fruits and lettuces (other than the annoying iceberg lettuce).
I agree Wambalus, getting a couple of avocados and some tofu usually makes a £5 difference on my grocery bill!
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