In today's financial climate, many people are turning to cheap, high-carb foods in order to make ends meet.
Boxed macaroni-and-cheese dinners, processed cereals, dried beans, Top Ramen soups, bread, potatoes, and rice are often go-to staples because they are inexpensive and easy to fix.
Since the individual price of these items cost less than a steak, many believe that a low-fat diet costs less than Keto.
But is that true?
Is a high-carb diet really cheaper? Or is that just another excuse to not go on a diet?
Comparison Between Low-Carb Foods and Low-Fat Diets Unrealistic
Many people don't give low carb enough time to work for them.
Not because they believe a low-fat, higher-carb diet is healthier, but because they believe that carbohydrate restriction will cost them more money.
What they envision is plates heaped with:
- bacon
- fried eggs
- large greasy cheeseburgers without the bun
- expensive steaks
The higher costs associated with eating larger servings of meat might be true for those who consider Atkins or Keto a temporary solution or those who only focus on the carbohydrate content of food.
However, most of the people who turn to low carb for their weight problem are more health-minded than the average American. For that reason, the low-carb foods picked seem to mirror that healthier mind-set.
In today's economy, a glance at the rising prices for meat, eggs, cheese, and produce can scare you off. However, a comparison between low-carb meals and low-fat diets is generally lopsided and unrealistic.
Those on Keto do not eat the same amount of food as those who choose low-fat diets because they are not as hungry – due to being in the state of ketosis. Nor does your appetite compel you to spend your grocery dollars on candy, chips, high-processed snack foods, sugary desserts, and other high-mark-up items.
When you compare an average serving of almonds (21 to 22 nuts) with a snack bag of Doritos, the nuts actually cost less.
What Does a Cheap High-Carb Meal Cost?
Although, a T-bone steak can be quite costly, a high-carb meal really isn't all that cheap. Consider what a typical family on a very tight budget might eat:
- a box of macaroni-and-cheese
- 2 cans of green beans
- garlic bread made from day-old French bread
- store-brand cake mix with canned frosting
Although this meal isn't even close to being healthy, this is how many poor Americans eat.
Protein and Calories Recommended for Keto
No one is arguing that a low-carb diet can't be expensive.
Many ketogenic dieters drink coffee with sugar substitute and real heavy cream several times a day. They snack on pork rinds or homemade cheese chips and dip, and drown everything they cook in sour cream and cheese. I've even heard of people eating cheesecake for breakfast.
If you want to eat rib-eye steaks every day, snack on cold pre-cooked shrimp, or polish off a bowl filled with leftover hot wings while watching television, your grocery bill will definitely be high.
However, many of these habits are simply carried over from your high-carb days.
The truth is this:
Steak, burgers, shrimp, and crab do not describe a standard low-carb diet. These are zero-carb diet behaviors, which tend to surface in those who believe you can eat as much as you want and still lose weight just because the food is carbohydrate free.
Unfortunately, these habits can result in higher blood glucose levels or a metabolic slow down if you continuously eat that way.
According to Dr. Michael Eades, author of the Protein Power Life Plan, typical low-carb dieters eat between 1500 and 1700 calories per day. Although, that's quite a bit higher than a standard 1200 calorie low-fat weight-loss diet, the extra calories on Keto come from fats, such as mayonnaise, chicken skin, and the saturated fat that's naturally in the meat you eat.
They don't come from larger serving sizes.
In addition, Dr. Eades generally recommends you get 82 to 102 grams of protein daily, depending on your gender, weight, and height. That's only about 4 to 6 ounces of meat per meal.
Likewise, the Atkins Diet also recommends you limit your protein intake to 4 to 6 ounces of protein per meal. Atkins calorie recommendations are slightly higher than Eades, about 1500 to 1800 for women and 1800 to 2200 for men.
Does Healthy Food Really Cost More?
When you look closely at these two low-carb diet recommendations, you'll quickly discover that two of the most popular low-carb diets today are not advising their followers to replace the missing carbohydrates with another nutrient.
Overall, protein consumption should be the same as any other weight-loss diet. What's different is that Keto focuses on wholesome vegetables and low-glycemic fruits. You are no longer spending money on junk foods and low-nutrient processed foods that make up the bulk of a low-fat diet.
Cutting the Junk is Where You Save Money
Since the protein recommendations made by Eades and Atkins align with the amount of protein recommended by Weight Watchers in the 80s – the low-fat diet I'm familiar with – the argument that a low-fat diet is cheaper than Keto doesn't hold up.
While the non-fat milk found in the Weight Watchers Exchange Plan slightly reduced the amount of meat I ate, Weight Watchers also included 550 calories per week that I could spend on anything I wanted. These calories allowed you to boost the protein, if that's how you wanted to eat.
The idea behind weekly calories was to teach you how to introduce occasional treats into your diet plan, with the emphasis on “occasionally.”
That's something that most high-carb plans don't address.
How Much Does Keto Actually Cost?
Using $3 a pound as an average for meat and cheese, in the value pack, 1/3 of a pound of protein per meal would be $1 per serving.
Add a cup of steamed, non-starchy vegetables, along with a tablespoon butter, and you've still only spent about 50 cents more.
A tossed lettuce salad, with 2 tablespoons of homemade dressing would also be about 50 cents, but the actual cost of that salad will depend on the types of greens you use and the amount of raw vegetables that you add.
If you stick to the Keto basics:
- 4 to 6 ounces of meat, cheese, or eggs
- 1 cup cooked low-carb vegetables
- 2 cups of tossed salad with 2 tablespoons dressing
Keep in mind that these figures are only an estimate.
They are based on what grilled pork chops, a lettuce salad with homemade ranch dressing, and a cup of steamed broccoli or frozen stir-fried vegetables would cost in our area – if I had to pay full price for them, which I hardly ever do.
Most of the time, I use meats that have been marked down by a hefty 50 percent, or more. I purchase eggs and chicken leg quarters to stretch out our protein needs. At 59 to 79 cents a pound for chicken leg quarters, that's only a buck for chicken – way less than my budget.
I use bagged Romaine hearts for salads, purchase a few condiments, and then add in as many vegetables and berries as our budget can afford.
Breakfast comes in at less than $2, because eggs are only 9 or 10 cents each (1.59 for an 18-pack). If you multiply these figures across 3 meals per day, at 7 days, the average cost of a Keto diet weighs in at $42 per week for the basics.
(Check out our bare-bones $40 Keto menu for more details.)
Rounding that up to include extra funds for condiments and snacks, you're still only looking at $50 per week.
Keto Does Not Cost More than Other Weight-Loss Diets
When you compare the above ketogenic diet to the old Weight Watchers Exchange Plan that required you to eat 3 pieces of fresh fruit per day, drink a pint of non-fat milk, and add 2 servings of starchy carbs to your meat and unlimited vegetables, you can quickly see that a healthy low-fat diet won't cost you less.
The bottom line is that a low-carb diet does not cost more than other weight-loss programs.
They are just different.
They are healthy and designed to correct metabolic issues that are affecting how much you weigh. While low carb might not be the best choice for everyone, it does require a certain degree of commitment to make it work.
Cost, however, isn't really a factor.
That's just a myth.
Keto does not cost more than other low-fat diets.
Like all weight-loss diets, the cost of a ketogenic diet depends on the foods you choose to eat, how much you eat, your shopping habits, and how you decide to implement the plan.
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