Want to eat healthily? Add up to $1.50 a day

Many people have known this for a very long time, but it's nice to have a study to prove it. $1.50 may indeed be a burden for the lowest income groups in my country, but for most people that's a cup of coffee or a candy bar from the vending machine. With 35.7% of American adults, and 18% of children, classified as obese, obviously something has to be done. The "I can't afford it" excuse is out the window (for many), and hopefully this will be a positive wake up call for those who have been externalizing the locus of control when it comes to their health.

Diets were rated according to healthiness: eating more fruit, vegetables, fish and nuts ranked higher than consuming more processed foods, meats and refined grains.

If it's the definition (and I disagree, as eating more fish could be unhealthy in many cases), I don't see how they get an additional cost to eating healthy. Whole grain, nuts, fruits and veggies (if you take local and seasonal, bought whole or minimally processed fo storage) being so much cheaper than industrial crap for which they charge you processing, packaging and marketing of the brand. You can go in any country, you'll find that for the price of a burger you can get a huge cabbage or something equivalent depending on climate, and for the price of a chocolate flavor junk bar, you'll get a pack of nuts or a fruit. No need to make a research on that. In Japan, I was eating a diet of 80% veggies, a little of everything else, and I'd say my ordinary food budget for 90% of my meal was 10 000 yen to 15 000 yen in Osaka (which is surely cheaper than other places, OK). I don't count the extras like exotic party meals and nice restaurant dinners as they are not necessary for anyone's diet, they were totally job socialization costs.