Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Eating a healthy diet is important for preventing chronic diseases and supporting overall health. But the cost of healthy diets is often overlooked, and most dietary guidelines assume people can afford to make these changes. This study looked at research from around the world to understand how the cost of healthy diets compares to current eating habits. We reviewed studies that measured the cost of diets following national dietary guidelines or clinical dietary guidelines (like the Mediterranean or EAT-Lancet diets) and compared them to current diets. Studies that focused on specific regions, unhealthy individuals, or were reviews were excluded. In total, 21 studies from 18 countries were included. We found that in 9 countries, healthy diets were more expensive than current diets, while in 6 countries, they were cheaper, and in 4 countries there was no difference. Healthy diets were often less expensive in middle-income countries, but in high-income countries they tended to cost more. How diet costs were calculated also mattered: using individual food prices from grocery stores often showed healthy diets to be cheaper, while using national data tended to show them as more expensive. The types of foods in the diet were also important, with perishable and protein-rich foods increasing costs of healthy diets. To help people eat healthier without financial strain, policies and programs are needed to make nutritious foods more affordable and accessible.