Why eating healthy is so expensive in America

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Produce helps your health and hurts your wallet, but some strategies may change that.

The American dinner plate is deficient in nutritious produce, and part of the problem is cost. Because diets low in fruits and vegetables have serious consequences, health advocates have tried to incentivize Americans to choose apples over donuts for years but with little success. In the US, a nation with high rates of diseases such as obesity and diabetes, a variety of strategies – from a junk food tax to a produce prescription program – are now being tested. But there are a number of factors that still stand in the way of Americans having healthier, more affordable products and dietary options.
Produce helps your health and hurts your wallet, but some strategies may change that.

The American dinner plate is deficient in nutritious produce, and part of the problem is cost. Because diets low in fruits and vegetables have serious consequences, health advocates have tried to incentivize Americans to choose apples over donuts for years but with little success. In the US, a nation with high rates of diseases such as obesity and diabetes, a variety of strategies – from a junk food tax to a produce prescription program – are now being tested. But there are a number of factors that still stand in the way of Americans having healthier, more affordable products and dietary options.