Eating healthy can be challenging for several reasons—it can be costlier and more time consuming to prepare. Meal delivery service and recipe database wellio recently examined 9,000 websites and 5 million recipes to come up with the 25 most and least healthy foods for your money.
They determined that healthier meals cost about $1-2 more on average per serving. Chinese chicken salad, for example, is a bit more expensive but much healthier than a cheap, unhealthy corn dog.
wellio also found that nutritional bargain meals include more nutrients per dollar. Nutritional rip-offs include mac & cheese and hamburgers when compared to nutritious alternatives such as kale salad and falafel.
The company also determined that 11 of the 25 most nutritional meals are vegetarian or pescatarian. Lean proteins such as chicken appear in four of the top 10 meals, while beef and pork meals make fewer appearances.
The least nutritious meal is a corn dog, which is processed red meat with a fried outer layer.
Wellio determined that some meals have comparable nutritional values but vary widely in cost. For example, taquitos are more economical than prime rib, but both have similar nutritional values.
They conclude that eating well may cost more, but cheaper foods will impact an individual’s health in the long run.
The study’s 10 healthiest meals for the dollar are:
- Kale salad
- Chinese chicken salad
- Falafel
- Lettuce wraps
- Cobb salad
- Chicken Korma
- Chicken curry
- Chicken Caesar salad
- Fish tacos
- Rice and beans
- Fajitas
- Shrimp Scampi
- Lamb Chops
- Veggie burgers
- Chicken noodle soup
- Grilled salmon
- Black bean burgers
- Sesame chicken
- Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich
- Soft tacos
- Chicken Piccata
- Roast turkey
- Shrimp cocktail
- Beef and broccoli
- Jambalaya
The 10 least healthy dinners for the dollar are:
- Corn dog
- Cheeseburger
- Macaroni and cheese
- Meatloaf
- Sloppy joes
- Meatballs
- Fried catfish
- Hot wings
- Chicken Parmesan
- Crab cakes
- Fried chicken
- Philly cheesesteak
- Grilled cheese
- Fish and chips
- Empanadas
- Cuban sandwich
- Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Beef stroganoff
- Pizza
- Cheese fondue
- Lasagna
- Breakfast burritos
- Beef Wellington
- Potato pancakes
- Ribs
