Scientists at the University of South Australia found that the Mediterranean diet was the most economical when compared to Western eating habits and general Australian dietary guidelines. Results published In Nutrients magazine.
The Western diet is rich in red meat, dairy, processed and refined foods, sugar, salt, and low in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. It differs from the other two by a significant deficiency of fiber, zinc, potassium, calcium, magnesium, vitamin E and vitamin B6, as well as twice the recommended salt intake. This leads to weight gain and the appearance of various diseases. However, it is still popular among people – many believe that adherence to proper nutrition is more expensive. The authors of the study decided to put this to the test.
The researchers compared the weekly spending of different families on three food baskets collected according to the recommendations of the Mediterranean and Western diets and the Australian healthy eating guidelines. It turns out that the weekly cost of the Mediterranean diet is $ 28 (2.2 thousand rubles) less.
So, per week it costs $ 78 (about 6 thousand rubles) for one person, $ 135 for a family of two (about 11 thousand rubles), $ 211 for three (17 thousand rubles) and $ 285 (23 thousand rubles) for four people. can take.
“The savings of $28 per week may seem insignificant, but it amounts to about $1,500 (120k rubles) for a year, which can significantly affect your budget,” the scientists said.