Eating healthy: Is take-out cheaper than cooking at home?

Buying groceries is often an exercise in guilt management. Consider the shopping list for a day of modern diet-approved healthy eating: seasonal berries for a delicious, silky smoothie for breakfast; maybe a block of feta cheese to be crumbled into a refreshing salad to cut through the cool, crunchy vegetables; and some chicken for a protein-packed dinner. For snacking, a protein bar and some roasted makhanas have you covered. While this somewhat satisfies an average adult’s nutritional requirements for the day, a pressing issue lingers: the exorbitant bill, which will ring up to roughly Rs. 500, at the very least.

There seems to be an unspoken pact an individual must make if they desire to simply eat “clean”—a good chunk of their income will be spent acquiring the best ingredients. The average Indian can’t afford that. In fact, the average Indian spends only about Rs. 2,500 on groceries every month–and that includes fruits, vegetables, pulses, dairy, processed foods, meat and seafood. 

And so, between inflation, reduced disposable income, increased overall expenditure, and a mostly sedentary life, “healthy” food delivered to one’s doorstep can appear to be a cure-all. Eating a high-fibre quinoa and avocado salad from a leading restaurant chain at Rs. 465 appears cheaper and more convenient than preparing it yourself, for a one- or two-person household.

An understanding of affordable, value-for-money food options that fulfil nutritious requirements is a must when nearly half of per capita spending for an urban resident goes towards food.

But, there may be more nuance to this than appears at the surface. Nutritious, carefully prepared home-cooked meals beat convenience any day. Healthy takeout options can seem cheaper and worth spending money on because of common misconceptions around what we deem as “healthy.” But it’s not just that: when you end up buying large quantities of source ingredients (a lot of which might go to waste), spend time prepping for every meal, and spend money on expensive, healthful groceries, takeout food will easily seem like the more cost-efficient option. 

An understanding of affordable, value-for-money food options that fulfil nutritious requirements is a must when nearly half of per capita spending for an urban resident goes towards food. Unlike in the past, when raw cereals accounted for the majority of food expenditures, processed goods—which include packaged foods, beverages, and purchased cooked meals—now account for the majority of food expenditures in both rural and urban areas. It’s hard to immediately identify it, but you may be spending more on takeout, cumulatively, instead of saving money.

Switching to easy-to-prep, homemade meals may not just be healthier, but prove to lighten the monthly expenditure, too.

Also read: Whey to go: A complete guide to protein

Why is my food expensive? 

In October 2024, the year-on-year food inflation in India hit an all-time high, touching 10.87%. Particularly, it was the price of the vegetables, fruits, oils and fats that shot up. Since the beginning of this year, though, prices have stabilised–in fact, according to Trading Economics, food costs in the country have experienced a 3.75% increase year-on-year in February 2025, the least since May 2023, following a 6.02% rise in January. 

It’s the reasons for this sharp hike, here, that is most important: supply disruptions, weather and rain patterns, regulatory policies. The commodities that recorded the highest increase were oils and fats (16.4%) and fruits (14.8%). Since August of 2024, FMCG companies have been reporting price hikes for household essentials due to the rising costs of base items like palm oil and copra. This hike is owed not only to inflation, but rising geopolitical tensions and unexpected climate conditions. Furthermore, an increase in import duty on vegetable oil in October acted as a contributor. 

Another worrying factor is that fruit inflation in India increased from 8.6 cent in December to a decadal high of 12.2 cent in January. This inflation, along with the country’s demand for imported exotic fruits, is attributed to higher fruit prices. Coconut prices are at a seven-year high, and pineapples and water chestnuts follow suit. Indians are already short on fruit consumption: fruits and vegetables contribute to less than 3% energy levels against the required 8-10% energy levels in urban areas. Experts point to rising demand, higher imports and a weaker rupee.

And while food inflation will always bobble up and down–as it did earlier this year–the reasons will persist. It becomes all the more imperative to take out the time and effort to eat better, at home. 

Cheaper takeout might seem a better option at the time, but subsidised food means there’s a compromise on other factors: hygiene, quality of ingredients and unfair wages to the workers. To make sure you can really eat healthy and save money, here are two things to consider: your shopping habits and meal prepping.

Also read: Meal prep: How Indian kitchens can optimise time, taste

Shopping habits matter

What we consider as healthy is often expensive, imported food that costs us twice as much as local grocery items. Indians are buying more and more exotic fruits and vegetables. Mandarin orange imports went up to 33% in the first eight months of 2024. Cranberry, famous for its juice that helps with PMS symptoms and even UTIs for AFAB individuals, saw a drastic 159% demand; New Delhi is reported to have imported $6.68 million worth of the fruit. Avocado imports doubled in the last year! 

This inordinate demand is also contributing to extensive farming globally, making it hard for locals to access food items indigenous to them. One can, then, turn to local produce that provides us with the same benefits. Here’s a look at some cheaper alternatives to trending superfoods; keep in mind that balancing out the two helps you meet specific nutrition goals, too, aside from benefiting from a price difference. 

• Greek yogurt < Curd

Plain greek yogurt is protein rich and offers calcium, vitamin B12, and potassium. Homemade curd, though, is just as beneficial, even with a differing nutritional index. It acts as a great probiotic.

• Blueberry < Jamun (Indian blackberry)

Blueberry contains numerous antioxidants and phytochemicals, vitamin C and fiber. It improves gut health, reduces inflammation, and has cancer-fighting benefits. Alternatively, Jamun is not only grown locally, but also offers anti-inflammatory benefits and contains essential nutrients like vitamin C, iron and potassium.

• Avocado < Nuts and seeds

Avocado is full of vitamins and minerals, along with beneficial fats that give satiety. While it is difficult to find the perfect alternative, nutritionists turn to a range of options like a mix of nuts and seeds that would fulfil vitamin, fibre and fat requirements

• Chia seeds < Flax seeds

Chia offers antioxidants, fibre, omega-3 acids that allow for better gut health. On the other hand, flaxseeds offer very similar benefits, at a lower cost. 

What we consider as healthy is often expensive, imported food that costs us twice as much as local grocery items.

The idea is to buy seasonal and buy local: quick commerce apps, now a go-to grocer for the urban populace, propose an easy fix to needing groceries last-minute, but they also add to over-consumption. You often purchase more than you need, buying 1 kg of tomatoes instead of 500 g because there’s a combo offer on onions, tomatoes and potatoes–or to meet a minimum cart value and avoid delivery fees. The prices of the same vegetables at your local mandi are not that different–if anything, quick-commerce apps add various fees. Additionally, there’s no guarantee on quality. If spoiled produce is delivered, it’s a waste of money. Some quick commerce apps don’t offer redressal, just credit points. Hygiene is also a compromise. 

The luxurious unseasonal item also comes at a hidden cost: the produce is picked before the harvest season and then transported to reach the consumer’s nearest retailers. You’re compromising on taste, flavour and nutrient value while also paying extra for the long journey your food had to take. 

Alternatively, buying from local vegetable and fruit sellers not only allows you to manage the quantity, but also check the vegetables and fruits for ripeness or any defects.

Also read: The promises—and perils—of Indian aquaculture

Rethinking meal prep

A realistic goal is to optimise healthy food options by avoiding takeout and knowing what you can work with. That’s where meal-prep comes in: it improves our relationship with food, increases convenience and lends higher nutritional quality to the meal. It can seem like a bit of a hassle: meal prepping can lead you to buy groceries in bulk–and inevitably, wasting a chunk of it. But a few tips and tricks can make the process fun, efficient and effective. 

1. Prioritise: The best way forward is to look at what you have in your pantry. As blogger Polly Barks points out, meal prepping is like a game of building blocks. While planning, see how the available items fit into the nutrient category suitable for a well-balanced meal. Define your sources of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and fibre. The next step is to see what you need to use up faster. Do you have a lot of rice or eggs lying around? Your next meal could be an egg curry paired with some steamed rice and an easy salad with a curd base. Consider the perishability of your food items to avoid good produce or even freshly cooked food going to waste. 

2. Plan it out: Once you have made sense of what you have at hand, you can figure out what you need to purchase. While plenty of health and fitness advice will tell you that it’s better to plan around a week, it might be easier and more beneficial to make three-day plans. Buy less, buy fresh, and use it up as soon as possible. Creating a list incorporating all the items you need to use up before a cycle of prepping ends is imperative to ensuring zero waste. You may have to freeze some vegetables after chopping them up and keep the cycle’s marinades in as well. 

3. Be flexible and creative: It is easy for meal prepping to become monotonous and unrealistic. The workaround is to be creative with the base you have at hand. Marinated herb chicken can turn into a pasta, a sandwich, a one-pot rice dish, and even a cool summer salad. Leftovers make for easy meals too. A chicken curry is often converted into a pulao in Indian households—all you have to do is put rice and the curry into a pressure cooker. Dry subzis make for great stuffed parathas. 

A well-organised, economical meal plan filled with simple, diverse dishes is a step towards eating healthy without putting a dent in your wallet. 

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(Illustration by: Khyati)