First, let's talk cost-per-calorie. A previous, well-regarded study has reported that low-calorie foods cost more per calorie than high-calorie foods, but that doesn't take into account the fact that most Americans consume a mix of both low and high calorie foods. According to the lead author of the study, Americans on average spend $7.00 per day on 2,000 calories of food. As you can see in the table below, if a person eating a mixed diet of over 2,500 calories reduces their intake to 1,500, there will be an aproximate savings of $105.00 per month.

That's a 40% savings!! But the news gets even better. Newer studies have been done that further analyze the cost of food and these use other metrics, such as cost-per-portion and cost-per-edible weight. These studies confirm that both in cost-per-portion and cost-per-edible weight, eating low-calorie food IS in fact cheaper than eating high-calorie food. One of the reasons is because it takes fewer low-calorie foods by weight to feel full than with high-calorie foods. This means you can eat MORE low-calorie food, feel fuller, save money, and STILL lose weight. Even the First Lady has lauded this study and has promoted it along with her Let's Move! initiative.