# The costs of dietary treatment

Economic evaluation of dietary treatment

It’s a common belief that healthy diets are more expensive.

This is one of the most common barriers to healthy eating.

Research tells a different story. During the SMILES trial, researchers conducted a detailed cost analysis of 20 participants before and after dietary changes to estimate the affordability of a healthier diet. The result was that the healthy diet cost less than the low quality diet.

This estimation showed that before the dietary change, participants spent on average AUD$138 each on food and beverages per week. In contrast, the recommended ModiMed diet cost AUD$112 per week, delivering savings of AUD$26 per week per person. It is important to note that the costing was conducted in a metropolitan area of Australia; therefore the results may not apply to other regions of Australia or the world. Despite this, the results show encouraging outcomes for eating well on a budget. Two factors will ensure that healthy dietary change is affordable: knowledge and preparation. Consider the following example: • An average price of dinner for one at one of the take-away-type restaurants in a metropolitan area of Australia is approximately AUD$12-$15 • A home-cooked dinner using the attached costed recipe (see ‘Downloads’ below) is approximately AUD$3.00 per serve.

Take a moment to think about your food expenses. You might like to consider any of the following questions to guide your reflection.

• What are the main factors that determine how much you may spend on food?