Uploaded June 2024 | Updated September 2026, 6 days ago
Most of us understand that chronic diseases are costly to manage. Still, that cost can sometimes be hard to appreciate, especially before those chronic diseases fully develop. Reasonably healthy people may be more preoccupied with more immediate costs, like weekly grocery spending. At least, that’s what the data seems to show us. What else does the data show us? How well do our perceptions of cost align with reality?
References
1. Pais DF, Marques AC, Fuinhas JA. The cost of healthier and more sustainable food choices: Do plant-based consumers spend more on food?. Agric Food Econ. 2022;10(1):18. doi:10.1186/s40100-022-00224-9
2. Cleveland Clinic. Americans cite cost of healthy food as biggest barrier to a heart-healthy diet, according to cleveland clinic survey. Cleveland Clinic Newsroom. February 1, 2023. newsroom.clevelandclinic.org/2023/02/01/americans-cite-cost-of-heathy-food-as-biggest-barrier-to-a-heart-healthy-diet-according-to-cleveland-clinic-survey
3. Lusk JL and Norwood FB. Some vegetarians spend less money on food, others don’t. Ecol Econ. 2016;130:232–242. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.07.005
4. Kahleova H, Sutton M, Maracine C, Nichols D, Monsivais P, Holubkov R, Barnard ND. Vegan Diet and Food Costs Among Adults With Overweight: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Sep 5;6(9):e2332106. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.32106. PMID: 37669055; PMCID: PMC10481244.
Most of us understand that chronic diseases are costly to manage. Still, that cost can sometimes be hard to appreciate, especially before those chronic diseases fully develop. Reasonably healthy people may be more preoccupied with more immediate costs, like weekly grocery spending. At least, that’s what the data seems to show us. What else does the data show us? How well do our perceptions of cost align with reality?
References
1. Pais DF, Marques AC, Fuinhas JA. The cost of healthier and more sustainable food choices: Do plant-based consumers spend more on food?. Agric Food Econ. 2022;10(1):18. doi:10.1186/s40100-022-00224-9
2. Cleveland Clinic. Americans cite cost of healthy food as biggest barrier to a heart-healthy diet, according to cleveland clinic survey. Cleveland Clinic Newsroom. February 1, 2023. newsroom.clevelandclinic.org/2023/02/01/americans-cite-cost-of-heathy-food-as-biggest-barrier-to-a-heart-healthy-diet-according-to-cleveland-clinic-survey
3. Lusk JL and Norwood FB. Some vegetarians spend less money on food, others don’t. Ecol Econ. 2016;130:232–242. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.07.005
4. Kahleova H, Sutton M, Maracine C, Nichols D, Monsivais P, Holubkov R, Barnard ND. Vegan Diet and Food Costs Among Adults With Overweight: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Sep 5;6(9):e2332106. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.32106. PMID: 37669055; PMCID: PMC10481244.






![Breastfeeding Mothers: Beware of Cow’s Milk
Studies going back many decades show that feeding your baby cow’s milk formula can cause unpleasant symptoms, but does the same apply to breastfed infants? What happens when a mother adds or removes cow’s milk from her diet?
1. Cleveland Clinic. Colic. Updated June 9, 2023; Accessed March 26, 2024. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/10823-colic
2. Jakobsson I, Lindberg T. Cows milk proteins cause infantile colic in breast-fed infants: a double-blind crossover study. Pediatrics. 1983;71(2):268-271.
3. Lothe L, Lindberg T. Cows milk whey protein elicits symptoms of infantile colic in colicky formula-fed infants: a double-blind crossover study [published correction appears in Pediatrics 1989 Jul;84(1):17]. Pediatrics. 1989;83(2):262-266.
4. Iacovou M, Ralston RA, Muir J, Walker KZ, Truby H. Dietary management of infantile colic: a systematic review. Matern Child Health J. 2012;16(6):1319-1331. doi:10.1007/s10995-011-0842-5 Breastfeeding Mothers: Beware of Cow’s Milk](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xQ3eysa0YYQ/mqdefault.jpg)

