IS IT WORTH IT

5 health foods that aren't worth the money By Caroline Praderio Published January 18, 2016. () 

There's a special kind of pain you feel when you turn over a bag of kale chips at the health food store and realize that they cost ten dollars . I mean, we all want to eat better, but ten bucks for a 2-oz bag of dehydrated cabbage? It's enough to make you choke on your veganic carrots. I had a feeling that these crunchy green snacks weren't alone, so I went out to food retailers around New York City and did some sleuthing. Still reeling from sticker shock, I present five health foods that just aren't worth their exorbitant price tags-and how you can DIY for a little more effort and a lot less money.  1. Kale Chips Price at the store: $7-$10 for about 2 oz Price to DIY: I found a 1-lb bunch of organic kale for $3 and a 1-quart bottle of canola oil for $5 (or about 7 cents per tablespoon, the amount called for in most kale chip recipes). Hear that? It's the sound of you dominating life by making a full pound's worth of kale chips for $3.07.  2. Almond Butter Price at the store: $11 for a 16-oz jar (but that's pretty conservative-we've heard tale of organic versions costing up to $20) Price to DIY: One of my local grocery stores sells 1-lb bags of almonds for a cool $6.49. Take 15 minutes of your day to follow a no-frills nut butter recipe like this one , and you'll have 2 'cup's of homemade stuff-about the same amount as you'll find in a store-bought jar-at 41 percent of the cost.  3. Bagged Popcorn Price at the store: $5 for about 20 'cup's? Price to DIY: You can buy conventionally grown popcorn kernels on the super cheap-I'm talking just a buck or two at most major supermarkets-but let's get crunchy and say you want organic popping corn. You got it. I found a 20-oz bag from Eden Organic for $6 on the store shelf. You'll need about 1 'cup' of kernels and 4 tablespoons of oil to make 20 'cup's of popcorn on the stovetop ( here's a good starter recipe ). Use the same canola oil from my kale chip example for a cost of 28 cents. Add in that 'cup' of kernels for a grand total $2.68 altogether-a badass 46 percent savings over the store-bought version. Even better? You'll still have a 'cup' and a half of kernels left over to make more.  4. Muesli Price at the store: $7 for 1 lb Price to DIY: There's no one right way to make muesli-you can throw together whatever nuts, dried fruits, or fresh fruits you have on hand-but you have to start with oats. And when you can find a massive 2-lb bag of organic rolled oats for $5 (like I did), why spring for the pre-mixed stuff? Moral of the story: Don't pay someone else to mix nuts and oats for you.  5. Unsweetened Bottled Iced Tea Price at the store: $2.19 for 18.5 oz Price to DIY: I found Yogi teas priced at $4 for a box of 16 tea bags (you could do this for even cheaper if you went with a mainstream brand like Lipton). The only other ingredient you need? Tap water, which costs a scant $.004 per gallon. If you follow this basic recipe , that one box of teabags will yield 128 oz of iced tea. Ounce for ounce, that's a savings of 72 percent.