If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you know that it is pretty much impossible to do if you’re not eating the right foods. Most fitness experts say that 80-90% of weight loss is determined by your diet. It’s not as simple as just hitting the gym every day, you have to eat right as well, and it’s no secret that many of us struggle with that component of health. There are a plethora of reasons people don’t eat right: emotions, stress, lack of education and…money.
Money might be America’s biggest problem, especially with the ever-increasing cost of food.
I specifically remember the day I said goodbye to my $30 a week grocery bill It was the day after I finished reading a book on proper, balanced eating. It was the first time I went shopping and bought healthier (non-processed, fresh) foods. The bill was $75, a shock to my budget, and that has only become worse over the years. I find myself spending anywhere from $60-$100 a week on groceries, and that only accounts for enough food for me. I tell myself it’s worth it, because I feel and look so much better than I did when I was eating cheap, processed food.
But not everyone has the luxury of choosing organic, of buying healthy snacks (think: nuts, fresh produce, etc). Not everyone is even aware of what experts are calling healthy these days.
It’s no secret that obesity is a huge problem in America, especially in areas of high poverty. It is not, as Michelle Obama claimed, a result of “food deserts,” or places where fresh produce and other healthy foods are not available. Instead, one only has to consider the higher cost of healthier foods and the cheaper cost of less healthy foods. A study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that “a dollar could buy 1,200 calories of potato chips or 875 calories of soda but just 250 calories of vegetables or 170 calories of fresh fruit. It takes one trip to the grocery store to realize that leaner meats cost more and that the cheapest snacks are usually the most unhealthy. And fresh produce–I don’t even want to go there with organic–isn’t so cheap, either.
Which is why some consider obesity a large part of class warfare.
There are programs out there aimed at educating people in high-poverty areas regarding healthy eating habits, but education isn’t enough. Even if people are properly educated on the right foods to feed themselves and their children, those who are hovering at or below the poverty level–and I daresay some who aren’t even considered close–cannot afford healthy eating. Processed foods are cheaper. Processed foods can make us fat.
And let’s not forget school lunches. While it is true that school lunch (and, in most free/reduced lunch schools, breakfast) is free for students, it is also true that most experts would agree that the food served to our youth is not healthy. Not even close. I speak from experience. I work at a 100% free lunch school, and I refuse to eat the food, both because it doesn’t taste good and because it is so highly processed. The students often times forego the free lunch and instead eat cookies and hot Cheetos for their meal. Even less healthy than the lunch.
No wonder we have a weight problem in America. No wonder it is more prevalent in areas of poverty.
No wonder this is costing us billions of dollars in healthcare.
I do not know the solution to this problem. Perhaps, instead of reacting to the problem by shelling over billions of dollars in healthcare, we should be proactive and start making healthy food affordable for everyone. But as it is now, those living in poverty are at a higher risk for being overweight and/or obese, and that, in the long run, is more costly than healthy food ever will be.
So True, there are just no easy fixes.
Thank you. So many people tell me that if we would eat healthier that we would be healthier. I know that, thanks for pointing it out, do you want to pay my grocery bill? I feed 3 people and 3 animals (2 dogs and a cat we rescued when times were better) on about $70 per week. The animals are easy, $30 will buy enough food for them for almost a month. The people in the house however, not so much. $70 a week doesn’t really cover much.
It would be really awesome if someone could come up with a better system than paying for the problem after the fact (health care).
Good points, all. You can find less expensive, healthy produce in regular grocery stores that aren’t as costly as their organic, free-trade, local counterparts, but even still, it costs you more than just buying Ramen & white bread.
I disagree, though, about food deserts. Or maybe I’m splitting hairs. I don’t think food deserts are *the* reason for our nation’s issues with obesity, but I do believe they’re a significant contributor. Not only do food deserts mean lack of healthy foods for the community, but even when the community does finally get a grocery store, farmer’s market, etc – or when someone moves away to a place that has great food choices, they could have generations-worth of catching up on health education.
I used to live in a food desert neighborhood, in a community where most people worked multiple low-wage, no benefits jobs. People didn’t have cars & relied on public transportation. It’s incredibly difficult and exhausting to get healthy food to your kitchen under these conditions.
I definitely agree – if we can put money into prevention we won’t need as much money for medical care. And compared to medical care, healthy food IS the cheaper option! It’s just like putting money into education & social programs – it costs society a lot less than jail & rehab later!
While I overall agree with your article, I disagree with a few of your points.
“It is not, as Michelle Obama claimed, a result of “food deserts,” or places where fresh produce and other healthy foods are not available.”
Saying this isn’t true is just plain wrong. While food deserts are not the sole cause of poor eating habits, they are an important factor. Many people live in places where the closest food is a convince store or a fast food place. These people often lack access to a car and must rely on (in most cases) unreliable and underfunded public transportation, which will often not meet their needs (where the bus goes and/or times it operates).
Secondly, while healthy eating can be more costly, in places where people have access to “real” grocery stores (not just mini marts) healthy eating can be affordable.
The additional “cost” of healthy food is the time is takes to prepare (vs McDonalds or a microwave meal) and the need for people to know how to utilize the ingredients as well as shop frugally.
Of course healthy eating is going to be astronomically expensive if you only buy organic produce.
“A study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that “a dollar could buy 1,200 calories of potato chips or 875 calories of soda but just 250 calories of vegetables or 170 calories of fresh fruit. ”
I think this quote is slightly misleading. People don’t necessarily feel fuller on more calories, especially when the calories come from a calorie dense food such as soda or potato chips.
Another contributor to the perceived cost of foods is the portion size distortion in the U.S.
I honestly think that the monetary cost of eating more healthfully is one of the easier hurdles to clear, assuming people are willing learn proper nutrition and the ways to prepare inexpensive and nutritious foods.
I agree with this post completely. It’s expensive to eat fresh produce and lean meats. I do it, but I complain every single time I walk away from the register… something I do much more often than I used to because fresh produce doesn’t stay fresh long!
I recently moved from Chicago to Baton Rouge and I cannot, for the life of me, believe the food prices here. A gallon of milk is more than $5 at some stores! And you’d think fresh fruit would be cheaper here… you know… closer to the source. Wrong! Ugh!
I feel you, girl! I live in Southern California but frequently visit my parents in Uta. What I noticed is that produce grown in SoCal is more expensive in SoCal than it is in UT 700 miles away. Food prices are ridiculous.
Chicago is insanely expensive. I mean, I know that big cities are generally more expensive than smaller ones, but Chicago, in particular, is disproportionately expensive, in comparison to both its surrounding area/suburbs and the Midwest region. Every time I go there, I’m shocked by the amount of money that we spend on food – and that’s staying with a friend, making most of our meals at her place, and splitting the cost of groceries. Chicago is ridiculous.
I have tried the “perimeter shopping” where you only purchase foods on the outside perimeter of the grocery store because that is where all of the non-processed foods are and it is expensive. Around here, Toledo, the local grocery stores have crappy looking produce which makes me go to the more expensive stores like Fresh Market which have better produce but at twice the price. I really wish that there was a happy medium.
Another important thing to add to your argument lies in the “Foodstamps” program that now goes by “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program” or SNAP, at the federal level. The amounts individuals and families qualify for vary by geographic region, family size and family income. But, regardless of these factors, the monthly limits are not sufficient for individuals or families to buy primarily non-processed foods. Thus the newer name is a lie, since the program it represents does not have the budget to allow recipients to buy nutritious foods. No amount of educational programs for low-income people can help them stretch their Foodstamps to cover a month of fresh produce, unprocessed food and ingredients.
While we lived in northern Texas, my family and I were on SNAP. We have 5 children and while I did find myself buying a few more of the processed foods (read: sandwich fixings at the deli and jarred spaghetti sauces) my grocery lists did not change for the most part. Of course, we are pretty much a “whole foods” kind of family. I still make everything from scratch and we choose to buy produce that is in season rather than buying the produce that is imported and costs more. Admittedly, not that many people are aware of what fruit or vegetables are seasonal in the US. We are because we lived abroad for so long that we learned what was in season simply by its availability in the markets. I think that my weight gain while living in the US was directly related to the exercise issue. In the US we need a car to get anywhere and abroad we don’t even own one.
SNAP can help to offset grocery costs in poorer areas…but I think if it were limited to less processed foods, it could benefit the health in those areas. The limits system seemed to work with the WIC program.
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