Don't get me wrong, I am totally all for be healthy and exercise, but with most people with barely enough money to put food on the table, they are going for what they can afford not what is healthy.
Fast food sales have gone up since the start of the recession by a lot and with more people eating unhealthy food, more people are going to be overweight. And to throw more sticks on the fire people were not in the greatest shape money-wise (especially minority ethnicities) before this financial crisis so they turned to cheap fast food then too.
So instead of berating people who do not have the means to buy healthy food, I think we need to focus on doing whatever we can to help those who are struggling by donating what we can.
Because if some have to choose between living on the streets, eating health food, having a home and eating cheap junk food, what do you think they will choose?
Fast food is NOT cheaper than making your own meals. Even if you're a dollar menu lover, after buying the dollar this, dollar that for a family of 4, you're up to $12 without tax for a dollar burger, dollar fry and dollar drink. For $12 you can get cereal, milk, ground beef, bread, sauces and sides for enough for an entire DAY or more of food, not just ONE meal for that family.
Healthy doesn't mean you have to stock up on the expensive so-call "diet" foods, because half of them are crap anyway. Even those that are fortunate enough to get food stamps which for most people I know is well over what I spend on my family for a months worth of food, loading their carts up with soda, chips, microwave and instant this and that. Sorry, it's not the recession, it's the people THEMSELVES that are making themselves obese.
Buying real food, making real meals, and sticking to portion control and not stuffing your face with fast food is what I consider eating "healthy". It's the laziness of the people that can't look up a recipe and meal plan that is the downfall here. Time to wake up and make meals that will save their family money and save their waistlines.
ReplyI concur with Cher.
I make a delicious stew with cheaper cuts of meat (neck and shin for example, fat removed where possible) and heaps of vegies (fresh or frozen - whatever is cheaper). A whole pot of the stuff costs me about $15, but it lasts for 2-3 main meals for a family of 4. My sister makes a yummy chicken dish with chicken, vegies, and chickpeas that is of similiar cost per meal.
The problem is not just that food is expensive - its that we have forgotten how to be frugal, we want things quickly, and in a lot of cases we've forgotten how to cook good basic food.
ReplyI have been on a diet for only 10 days and I figure our family grocery bill has gone down by half for our family of three. I have lived in Asia for 10 years now so I can't compare very well to west.
ReplyI've got a family of 6 including the baby and it costs us an average of $20 bucks to eat at McDonald's. I'm making the lasagna this weekend and using premium ingredients, and that will only cost about $17 and we'll eat for 2 days.
Some people are too lazy to do the math.
ReplyWell, I'm sure Obama will take care of this by taxing the rich and giving it to the poor. His budget is loaded up with give aways and hand outs including a huge increase in food stamps.
ReplyIt's easy enough to make meals in bulk that last a few days and it's cheaper too. Spaghetti sauce, casseroles, stews, etc., they can all be made in larger quantities and frozen for later if you don't want to eat them 2 or more days in a row. People are just lazy and unwilling to put some work into preparing food.
All of these convenience foods where you just pop them into a microwave or oven have caused too many to not bother to learn how to cook a basic meal.
ReplyWhile it is true that organic food costs more than non-organic food, and ground turkey breast or soy crumbles costs more than ground beef, not all "healthy" food is expensive. Frozen veggies and fruits go on sale constantly at my local grocery store, and things like beans are really cheap. It definitely takes more thought and effort to eat healthfully when you have to watch your pennies, but it's not impossible.
ReplyI think its more about foods that fill you up, not just about what's healthier. Fruits and veggies are great but they don't fill you up or keep you full for any length of time. People need to cook foods that can be stretched over time and thus save on the food budget.
When I started buying fruits and veggies regularly, my grocery bill went up. It does cost more to eat healthy and if you're on a strict budget, it can be very hard to get these foods into you. People buy foods that fill them up, they just don't buy the right foods and that's the problem.
ReplyObesity has been around long before the recession started. Nuff' said.
This is just another excuse for people to lean on to justify their huge BEE-Hinds.
My 2 cents.
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