April 25th, 2007

The cost of eating “healthy”

Posted by Alex Payson at 3:55 pm

Michael Pollan, the author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” wrote a great article on the seeming paradox of why there is an inverse correlation between wealth and dietary health. In essence, why are cheapest foods normally the least healthy ones? Shouldn’t it be a priority of our country to ensure that the most affordable foods provide a good balanced diet?

And yet if you measure the cost per 1,000 calories of various foods in a grocery store, the cheapest sources of calories are processed cookies, potato chips, or soda. You can buy 2,000 calories worth of twinkies for a couple dollars, but to buy the same caloric content from fresh produce, you will easily spend over $10.

For those families with a low income, it simply does not make economic sense to buy fresh foods, when you can buy a dinner at McDonald’s for a fraction of the cost. Your waistline and long term health may suffer from the golden arches diet, but when you are on a tight budget there is no alternative.

To find out who is to blame for this situation, and what one man thinks should be done about it, read Michael Pollan’s article here.

Posted in General news, Politics