Ever gotten up early on a Saturday morning with excitement to go shopping for bargains? The journey begins with a ride in the car, driving along humming to the tunes of a favorite song. Suddenly distracted by the brightly colored signs that announce, Farmers Market ahead. The car was getting closer to discovering baskets filled with apples & oranges, carrots, potatoes and green leafy vegetables. The aroma of fresh strawberries in the air jogs a thought; this is not a traditional grocery store where the expense of healthy food challenges the budget. These are local vendors servicing right out of the neighborhood, which turns out to be a short commute that saved money on gas and made the whole trip worthwhile. Even though locally grown foods are less expensive, healthy eating should be affordable for everyone because it reduces the risk of sickness and disease, influences people to eat better and encourages people to buy them.
It is a proven fact that eating carrots will help the retina and other parts of the eye function smoothly (Health Magazine/ Mind & Body, 2014) as well as broccoli is a source of calcium (The Editors of Publication International, Ltd., 2007), which builds strong bones, and blueberries provide strength to the nervous system. Since foods such as these serve as a nutritional value for our bodies, then why are they the most expensive on the market? According to Polis "The most comprehensive study of its kind indicates that yes, unhealthy food is about $1.50 cheaper per day, or about $550 per year, then healthy food. While it is found $550 per year is burdensome for many people, that cost figure does not include any long-term healthcare cost as a result of eating a poor diet”(Polis, 2014, para.). People are almo...
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...ieved from YouTube website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDhsyI0qeWY
12. SlimGenics (2012, February 28). Fight the Obesity Epidemic [Video file]. Retrieved from YouTube website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzrSfz8oj0U
13. PsycheTruth (2011, February 27). Top Ten Obesity Causing Foods [Video file]. Retrieved from YouTube website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jCd6vIF8Co
14. Obesity in Children and Teens. (2011, March). The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Facts for Families (79), Retrieved from http://www.aacap.org/App_Themes/AACAP/docs/facts_for_families/79_obesity_in_children_and_teens.pdf
15. Black, J. (2010, Jan 06). Restaurants add healthier choices: Charleston Daily Mail. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/332216709?accountid=458
16. Aramark. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.aramark.com/CampusDishSmartphoneApp.aspx
To follow Berry’s advice at the dinner table, shopping is one of the most important steps. Berry says that “people what they want—or what they have been persuaded to want—within the limits of what they can get. They pay, mostly without protest, what they are charged (Berry 37).” That is because most shoppers are in a rush and don’t have time to analyze the product. Also, some people don’t have enough money in their pockets, so they just choose a random product without thinking that healthy food choices keep you healthy. When people don’t consider food choices, they end up having illnesses. “They mostly ignore certain critical questions about the quality
Michael Pollan and David Freedman are two reputable authors who have written about different types of food and why they are healthy or why they are damaging to our health. Michael Pollan wrote “Escape from the Western Diet” and David Freedman wrote “How Junk Food Can End Obesity”. Imagine Pollan’s idea of a perfect world. Everything is organic. McDonald’s is serving spinach smoothies and Walmart is supplying consumers with raw milk. The vast majority of food in this world consists of plants grown locally, because almost everyone is a farmer in order to keep up with supply and demand. How much does all this cost? What happened to all the food that is loved just because it tastes good?
Taubes, Gary. “What Really Makes Us Fat.” New York Times. 30 June 2012. Web. 29 November 2013.
Eating healthy can be an effective and beneficial way to live a long a vigorous life. Certain foods are considered the key to daily nutrition that every person needs in order to completely function throughout the day. These foods that are considered “healthy”, provides individuals with vitamins, minerals, nutrients and replenishes the necessities that the body needs to stay well. On the other hand, eating healthy foods can sometimes be a long-term obligation and be somewhat expensive. In many case, organic food is considered healthy but has been found to be somewhat more expensive than regular market food. In many instances people do not consider all aspects of
Zinczenko also states that, if you were to drive down any thoroughfare in America you are guaranteed to see a Mcdonald’s, but you are unlikely to find a place that sells any fresh fruits (Zinczenko 392). Zinczenko’s point is that the food industry’s unwillingness to promote more healthier foods is most likely the cause of the unhealthy diets of western societies. Another part of the problem is the pricing of healthier options, such as whole foods, fresh fruits, and low calorie snacks; all these foods are ridiculously overpriced compared to their unhealthy counterparts. One would think the food that is made to help prolong your life would be more accessible, instead it is the foods that are high on calories, fats and sugars that are cheap and available. Fast food companies go by the motto that cheaper is better, and it is how they compete with each other. Almost all fast food companies followed in McDonald 's footstep by creating a dollar menu, because they saw the drastic increase of McDonald 's revenue. When consumers see all these cheap meals for a dollar they readily buy their food from the dollar menus, rather than buying a single granola bar for the same price. In a society where most of the population is the working class, these dollar
Brody, Jane. E. "Attacking Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Causes." New York Times 12 Sept. 2011: D7(L). Print
Eating a healthy and balanced diet doesn’t mean you always need to buy the most expensive foods. Neither does it mean having to switch to unhealthy foods, whose price tags may appear tempting, but which contain little or no nutritional value. Simply by making a few small changes to our daily lifestyles we can eat healthily, while saving money. There is a lot of information available from all different sources such as the NHS and the web where we can find ideas for meals that are healthy, tasty and best of all, won’t break the bank! The British Heart Foundation gave a simple but very effective example it read: Keep a supply of frozen fruit and vegetables in the freezer. They tend to be cheaper than fresh fruit and vegetables but still count towards your five (or more) a day. We can get fresh and cheaper fruit and vegetables from local markets, again, is a choice that not everyone is willing to make. Conrad Dean, an American nutritionist said: `You probably think eating healthy is expensive. I’ll be honest — it is. But there are tricks to keep it low cost; consume tap Water. Check the price of...
"Diet, Nutrition, and Wellness: Obesity." Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 4 Feb. 2014
This concedes that now America is creating health issues from consuming unhealthy foods. According to, “The battle against fast food beings in the home”, by Daniel Weintraub, “Kids eat unhealthy food and sit in front of the television or computer for hours at a time”. The article states that now obesity has affected many kids in America. Due to obesity affecting many kids in America the argument here is that, parents are not thinking about their child’s health and how it affects their body. Their main worry if the food is cheap and that it’s reasonable to buy for their family; which is understandable. Thus, many kids health are in danger from the lack of a nutritious diet. At the same time, fast food companies believe that it’s not their fault. According to Daniels Weintraub’s article, it states that “ It’s the parents, not the government, not the fast food companies who are responsible for teaching kids unhealthy habits” (Weintraub 1). The argument here is that parents need to try to feed their kids much healthier diets such as vegetables. Feeding them fast food is going to wreck their health. For this reason, fast food companies should try to sell healthier food for a reasonable price. Having produce companies sell more affordable fruits and vegetables will clear this problem. This will allow people who don’t have much money be able to provide a healthy dish
Goldstein, Hesh. Why There is an Obesity Epidemic. 16 Nov. 2009. 12 Nov. 2011 .
"Childhood Obesity." Childhood Obesity on the Rise. Mayo Clinic, 24 Apr. 2012. Web. 02 Mar.
Eating nutritious food may seem simple enough, but to those that hardly get by financially, affording healthy foods can be a major hindrance. This is proven by Dr. Jim Levine, a researcher with a concentration of the link between poverty and obesity. He is quoted stating, “In many poverty-dense regions, people are… unable to access affordable healthy food, even when funds avail.” (Sifferlin 1) For example, further studies show that the average cost of salad is $1.50 more than the average cost of a hamburger. Getting vitamins and minerals from the food we eat is substantial to survive in everyday life. Annually, it costs five hundred and fifty dollars more to eat healthier. Five hundred and fifty dollars may not seem like much, but to those that have low income, it is a crucial amount. While achieving a healthy diet proves to be necessary to maintain a healthy weight, it is almost inaccessible for those with low income. Low-income individuals confront the barrier of the cost of healthier choices in their everyday
It is nearly impossible to turn on the television or radio and not be hit with advertisements introducing the latest fast food trend – fresh and healthy food options. More often, the media bombards us with slogans such as Subway’s common pitch to “eat fresh” or McDonald’s million-dollar advertisement campaign to try the new fruit and walnut salad. Attention has made an abrupt turn from the greasy, deep-fried originals at the fast food chains to more health conscious food choices. Even a documentary of a man named Morgan Spurlock made headlines and won awards when he ate McDonald’s three times a day for a month and publicized the effects through a movie called Super Size Me. Shortly after Super Size Me caught high publicity attention, McDonald’s has introduced three “garden fresh salads.” Other popular fast food chains were not far behind the healthy menu options McDonald’s has offered, and soon numerous salad, yogurt, fruit, and grilled chicken food items popped up on every fast food menu. The message is simple; people are becoming too fat due to the consumption of fast food. Therefore, obesity and the demand for fresh, quick food service have increased the popularity of health conscious food selections on fast food menus.
Healthy and affordable food choices on the go or even just in the store is a huge and worldwide ongoing problem that of course cannot be fixed overnight. To help start and put one foot forward to improvements in the availability of healthy food options and choices in lower income neighborhoods, we as a community and a whole should do the following.
Muntel, Sarah. "Obesity Action Coalition » Fast Food – Is It the Enemy?" Obesity Action