Eating right is too costly for many Americans

Posted on Nov 24th 2007 2:00PM by Bethany Sanders

Filed Under: Healthy Kids, Diet & Weight Loss, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements

During the growing season, my local farmer's market has fantastic prices on fruits and vegetables. I could walk in there once a week with $20 in hand and walk out with a week's worth of produce for my family of four. Each booth also carried the familiar yellow sign that indicated they accepted the state vouchers that are handed out to those on government assistance. It's all very feel good -- even the poor can eat nutritiously, right? It seemed that way to me, until I realized that the farmer's market is only open Thursdays, from 12-4. Those hours that make it nearly impossible for any working person without a decent lunch break to try and shop, and since the market isn't near the city's center, they'd also need reliable transportation to get there.

According to this article from HealthDay, the cost and availability of fruits and vegetables -- especially in rural areas -- are putting them farther out of reach for many Americans. To meet the ADA's guidelines of 5 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables a day, a family of four would have to spend 40-70% of their food budget on produce. And that's if they can find a store that carries produce in their area.

Nutritional experts say that a higher allocation of food stamps and more farmer's markets in poor and rural areas would help families in need choose better quality foods. What do you think?

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Tags: 5 a day, 5ADay, ADA, farmer's markets, Farmer'sMarkets, food stamps, FoodStamps, high cost of eating right, HighCostOfEatingRight

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Judy 11-24-2007 @ 4:51PM

Well, given that the bulk of our diet should really be fruits and vegetables, then shouldn't we be spending the bulk of our food budget on these things?

The rest of our dietary needs can be had relatively cheaply. If people reduce their focus on meat (the healthfulness of which is questionable, and which can be expensive) and got their protein from other sources, then that would free up a substantial chunk of change for produce. Dried beans, for example, are very cheap, and very healthy. Grains, too, can be inexpensive - brown rice, flours to make your own bread (bread machine takes 5 minutes prep time), and others.

Also, frozen fruits and veggies are just as, if not more, healthy than fresh, and significantly less expensive, especially when not in season.

It seems to me it's largely amatter of changing priorities, and getting people to understand there is a trade-off: yes, you can eat lots of meat, dairy, processed foods, and skimp on the produce, and then suffer for it later or pay higher medical bills.