This is a bit OT, but since y'all brought it up, ITA with the poor quality of affordable foods in supermarkets.
My husband and I began studying nutrition a few years ago as part of lowering his cholesterol. It was horrifying when we discovered the garbage that many readily available, inexpensive, prepared foods are loaded with. (And lots of it was in our pantry!)
Even boneless, skinless chicken breasts (a mainstay in most heart-healthy diets) are often 'enhanced' with a sodium solution and don't get me started onthe hormones.
A box dinner of say, red beans and rice, a fave in our family, in some brands contains over 1000 mg of sodium per serving(plus a bu++load of preservatives and flavorings). You know, "healthy" rice and beans! If you didn't read carefully, you would think it was a bargain, and good for you, too.
Fresh veggies can get expensive, so many on budget go for the frozen varieties. But there again, often times salt and flavorings are added, and of course the longer a veggie is away from the soil, the less nutrition it provides.
The reason, IMHO, for obesity in the poorest people is carbohydrate consumption. Processed white flour and bread. White rice. Potatoes. Seasoned with fatty meats, salt, butter. All of which can be bought on so little money. Over-processed foods with little of no nutritive value.
THEN...the extra weight a person carries around from the empty calories can lead to diabetes, heart disease, liver failure, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. And who has money for prescription medications or the healthful diet the doctor prescribes?
I stand by my position on education(not going there, no-no), but for the poorest people, buying healthy food
is out of their reach. The health problems caused by their poor diets are a even greater burden, again, out of their reach to fix with no health insurance.
I suppose that technically a person who maintains a high enough calorie consuption isn't
starving, but you don't have to
starve to die from poor nutrition.
It has cost our family a
ton (and that's with careful shopping and coupon clipping) more on our grocery bill to eat foods without additives, or prepared, processed foods. It takes more time to prepare and cook now. I thank God I have both the money and the time to feed my family decent food.
But what if you don't?
I am kind of tempted to take the $21 challenge and see what I can buy, even at Aldi.
