Poverty and Poor Nutrition
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Another important thing to note is that most very poor regions (at least in cities) do not have many grocery stores with healthy options that are easily accessible, only mini-mart type places that carry mostly packaged foods.0
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For those of you who are struggling financially, how are your grocery shopping habits affected by your lack of money?
Basically, after bills, I need to spend every extra penny I have at the grocery store if I want to eat fairly well -- and that's "fairly well" by my standards, which would be less-so to the majority of people, I'm sure. That means I go without just about everything else, including new clothing, my favorite conditioner and fun.
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There's also another issue that separates the poor from the affluent. When you have money, you have more to look forward to in life, in general. A nice house to come home to, vacations, a vehicle (freedom), weekends at the cottage, clothes shopping...that's a lot larger life than someone who's living month to month and struggling just to exist. People turn to food to make themselves feel better. If life feels bad all the time, then it makes sense that you would turn to (the wrong kinds of) food more often.
Until you decide not to, of course, but it's not easy.
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For those of you who are struggling financially, how are your grocery shopping habits affected by your lack of money?
Basically, after bills, I need to spend every extra penny I have at the grocery store if I want to eat fairly well -- and that's "fairly well" by my standards, which would be less-so to the majority of people, I'm sure. That means I go without just about everything else, including new clothing, my favorite conditioner and fun.
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There's also another issue that separates the poor from the affluent. When you have money, you have more to look forward to in life, in general. A nice house to come home to, vacations, a vehicle (freedom), weekends at the cottage, clothes shopping...that's a lot larger life than someone who's living month to month and struggling just to exist. People turn to food to make themselves feel better. If life feels bad all the time, then it makes sense that you would turn to (the wrong kinds of) food more often.
Until you decide not to, of course, but it's not easy.
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amen to that sister!
EXACTLY what is is like here where i am0 -
Good grief. Lot of high horses cantering about in this thread.0
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Good grief. Lot of high horses cantering about in this thread.
I agree, also a ton of excuses as well.0 -
For those of you who are struggling financially, how are your grocery shopping habits affected by your lack of money?
Basically, after bills, I need to spend every extra penny I have at the grocery store if I want to eat fairly well -- and that's "fairly well" by my standards, which would be less-so to the majority of people, I'm sure. That means I go without just about everything else, including new clothing, my favorite conditioner and fun.
___
There's also another issue that separates the poor from the affluent. When you have money, you have more to look forward to in life, in general. A nice house to come home to, vacations, a vehicle (freedom), weekends at the cottage, clothes shopping...that's a lot larger life than someone who's living month to month and struggling just to exist. People turn to food to make themselves feel better. If life feels bad all the time, then it makes sense that you would turn to (the wrong kinds of) food more often.
Until you decide not to, of course, but it's not easy.
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This is a great point! A lot of people like to overlook the "struggling" aspect of "struggling to get by". When you're living in poverty, you're constantly worried about something -- whether your paycheck's going to cover your next bill, what bill to pay when in order to avoid getting stuff shut off, if you can afford gas to get to your ****ty job all next week, if you're ever going to get a break from the endless tedium of that ****ty job, if you're going to have any money left over for groceries after paying the top priority bill, etc. There seems to be this image of poor people just chillin' all day sippin Mad Dog whilst sittin' in thrifted rocking chairs on our decrepit apt porches ... IF ONLY! Food/bill insecurity is STRESSFUL, scraping by on minimum wage is hard work.
You go into survival mode. There's a logic to making it -- if you may not have money for groceries next week and your electricity may get shut off, yes, you choose the 6 packs of Ramen over the produce or beans and rice, because Ramen doesn't spoil and you can pour water in, wait a few mins and eat. Shelf life is important for stockpiling, ease/speed of prep is important. And all the worry over surviving really wears you down to the point that stress relief FEELS like a necessity. People in poverty have higher rates of depression -- and when you're depressed, underpaid/overworked, etc. you just don't have the energy to worry about prepping and freezing meals for the week on your day off! You just ... want a break.0 -
Perhaps obesity is related to poverty for some, culture/ lifestyle for others and lack of education for more. I'm educated with a couple of postgraduate qualifications, work as a professional and have a good income....yet here I am (like many others, I suspect,) tracking my food and learning to manage my weight at forty years old. I am not going to criticise anyone for their obesity. Reading some of the condescending comments on this thread which chide 'the poor' made me uncomfortable ... I really hope that when I beat this weight problem I will be supportive of others and not casting stones. I'll probably be too busy logging cals! A bit of kindness would go further than all this smug one upmanship.0
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Well, I can tell you that my grocery bill is outrageous because we buy healthy food, and only eat organic meats and free range chicken due to animal welfare philosophies. If we didn't have money to do that, we would probably eat mostly beans and rice the canned beans with lots of sodium. Vegetables actually aren't that expensive if you go to Sprouts. In short, I think the reason obesity is so high among those in poverty has more to do with the fact that some work 3 jobs and have no choice but to go to fatty, cheap fast food joints because there is no time to cook rather than not being able to afford healthy food. In fact, you save if you buy "real" food in Colorado anyway because the processed stuff is taxed and the real stuff is not. This may be tangential, but oh well!
In addition, many of those in poverty have no working kitchens.0 -
So wish we had this available in my area..:flowerforyou: I've heard so many good things about this program!I order my produce from the Bountiful Baskets food co-op. It is a great program that gives you about a laundry basket's amount of fresh fruits and veggies for only $15! You can also pay $10 extra and get 100% organic and there are other extras like bread, granola and additional bulk produce available. Everyone should check it out no matter what their budget! It's great!
www.bountifulbaskets.org0 -
When I shop, I buy healthy choices and bulk buy chicken breast.. But it only lasts about 20 days. So the answer for me is: I eat healthy 80% of the month. Then get by on whatever iI can for the remaining 20%, which usually comes down to old canned food sitting in the cabinet.
I will say, back when I didnt give a **** about what I ate and just bought whatever, it lasted a lot longer. It's convenient, but not a way to go health-wise.
It's hard bein a baller on a budget lol.0 -
I recently had some money issues (still do but not so extreme as before). My daughter who paid part of the bills lost her job. We are both morbidly obese, and we have a lot of not so good things around the house, but normally we eat those rarely. As a general rule we eat healthfully, but I believe our obesity stems from inactivity, side effect of medication and quantity of food rather than quality.
Having said that, I was in a serious panic because of the loss of income. We literally had NO money for food at all, so we had to make do with what was in the house. What an eye opener that was! Within 5 days, since most of what we had around was processed wheat products, I had gained 40 lbs. I had never been so hungry in my entire life, and I very quickly realized I had a sensitivity (or perhaps an allergy to wheat).
I then had to figure out a way to get us some proper food in a hurry. Let me tell ya, it isn't easy to be healthy when you don't have an income. Kraft dinner and weiners is a $5 meal for 2 in a pinch.....but to get all the fixings for a proper chicken meal, with veggies and rice, you;re looking at at least double that.
What I DID learn however, is that I waste a LOT of food, so I'm buying smaller portions more often. I also realized that the healthy meal, even if it were triple the cost, is worth it.
In reality, we are so wasteful. My daughter and I found ways to save a bit of money here and there, and by implementing our new shopping plan, we are saving tons of money and have enough to eat better now.
Having said that, when I was actually classified as low income, we didn't have the luxury of buying anything perishable. There just wasn't enough to do so.0 -
There is a documentary on Netflix that discusses poverty and obesity. I wish I could remember the name.
A head of lettuce? It's gone in one night with a family of four. A bag of rice will feed them a lot longer.
Fruits and veggies rot very quickly. For a mother without transporation having to "bus jump" with several kids in tow, that means hours spent riding public transport with a crying infant and probably at least one older sibling she has to keep her eye on. Boxed food means she can make less trips because the food will last indefinitely. Less trips mean less money needed for bus fares.
Then, how many bags can she carry with an infant in her arms? What weighs less? A bag of produce or a bag of hamburger helper boxes?
What if she needs, or can only afford, one or two items? If the grocery store is too far, she'll probably settle on the nearest convenience store. Especially if it's within walking distance, because then her method of transport is FREE. Produce at a Quickie-Marts (if they even have produce) is usually 2-3 times more expensive than the grocery store.
Food Donations: Even if the mother resorts to obtaining food from her local church, all of it is prepackaged. Most churches have the stipulation that it has to be non-perishable. Again, she's stuck with boxed food and canned veggies loaded with sodium.
I haven't read the comments here, but from my own personal observation, society's view seems to be that the poor need to be protected from their own bad choices, because they aren't smart enough or educated enough to make good nutritional choices.
But that isn't limited to just the poor. Fat people in general are seen that way too. Case in point: New York trying to ban fat people from eating at restaurants. It's as if society is saying, "Well, I can see you aren't capable of thinking for yourself. Here, let me think for you, because I know better." Maybe the fat person has a medical condition. Doesn't matter. Society will still view them as slow, unproductive, stupid, and in need of protection from themselves.
A lot of us have been broke before. Many might be struggling to pay bills. But, unless you've had the dire sort of food insecurity of 0 money, no transportation, and no one in your life that can bail you out.... it's very difficult for someone to actually relate with the life and death decisions of the single mom with kids scenario. Balanced nutrition is not necessary to sustain life. That mother is just going to fill the family's bellies any way she can....for as long as she can.0 -
It's also an issue of access. In some areas there just aren't proper grocery stores where you can get fresh produce and healthy foods. And if those type of foods are available in the corner stores, they're much more expensive than the processed foods. It also may be difficult for people to get to the grocery stores because of time or financial constraints, so they just stick with the convenience/fast foods in their area.
^^^this. I find it more than a "coincidence" that in the inner city of my area, there are more billboard advertisements for our casino, the lottery, and alcohol/beer than you will see in the middle class suburb where I live. And, there are fewer quality grocery stores, leaving the inner city residents to rely more on convenience marts and fast food restaurants.
This argument cheeses me off to no end.
I have watched grocery store after grocery store close in my middle class neighborhood for LACK OF CUSTOMERS.
Yet the casinos are full and the liquor stores do brisk business.
Gotta wonder where people are spending their money.
This is the result of personal spending choices over a long period of time.
Do not blame the store that can't keep it's doors open where there aren't enough customers to cover operating costs.
It isn't an argument, it is fact based. Here are some links:
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/05/few-healthy-food-choices-in-urban-food-deserts/#.UXHdrMU9iSo
http://www.policylink.org/atf/cf/{97C6D565-BB43-406D-A6D5-ECA3BBF35AF0}/FINALGroceryGap.pdf
And regarding gambling/lottery:
http://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=11506
http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/ngisc/research/lotteries.html0 -
Since going vegan, my grocery bills have actually decreased. The proteins that i consume now (beans, lentils, nuts, seeds...and the occasional tempeh--because it's a little more spendy) are actually A LOT more affordable than meat. I buy plenty of produce, but I don't buy all organic. I make sure to buy my "Dirty Dozen" organic, but stick to traditional non-GMO fruits and veg for the others. http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/dirty-dozen-foods <--click for more info about the "Dirty Dozen" I referenced, just in case you didn't know about this before.
I am a firm believer that paying about .50/lb for bananas is going to satisfy me WAYY more nutritionally than the same price for two McDoubles.
The two McDoubles may SEEM more cost-efficient and filling. However; they are nutritionally DEAD. It's like eating chemicals and fillers...
*edit* just so everyone is aware, I am a 23 year old married college student. Working two jobs and paying rent. (Saving for a house.) I choose to skimp out in other areas (ie. nice shampoo, fluffy toilet paper, brand name clothes, hitting the bar or club every weekend) to accommodate my food choices. I find that dollar store soap suits me just fine, thrift store clothes can still be fun and fashionable, and a stay at home night with a deck of cards and close friends is the perfect night.0 -
I have heard of studies done on poor nations though. Their health is significantly superior to developed countries. Their diet usually consists of carbohydrate as staple. Such as rice, onions or potatoe and small quantities of meat and in season fruits and vegtables.
Personally, I cook more when I make less money and eat out more when the money is flowing. My cooking is very light compared to restaraunt menus. However I am vain and don't want to look rail thin. Just my take on the subject.0 -
I think most people in "poverty" aren't really....I have friends that are supposed to be poverty level and they have smart phones, internet service, cable, the works and they wear shoes I could never afford.....pretty sure those are necessities! I too live on a very low income. I think eating healthy is more important than having an up to date phone and whatever else someone MUST have.0
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I think eating healthy is more important than having an up to date phone and whatever else someone MUST have.
Agreed. Very well-said.0 -
I think most people in "poverty" aren't really....I have friends that are supposed to be poverty level and they have smart phones, internet service, cable, the works and they wear shoes I could never afford.....pretty sure those are necessities! I too live on a very low income. I think eating healthy is more important than having an up to date phone and whatever else someone MUST have.
There's different levels of poverty. Someone making $18,000 annually is still poverty level, but they aren't as bad as the destitute. I work in social services, and many of the clients we deal with are the destitute kind. They do not have the luxuries you are talking about. Your friends are probably on the higher end and could probably benefit from a free financial planning course. Some colleges offer them. It's amazing how many people (poor or not) are unable to balance a checkbook, or understand how to effectively save money on a tight budget. And most people I know blow their tax returns on the big things they want, instead of saving it or putting it towards a large credit card bill or something.
Oh, and as far as poor people with cell phones, there are programs that will provide them with a free one. Every month, their minutes are refilled. They don't get much, but they at least have some way potential employers can contact them or in case of emergencies.0 -
The reason why the Great Depression did not contribute to obesity is because foods were not nearly as processed in 1939 as they are today.
In 1900, the average person consumed 5 pounds of sugar a year. Today that is closer to 150 pounds.
I suspect that people during the 1930s were still largely consuming what we would call a paelo diet today.
Also I don't think government subsidies to artificially lower the price of staple crops existed then either, so less access to grain-heavy foods.0 -
poor people eat crappier food because it's cheaper and there are many urban neighborhoods without decent access to a supermarket.
it's pretty simple.0
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