Why Eating Quick, Cheap Food is Actually More Expensive

Yesterday, I was in the grocery store. I overheard a couple's talk as I was selecting the ideal avocados for my family's supper salad while I was squeezing avocados.

Then they said, "Two for five dollars!" after gazing up at the price. Dejected, they returned the live avocado to the produce section and moved away from the aisles stocked with dead, boxed, canned, and packaged foods, where they could purchase thousands of calories' worth of subpar, nutrient-poor, factory-made, processed foods laden with sugar, fat, and salt for the same $5. Millions of Americans who struggle to provide for their families each day experience this circumstance.

The strange contradiction is that food insecurity, which includes uncertainty about where one's next meal will come from or a lack of resources to effectively feed one's family, is a major risk factor for obesity, diabetes, and chronic disease. While reconsidering the almost $300 billion in government subsidies that encourage the manufacture of low-cost, processed meals made from corn and soy, analysing this contradiction may help us push for policies that make growing fresh fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods cheaper.

The food industry has forced Americans to eat more than 50% of our meals outside the home, up from less than 2% 100 years ago. However, a Food Revolution, similar to that espoused by radical chef Jamie Oliver, can help Americans reclaim their table and their health. And the majority of the food consumed at home is created in plants rather than being grown on them; it comes from a food chemist's lab rather than a farmer's field. Home cooking and eating whole, fresh foods can be more affordable, enjoyable, and simple than most people realise.

This is what you need to remember

There are healthier alternatives, even though it may appear less expensive to order a burger, fries and soda from McDonald's than to have a meal of complete foods. Let me explain why the true costs of consuming unhealthy food are concealed and offer you some tips for eating healthily while minimising your expenses. Eating healthily, promoting health, and preventing disease are not prohibited by poverty or financial constraints.

The Production of Unhealthy Food is Supported by Government Policy

Because our government's policies encourage its production, unhealthy food is less expensive. Almost $30 billion is spent annually to subsidise the production of maize and soy. What happens to those foods? High-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated soybean oil (trans fats), which are the basis of nearly all fast food and processed goods "manufactured" by the food industry, are introduced into our food supply.

Since our agricultural policies were altered in the 1970s to assist corn and soy growers, we've been consuming 500 more calories per person on average (mainly in the form of cheap, artificial high-fructose corn syrup).Additionally, cows raised for the purpose of producing meat and dairy are fed with maize and soy. In actuality, 70% of the wheat, corn, and soy grown in our nation is utilised to feed the animals that become our food. More than the whole human population of the planet, the world's cattle alone eat enough food to meet their caloric needs.

The Hidden Costs of Eating Poorly

Bad foods are known to be unhealthy for your body. It turns out that they are detrimental to the nation's finances as well. For instance, one expert calculated that obesity-related healthcare expenses total $118 billion annually. That amounts to around 12% of all healthcare costs, and smoking is directly responsible for more than twice that amount! Over one third of Americans are classified as medically obese, and 72% of Americans are overweight. The life expectancy of our society is dropping for the first time in human history, and one in three children born today will get diabetes in their lifetime.

The real costs of obesity related to poor diet were documented in a report by the World watch Institute titled Overfed and Underfed: The Global Epidemic of Malnutrition. This report did NOT include the other effects of poor diet, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia, autoimmune diseases, and osteoporosis. The report's findings included the following, among others:

For every additional year of life gained by medical treatments like medications and surgery, we spend nearly $20,000 per individual, according to a recent research in The New England Journal of Medicine (i). as if that were a cause for celebration!

That doesn't even account for the $282 billion in costs associated with unsuccessful medical procedures, including hospital infections, malpractice, drug overdose deaths, bedsores, and wasteful surgeries.What if each person received $20,000 per year for the rest of their lives to support healthier eating, an active lifestyle, and stress reduction? I predict that we could avoid spending trillions of dollars on treating chronic illnesses!

These figures demonstrate that the expenses of consuming quick, processed, and junk food are frequently postponed until later. The important thing to remember is that when you go to McDonald's for a cheap burger and fries, you can compare that reduced price to whole organic meals, which are more expensive in the short run. The entire cost, however, is determined by how much you ultimately pay for your lunch rather than how much your current meal costs you right now.