Eat Fewer Calories – Fat Loss 4 Idiots

By now, we all know that for our health, we should try to eat a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables. And that it's best to avoid lots of processed convenience foods.

But a new study suggests that eating healthy is getting more and more expensive. This led one of the researchers, Dr. Adam Drewnowski, to declare: "The gap between what we say people should eat and what they can afford is becoming unacceptably wide. If grains, sugars and fats are the only affordable foods left, how are we to handle the obesity epidemic?"

Is the high cost of healthy food becoming a major contributor to the world's obesity problem?

Pricey Produce
A recent study by University of Washington researchers (summarized here) looked at food prices in Seattle area grocery stores. They found that prices of fresh fruit, vegetables and other low-calorie foods increased nearly 20 percent from 2004 to 2006, greatly out-pacing inflation.

In contrast, prices for energy-dense foods -- those high in refined grains, added sugars, and added fats -- stayed stable or even declined. They also found that foods like fruits and vegetables were much more expensive per calorie than the energy dense foods.

Income and Healthy

Eating
Previous research has indicated that higher income folks generally do tend to eat healthier, consuming less fat, saturated fat and cholesterol, and getting more fiber, fruits, vegetables, and calcium in their diets. Will increasing produce prices make this disparity even worse?

Sure doesn't seem like it will help.

Cost of Each Calorie: Is That How You Shop?
But is it fair to compare "price per calorie" when deciding which is cheaper, broccoli or potato chips? And is the reason someone throws a $5 carton of ice cream into their cart instead of $5 worth of carrots really because they can get more calories from the ice cream?

Personally, I think the issues around socioeconomics and healthy eating are complicated, and I would guess that the high cost of some healthy foods--while a problem--is only part of the story. And I'm not sure I'd agree that the only affordable foods we have left are "grains, sugars and fats."

But what do you all think?

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