Will Americans Put On 'Recession' Pounds?

[Topaz]

Came across this article today on my yahoo homepage...

Will Americans Put on 'Recession' Pounds?

Some ideas from the article:

People ... are going to economize and as they save money on food they will be eating more empty calories or foods high in sugar, saturated fats and refined grains, which are cheaper," said Adam Drewnowski, the director of the Nutrition Sciences Program at the University of Washington in Seattle.

This is something that comes up here once and a while...the idea that it is cheaper to eat less healthy items. It is something that I, personally, also think is a huge cop-out. The costs of health problems down the road not withstanding, I have always maintained that there are plenty of healthy and inexpensive items to buy as well. Eating crap because it is cheap is, in my opinion, an excuse.

There is a bit of attention given to my viewpoint in the article as well, but only one blurb:

"The answer lies in affordable but nutrient-rich foods such as ground beef, beans, milk, nuts, cheese, carrots, potatoes, canned tomatoes, soups, and rice," he said, calling it "a diet for a new Depression."

Canned tomatoes are actually a staple of my diet (along with soups and brown rice), and even I have noticed that the price has gone up slightly.

It is also interesting to me because I was just thinking of this today...wondering if the economy will actually help me lose those last 15 poungs I want to get rid of! :wink: My thinking was that the economy would cause me to tighten up my food budget by buying *less*, not by sacrificing good nutrition by buying cheap crap.

So, any thoughts? Anybody have any hypotheses to how the downturn in the economy will affect an already alarming weight problem?

One more interesting blurb from the article:

"Things are going to get worse," he told Reuters in a telephone interview. "Obesity is a toxic result of a failing economic environment."

Drewnowski's own research has highlighted the link between income and obesity.

"In Seattle we have found that there are fivefold differences in obesity rates depending on the zip code -- the low-income zip codes have a much higher proportion of obese people," he said.

This makes me so sad, because I see the effects of this poor nutrition in the kids at school! It doesn't have to be this way! Education about food, how to buy it, and *what* to buy needs to be honestly represented in media and print materials instead of the 'spin' forced on things by the lobbyists who actually control the USDA and FDA.

Ironcially enough, there was also this article on my homepage:

Obese Americans now outweigh the merely overweight.

And in more irony, the accompanying picture to the article is of people going through subway turnstiles as they leave the US Open!

 

[ollinger]

Seems inevitable. McDonald's revenue was up 7 percent recently and someone I know who works with canning companies told me the soft drink companies are looking for ways to increase capacity as they're maxed-out presently.

 

[Topaz]

Yes, they mentioned that in the article, too, as well as how Whole Foods is struggling.

I will admit it is *harder* to eat healthy and cheaply...you really have to do some research and search things out and definitely be creative.

I agree, though, unfortunately I do think we will see an increase, and then an increase in all the health problems that go along with obesity. Personally, I'd rather go hungry that eat a McDonald's hamburger! :shock:

 

[Phil]

Yes, they mentioned that in the article, too, as well as how Whole Foods is struggling.

I will admit it is *harder* to eat healthy and cheaply...you really have to do some research and search things out and definitely be creative.

I agree, though, unfortunately I do think we will see an increase, and then an increase in all the health problems that go along with obesity. Personally, I'd rather go hungry that eat a McDonald's hamburger! :shock:

It's actually cheaper than McDonald's to buy a large bag of brown rice and feed off of that for a couple weeks. You can mix broccoli, tuna and pretty much any other vegatable with the rice. And for breakfast, oatmeal with a banana. Not expensive at all, and quite healthy. These are just examples of how eating healthy can be both economical and, quite feasible.

I don't think it's a money issue so much as a lack of education and information on what healthy eating actually is. If you're short on cash AND have no idea of HOW to eat healthy, then the first place you're going to look is the fast food joints. The marketing people at Mickey D's are well aware of this, which is why Micky D adverts and restaurants are ubiquitous (there, I got to write that word!) in lower income (and in Japan, college) areas.

 

[SteveI]

It's actually cheaper than McDonald's to buy a large bag of brown rice and feed off of that for a couple weeks. You can mix broccoli, tuna and pretty much any other vegatable with the rice. And for breakfast, oatmeal with a banana. Not expensive at all, and quite healthy. These are just examples of how eating healthy can be both economical and, quite feasible.

I don't think it's a money issue so much as a lack of education and information on what healthy eating actually is. If you're short on cash AND have no idea of HOW to eat healthy, then the first place you're going to look is the fast food joints. The marketing people at Mickey D's are well aware of this, which is why Micky D adverts and restaurants are ubiquitous (there, I got to write that word!) in lower income (and in Japan, college) areas.

Phil,

Very well put. BTW.. you have my current eating habits listed above (not the Micky Ds..) Oatmeal and bananas, oranges, etc for breakfast. Lots of brown rice, vegs, tuna, chicken, egg whites. etc. Low cost, short prep time and healthy. Education is key.. and yes the marketing people at Mickey D's are well aware of meeting the needs of the undereducated.

Keep up the good work,
Steve

 

[Kobble]

I don't know, did people get fat during The Great Depression? I heard otherwise.

 

[phoenicks]

It's actually cheaper than McDonald's to buy a large bag of brown rice and feed off of that for a couple weeks. You can mix broccoli, tuna and pretty much any other vegatable with the rice. And for breakfast, oatmeal with a banana. Not expensive at all, and quite healthy. These are just examples of how eating healthy can be both economical and, quite feasible.

I don't think it's a money issue so much as a lack of education and information on what healthy eating actually is. If you're short on cash AND have no idea of HOW to eat healthy, then the first place you're going to look is the fast food joints. The marketing people at Mickey D's are well aware of this, which is why Micky D adverts and restaurants are ubiquitous (there, I got to write that word!) in lower income (and in Japan, college) areas.

yea, this is indeed the best way to eat cheaply and healthily and I follow a similiar diet, but stimes the thing is, it lacks variety ( maybe because I lazy to source for different way to cook ) and also it takes times, No matter how easy it is to prepare a meal like this, even i you steam it and nothing else, you can still have a meal faster outside ( fast food ). And in general, the more you want the ood to be tastier, the longer it takes to prepare.

I think time factor and a laziness of preparing and searching for healthy diet are the main factors why people would rather eat at fast food chain then preparing themselves.

 

[Phil]

Phil,

Very well put. BTW.. you have my current eating habits listed above (not the Micky Ds..) Oatmeal and bananas, oranges, etc for breakfast. Lots of brown rice, vegs, tuna, chicken, egg whites. etc. Low cost, short prep time and healthy. Education is key.. and yes the marketing people at Mickey D's are well aware of meeting the needs of the undereducated.

Keep up the good work,
Steve

Thanks, Steve. I generally eat this way, though I am prone to caving in to my vicious sweet tooth.

I don't know, did people get fat during The Great Depression? I heard otherwise.

It's because they ate shoe leather, seasoned with a pinch of salt and a dollup of molasses.

yea, this is indeed the best way to eat cheaply and healthily and I follow a similiar diet, but stimes the thing is, it lacks variety ( maybe because I lazy to source for different way to cook ) and also it takes times, No matter how easy it is to prepare a meal like this, even i you steam it and nothing else, you can still have a meal faster outside ( fast food ). And in general, the more you want the ood to be tastier, the longer it takes to prepare.

I think time factor and a laziness of preparing and searching for healthy diet are the main factors why people would rather eat at fast food chain then preparing themselves.

Making rice and then dropping a bunch of vegatables into it is pretty quick and easy, though of course it can't beat ordering a Big Mac at the counter! I just mentioned a couple examples of healthy and relatively cheap eats. A creative cook can come up with a huge variety of methods for preparing those and other foods. I'm not creative. My one saving grace is that I love rice, tuna, brocolli, cous couse and a few other foods enough to eat them almost every day. Oatmeal is a different story, so I don't eat it EVERY day.

 

[Topaz]

I try to do all of my cooking (at least brown rice and veggies) on Sunday nights, and then all I have to do is re-heat later on. Works for me, but like Phil, I also have a dangerous sweet tooth! :evil:

 

[J011yroger]

Funny that no one is addressing the mental side.

Added stress or depression I would think more so than budget tightening would lead to change in eating habits, as some people seek out food as comfort, and others lose their appetite.

Just a thought.

J

 

[Topaz]

Funny that no one is addressing the mental side.

Added stress or depression I would think more so than budget tightening would lead to change in eating habits, as some people seek out food as comfort, and others lose their appetite.

Just a thought.

J

And a very good thought...no, I hadn't thought of the mental side yet. See, I'm already poor, so I don't anticipate seeing that much of a change in my money spending habits. The depression over lack of money is already there! :shock:

Some seek food when they are depressed and stressed, other people seek out other things...alcohol (more empty calories), smoking, etc. I wonder if we will see a rise in all of these areas?

 

[dennis10is]

I have had recession pounds, recovery pounds, boom pounds, irrational exuberance pounds.

I've learned to diversity my portliness portfolio.

 

[dennis10is]

And a very good thought...no, I hadn't thought of the mental side yet. See, I'm already poor, so I don't anticipate seeing that much of a change in my money spending habits. The depression over lack of money is already there! :shock:

Some seek food when they are depressed and stressed, other people seek out other things...alcohol (more empty calories), smoking, etc. I wonder if we will see a rise in all of these areas?

You will see all types of coping mechanisms in response to the additional stressors. Many of these will be unhelpful, eating, drinking, marital infidelities. Not all coping mechanisms will be bad, economic recessions will be a change agent, if I may be so trite, so it can be an opportunity for change to something better.

For example, a person who is laid off my decide to walk four hours a day. That will keep them fit, reduce their desire to eat bad food, calm them down, and gives them a daily four hours to think/evaluate their lives. They may very well come out of this "crisis" a different person.

I'm voting for more pounds and more cheating on your partners.

 

[J011yroger]

^^^ I wonder if my coming out of Barnes and Nobel into the snowy parking lot tonite and wondering if I could slide on snow like I slide on clay was a coping mechanism for the downturned economy.

J

 

[oneguy21]

I'm actually fortunate to be Asian. I basically eat brown rice everyday along with my usual side dishes of kimchi, other pickled veggies, fish, and soup. It's all good nutritious stuff you can't go wrong with. However, if you don't have access to these foods and don't really cook you can always pop in the microwave them lean cuisines!

 

[Bad Dog]

NYT: “The 11 best foods you aren't eating”

It's actually cheaper than McDonald's to buy a large bag of brown rice and feed off of that for a couple weeks. You can mix broccoli, tuna and pretty much any other vegatable with the rice. And for breakfast, oatmeal with a banana. Not expensive at all, and quite healthy. These are just examples of how eating healthy can be both economical and, quite feasible.

I don't think it's a money issue so much as a lack of education and information on what healthy eating actually is. If you're short on cash AND have no idea of HOW to eat healthy, then the first place you're going to look is the fast food joints. The marketing people at Mickey D's are well aware of this, which is why Micky D adverts and restaurants are ubiquitous (there, I got to write that word!) in lower income (and in Japan, college) areas.

Phil is absolutely right on this issue. For more ideas, check out this New York Times article for the 11 most nutritious foods you are probably not eating:


http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/the-11-best-foods-you-arent-eating/?em

 

[Topaz]

Great find Bad Dog...let's see how I did:

1. Beets - check! And I love beets, too, so I'm glad to see them on the list.

2. Cabbage - No cabbage in the house, but there should be. I really like cabbage! I'll have to add it to my next shopping list.

3. Swiss Chard - I've heard of Swiss chard before, but I've never actually sought it out or eaten it. Another one that I'll have to look into.

4. Cinnamon - I definitely have cinnamon in my spice cabinet, but I don't really use it much. I do eat the applesauce that already has cinnamon in it, though.

5. Pomegranate juice - Nope. I usually stay away from juices because of the high sugar content, and if I do drink juice, I water it down. Another to look into.

6. Dried plums - No. I do eat raisins, is that close enough?

7. Pumpkin seeds - I like pumpkin seeds, though they are not a regular in my pantry.

8. Sardines - blech! No thank you!

9. Turmeric - I don't think I've even hard of this before! Will check it out.

10. Frozen blueberries - I actually eat fresh blueberries with my oatmeal every morning. Sometimes I opt for chopped up strawberries instead, but I like blueberries better.

11. Canned Pumpkin - I actually don't like canned pumpkin. I know, I'm wierd!

 

[bad_call]

And a very good thought...no, I hadn't thought of the mental side yet. See, I'm already poor, so I don't anticipate seeing that much of a change in my money spending habits. The depression over lack of money is already there! :shock:

Some seek food when they are depressed and stressed, other people seek out other things...alcohol (more empty calories), smoking, etc. I wonder if we will see a rise in all of these areas?

moderation always prudent when it comes to consumption.

crime is on the rise in central Florida...including shoplifting in grocery stores as well as wallet snatching. be careful and use good judgment when going out.