Thursday, September 11, 2014

Being Poor and Eating Well (A Rant)

Hello everyone!


I have been doing some thinking, I have been reading countless diet articles and books saying that to lose weight, we have to be eating whole, healthy, unprocessed foods.

Sounds easy enough, but what if you can't afford it? Then what?

In most cases, buying fresh vegetables, fresh meat, etc, is actually more expensive than a lot of people (including me) can afford.  At my local grocery store, the produce is actually pretty expensive.  I put together a shopping list of foods as a test to see how much everything would cost me and for myself alone to eat, I was looking at a ballpark of around 75-$100 a week.  That's with no family to feed aside from myself. For those who can afford it, great!  Keep it up!

What really gets me angry is when people make the kind of comments they do about low income people who don't eat healthy because they can't.  Poor people who live on ramen noodles get labeled as "lazy"(because they don't want to cook), "uneducated" (because everyone with a college degree can afford to eat right), and a bunch of other mean names.  I'm poor, but I am neither lazy nor uneducated.  I am almost a full time student and the main reason I am so poor is because I am paying out of pocket for school, rent, basic necessities, etc.  It adds up.  Food prices in general are higher than they used to be too!

Another thing I have read is that "poor people don't like fresh food." That is far from true.  If I COULD eat fresh healthy food every day, I would leap at the chance.  I actually enjoy cooking, and I have made a lot of yummy stuff when I am able to. 

So, you very well may see me post about how I ate something like ramen, instant oatmeal, or something else inexpensive and healthy, but I am really trying to do what I can to eat the best I can with what I have.

Also, as the Twinkie Diet guy showed us, you can eat processed foods and lose weight as long as you keep your calories in check.

1 comment:

  1. hey there. check out the blog of emily on health and fitness: http://www.thatswhatieat.com/ they feed a family (!!!) of 4 (!!!) including a husband for $100 a week - and healthy stuff! im sure you could take some things on board.

    i know it is hard to be eating healthy on less money, but i also know it is possible. there are choices you can make, and things you can say no to and reduce in your diet. try to eat out (yes, mcdonalds is also out) only once a month as a reward, say no to all soda and sugary stuff - this will cut your budget to buy more of those yummy organic apples and veggies. i'm also a student and i know how hard it is to eat healthy and budget, but it is possible.

    good luck!

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