Why Can't Poor People Afford Healthy Food?

[jillian]

Actually fast food is more expensive than going to the grocery store and buying nutritious foods.
The fact is not only are poor people unhealthy, it is their laziness that contributes to their poor health.
Example...Why cook a decent meal when it's easier to trundle over to the closest fast food joint.

you think its cheaper to cook a healthy meal with meat, vegetable and potato than to buy something that fills your stomach from the dollar menu at mcdonald's? i'd dispute that.

also, if we're talking about cooking for a family, it is a lot cheaper to make something starchy and fatty (e.g., mac and cheese or pasta) than to prepare a balanced meal.

isn't that the real issue?

#1 -- Bullshit.

A 6 piece pack of boneless chicken on sale for $1.99/lb = $8; 5 lb bag of spuds = $4 (the smart shopper stocks up when they are bogo, cuts the price in half); bag of carrots = $1. Total cost = $13. Feeds six, at a bit over $2 per person. Throw in another few bucks and you can have a homemade dessert if you'd like, bringing the total cost to $3 per person.

#2 -- Bullshit.

Box of pasta on sale = $1; ground beef = $6; pepper, onion, mushrooms, zucchini, garlic = $5; jar of sauce (or you can make your own for even less) = $2; head of lettuce = $1. Feed a family of six a delicious spaghetti dinner with salad for $15.

$3 -- Bullshit.

No the real issue is that eating fast food is EASIER than taking the time to prepare a well-balanced meal, not cheaper.

well, notwitstanding the nature of your reply...

perhaps when you're working minimum wage jobs and on your feet at those jobs, the last thing you have the energy to do is cook anything.

but i know... people are poor... it must be their fault and they must be lazy.

i got it.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Because its too expensive.

Do you know that it is cheaper to buy a jumbo bag of potato chips and a 2 litre bottle of coke than it is to buy a loaf of bread and a bottle of water?

Ever got those catalogues in the mail with the latest specials from your local supermarket? How many times do you see soft drinks, chocolate, chips and cakes discounted, sometimes by up to 50%? Compare that to how many times you see a price reduction on healthy foods, like apples, oranges, bananas, and bottled water.

In KFC the other day, it was cheaper for me to buy a burger, a piece of chicken, three wings, a small popcorn chicken, a regular chips, a regular gravy and a can of Pepsi than it was to buy a salad and a bottle of water. I wanted a salad and a water, but when I compared the prices, I wondered why I should spend more money on a healthy item when I can get the unhealthy food a lot cheaper?

How many other families see this problem? How about no discounts on junk food, and discounts only on healthy foods?


I never used to understand why people claimed they couldn't afford healthy foods, but I understand now, because its true.

Nonsense, they are just too lazy to put in the effort. A bag of flour and some yeast will bake a number of loaves of bread for about 50cents a loaf. Of course it takes a couple hrs to make some up and that's a lot of missed tv time.

Perhaps it's time for school classes to once again teach people how to shop efficiently and put in a little effort to prepare a meal.

How much does that bread maker cost?

A one time investment of maybe $50 and one can make bread for years.
Think of the savings!
Mrs Spoon bought a bread maker at a yard sale about 5-7 years ago for $15. Let me tell you..That bread is GOOD!

 

[Zoom-boing]

you think its cheaper to cook a healthy meal with meat, vegetable and potato than to buy something that fills your stomach from the dollar menu at mcdonald's? i'd dispute that.

also, if we're talking about cooking for a family, it is a lot cheaper to make something starchy and fatty (e.g., mac and cheese or pasta) than to prepare a balanced meal.

isn't that the real issue?

#1 -- Bullshit.

A 6 piece pack of boneless chicken on sale for $1.99/lb = $8; 5 lb bag of spuds = $4 (the smart shopper stocks up when they are bogo, cuts the price in half); bag of carrots = $1. Total cost = $13. Feeds six, at a bit over $2 per person. Throw in another few bucks and you can have a homemade dessert if you'd like, bringing the total cost to $3 per person.

#2 -- Bullshit.

Box of pasta on sale = $1; ground beef = $6; pepper, onion, mushrooms, zucchini, garlic = $5; jar of sauce (or you can make your own for even less) = $2; head of lettuce = $1. Feed a family of six a delicious spaghetti dinner with salad for $15.

$3 -- Bullshit.

No the real issue is that eating fast food is EASIER than taking the time to prepare a well-balanced meal, not cheaper.

well, notwitstanding the nature of your reply...

perhaps when you're working minimum wage jobs and on your feet at those jobs, the last thing you have the energy to do is cook anything.

but i know... people are poor... it must be their fault and they must be lazy.

i got it.

I don't know of many people who feel like cooking when they get home after a long day of work,regardless of their job. They're tired, much easier to stop by Micky D's and buy crap. Not cheaper, easier.

Who said anything about lazy? Oh yeah, you did. You made the statement that it's not cheaper to put a healthy meal on the table. It is cheaper but yes, you do actually have to put some effort in.

Don't want to cook when you get home from work? Then cook once for the whole week, pop the meals in the freezer so when you come home tired you can nuke a cheaper, delicious, nutritious meal. One and done.

 

[Zoom-boing]

Nonsense, they are just too lazy to put in the effort. A bag of flour and some yeast will bake a number of loaves of bread for about 50cents a loaf. Of course it takes a couple hrs to make some up and that's a lot of missed tv time.

Perhaps it's time for school classes to once again teach people how to shop efficiently and put in a little effort to prepare a meal.

How much does that bread maker cost?

A one time investment of maybe $50 and one can make bread for years.
Think of the savings!
Mrs Spoon bought a bread maker at a yard sale about 5-7 years ago for $15. Let me tell you..That bread is GOOD!

You don't need a break maker to make bread. Loaf pans and an oven will do just fine.

 

[Katzndogz]

I
I do not want to feed my children fruit and vegetables that have been sprayed or meat that is full of hormones and who knows what else. Organic food tastes better too.

I notice no difference in taste. There is a difference in grass fed beef and grain fed beef.

But that's your choice and a standard vegetable is still cheaper and more healthy than junk food. And that's the point.

Roast an organic chicken and a cheap one and compare the taste.

When my husband was alive his diet was so sensitive that I bought organic chicken because it was not processed with salt. There was no appreciable difference in the taste. Actually, no difference at all.

 

[Katzndogz]

How much does that bread maker cost?

A one time investment of maybe $50 and one can make bread for years.
Think of the savings!
Mrs Spoon bought a bread maker at a yard sale about 5-7 years ago for $15. Let me tell you..That bread is GOOD!

You don't need a break maker to make bread. Loaf pans and an oven will do just fine.

And take how long?

 

[thereisnospoon]

Because its too expensive.

Do you know that it is cheaper to buy a jumbo bag of potato chips and a 2 litre bottle of coke than it is to buy a loaf of bread and a bottle of water?

Why the hell are you buying water when you can get it for free? And you can buy 5 lbs of potatoes for less than 3 dollars. So tell me how a 10 oz bag of chips at $4 is less than 5 lbs of fresh potatoes.

If you believe water from the tap is free, you are deluded. You pay your water bill, don't you?

Lets say the average family drinks 8 bottles of water per day. That's 10 cases per month. By the case water can be bought for about $4 per case. That's $40 per month. The average water bill for that amount of use (240 X 16 oz for each bottle) is 30 gallons...30 gallons of tap water might cost 25 cents.
To better quantify. My average water and sewer bill is about $55 per month. That includes about 4,000 gallons of water per month avg. Now, let's translate that back to bottled water....4,000 gallons would cost( remember $40 per month for 30 gallons of bottled water)..30 goes into 4,000 133.33 times....133X40 equals..$5,333 and change...
See where we are going here?.
Yes I know we do not drink every gallon of water we use. That is not the point.
The bottom line is the cost per unit for bottled water is many times that of tap water.

 

[koshergrl]

"You can get a bag of rice and a bag of beans for $2, and it will feed a family of 6 for 2 1/2 days. It's a complete protein. "

At the cheap store here, it would feed a family of 6 for about 3 minutes LOL

I don't know where here is, but I've never been in a store where beans and rice are what could be called "expensive". Even if they're each $4...and I know how big a pot one bag of rice and one bag of beans will fill. It's a big pot.

I always have rice and beans, and I buy apples by the gross. We don't eat a lot of melon throughout the year because it's expensive (here at least). We eat frozen peas, canned spinach, canned green beans. I don't get fresh broccoli anymore, it's prohibitive.

I buy flour and sugar in bulk...I buy lard by the bucket. We always have tortillas, taco seasoning, and I usually have some sort of lettuce in the fridge, just because.

And that's it. People don't come to my house and find bags of chips. When we have chips, they go fast because I usually get them to eat with some sort of homemade salsa or dip. When the kids want a snack at night, we either fry/salt tortillas, or make quesadillas, or I bake cookies. I buy cheap cookie mixes by the armload when they are on sale (that's under a dollar).

On payday I usually buy ham hocks or something to flavor beans throughout the month. I have made meals of canned green beans simmered in pot liquor and served with cornbread (I think that's a complete protein...I think green beans are still a legume).

People have forgotten what it's like to be frugal when it comes to meals. I know because I had forgotten, and I'm having to hearken back to my roots now to feed my family. It's no longer a question of "should I cook dinner or eat Chinese?" it's "I'm cooking dinner...and I have 3 slices of bacon, a can of spinach, and some milk. How do I make that work?"

 

[koshergrl]

A one time investment of maybe $50 and one can make bread for years.
Think of the savings!
Mrs Spoon bought a bread maker at a yard sale about 5-7 years ago for $15. Let me tell you..That bread is GOOD!

You don't need a break maker to make bread. Loaf pans and an oven will do just fine.

And take how long?

I can usually turn out bread from flour to loaves/rolls over the course of 2 hours.

I accidentally ended up with bread maker yeast...I sent my kids to get yeast, and that's what they got (because I specifically told them not to get bread maker yeast)...

I throw about 7-8 cups of flour in a big earthen bowl, about a tablespoon or a little more of yeast, about a couple of tsp of salt, a good tablespoon of sugar, I mix that all up...

Then I add 2 cups of hot tap water and about 1/8 c oil, mix it up, knead it until it's smooth, turn on the stove, cover my bowl, slap some oil on the top of the dough, and place it on the counter next to the front of the stove, with the oven door cracked just a little (and set to 400 degrees).

In about an hour (sometimes sooner) I punch it down, divide it into loaves (I have used coffee cans in the old days...make sure you oil them REALLY well) and rolls (in cake pans/pie pans/square pans, it doesn't matter) and as soon as they rise I pop them into the oven and presto.

When dinner is going to be kinda limp wristed...leftovers or something that nobody is really enthusiastic about, I will make rolls, or biscuits, or cornbread...everybody feels like they're really eating if they have some sort of hot bread.

I get all my mixing bowls, loaf pans etc. from goodwill.

I don't know how the $$ works out...I think probably homemade bread could cost the same as really cheap storebought bread. But there's no comparison otherwise...a loaf of white bread vs. 15 rolls and a loaf of homemade bread...

 

[thereisnospoon]

So why would any city want to support a communist organization like Wall-Mart? I am tired of paying welfare to support low paid no benefit Wall-Mart employees.

"paying welfare"? What's that mean"..
Umm, Walmart is the encyclopedia meaning of capitalism. 180 degrees opposite of communism.
You're just pissed because Walmart is a large successful company with 1.4 million employees and the union thugs cannot get in.
BTW, there are plenty of in close to urban center places where Walmart, Target and other discounters have stores. It is the big union states that try to keep out these companies. Especially Walmart. And why is that? Because Sam Walton happened to be outspoken against unions. And how do union bosses react when they don't "get their respect"...We all have seen that.

i.4 million slaves does not make a successful company. Supporting communism should be done in communist countries. All pigs feeding at the trough talk against peoples right to organize. It was organized labor that freed Poland from Soviet Russia and threw out the robber barons in America. You people that think welfare is a way of life need to get a life.

Slaves are unpaid. Don't be ridiculous.
And stop with the Communist nonsense. It's total bullshit.
You are stuck in the 1950's when anyone anti union was labeled as a Communist.
Wake the fuck up. People who work where they do is a result of a conscious choice.
If they do not believe the employer( Walmart in this case) is not paying them an adequate wage, they are free to seek other employment. Indentured servitude was outlawed long ago.
Now since you brought up pigs feeding at the trough..
This analogy is precisely representative of the collective. Unions are collectives.
Once the Pigs are in the trough, the farmer locks the gate. The pigs are now limited to what the farmer wishes to give them. Their freedom to roam about the farm and eat what they want when they want is now gone.
Maybe you can live under the thumb of a collective but 93.2% of us choose to make our own way.
Who said anything about Welfare?
Oh, Lech Walensa's "SOlidarity" movement may have started with labor, it ended up being a political organization.
Look, you can kneel at the altar of organized labor all you like. The rest of choose to STAND.
You can take your labor collectives and hit the bricks. Nobody is interested.

 

[Skull Pilot]

You don't need a break maker to make bread. Loaf pans and an oven will do just fine.

And take how long?

I can usually turn out bread from flour to loaves/rolls over the course of 2 hours.

I accidentally ended up with bread maker yeast...I sent my kids to get yeast, and that's what they got (because I specifically told them not to get bread maker yeast)...

I throw about 7-8 cups of flour in a big earthen bowl, about a tablespoon or a little more of yeast, about a couple of tsp of salt, a good tablespoon of sugar, I mix that all up...

Then I add 2 cups of hot tap water and about 1/8 c oil, mix it up, knead it until it's smooth, turn on the stove, cover my bowl, slap some oil on the top of the dough, and place it on the counter next to the front of the stove, with the oven door cracked just a little (and set to 400 degrees).

In about an hour (sometimes sooner) I punch it down, divide it into loaves (I have used coffee cans in the old days...make sure you oil them REALLY well) and rolls (in cake pans/pie pans/square pans, it doesn't matter) and as soon as they rise I pop them into the oven and presto.

When dinner is going to be kinda limp wristed...leftovers or something that nobody is really enthusiastic about, I will make rolls, or biscuits, or cornbread...everybody feels like they're really eating if they have some sort of hot bread.

I get all my mixing bowls, loaf pans etc. from goodwill.

I don't know how the $$ works out...I think probably homemade bread could cost the same as really cheap storebought bread. But there's no comparison otherwise...a loaf of white bread vs. 15 rolls and a loaf of homemade bread...

Making bread is easier than ou think

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312362919?ie=UTF8&tag=arbrinfimiada-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0312362919"]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312362919?ie=UTF8&tag=arbrinfimiada-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0312362919[/ame]

 

[thereisnospoon]

I paid 99 cents for a head of lettuce yesterday and water out of the tap (Which is safer than bottled water) is extremely cheap. Your post is ridiculous. Poor people can afford healthy food. They choose not to.

How much nutrician is in a head of lettuce?

In Iceberg Lettuce? Very little. This variety is about 98% water and very little in nutrition.
Now Romaine Lettuce and Fresh Spinach? Loaded with good stuff.

 

[koshergrl]

#1 -- Bullshit.

A 6 piece pack of boneless chicken on sale for $1.99/lb = $8; 5 lb bag of spuds = $4 (the smart shopper stocks up when they are bogo, cuts the price in half); bag of carrots = $1. Total cost = $13. Feeds six, at a bit over $2 per person. Throw in another few bucks and you can have a homemade dessert if you'd like, bringing the total cost to $3 per person.

#2 -- Bullshit.

Box of pasta on sale = $1; ground beef = $6; pepper, onion, mushrooms, zucchini, garlic = $5; jar of sauce (or you can make your own for even less) = $2; head of lettuce = $1. Feed a family of six a delicious spaghetti dinner with salad for $15.

$3 -- Bullshit.

No the real issue is that eating fast food is EASIER than taking the time to prepare a well-balanced meal, not cheaper.

well, notwitstanding the nature of your reply...

perhaps when you're working minimum wage jobs and on your feet at those jobs, the last thing you have the energy to do is cook anything.

but i know... people are poor... it must be their fault and they must be lazy.

i got it.

I don't know of many people who feel like cooking when they get home after a long day of work,regardless of their job. They're tired, much easier to stop by Micky D's and buy crap. Not cheaper, easier.

Who said anything about lazy? Oh yeah, you did. You made the statement that it's not cheaper to put a healthy meal on the table. It is cheaper but yes, you do actually have to put some effort in.

Don't want to cook when you get home from work? Then cook once for the whole week, pop the meals in the freezer so when you come home tired you can nuke a cheaper, delicious, nutritious meal. One and done.

Yeah it is easier...but two hours later you've blown $15 and everybody still wants some real food.

My kids participate in an after school program that feeds them after school...not a huge meal, not terribly nutritious (though they usually get some sort of raw veggie...often cukes or celery or something) so when I pick them up at 5:30 at night, they aren't ravenous. Which means I can take my time about dinner.

Last night I fed a family of 6 pork chops, instant mashed potatoes, applesauce and spinach. Let me see...I think I spent $8 on the pork, we'll say $1.50 on the shake n bake, $1 spinach, maybe $.75 for the taters..$11.25 for the whole family. $1.87 per head.

Not too shabby. It's not gourmet, but we all sat down and everyone had as much as they wanted of everything.

 

[Katzndogz]

Why the hell are you buying water when you can get it for free? And you can buy 5 lbs of potatoes for less than 3 dollars. So tell me how a 10 oz bag of chips at $4 is less than 5 lbs of fresh potatoes.

If you believe water from the tap is free, you are deluded. You pay your water bill, don't you?

Lets say the average family drinks 8 bottles of water per day. That's 10 cases per month. By the case water can be bought for about $4 per case. That's $40 per month. The average water bill for that amount of use (240 X 16 oz for each bottle) is 30 gallons...30 gallons of tap water might cost 25 cents.
To better quantify. My average water and sewer bill is about $55 per month. That includes about 4,000 gallons of water per month avg. Now, let's translate that back to bottled water....4,000 gallons would cost( remember $40 per month for 30 gallons of bottled water)..30 goes into 4,000 133.33 times....133X40 equals..$5,333 and change...
See where we are going here?.
Yes I know we do not drink every gallon of water we use. That is not the point.
The bottom line is the cost per unit for bottled water is many times that of tap water.

I no longer use bottled water like I did. I just got tired of running to the store and lugging the bottles. Tap water is NOT an option. It comes out of the tap yellow. I got a filter instead. Bottled water is more expensive than milk.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Actually fast food is more expensive than going to the grocery store and buying nutritious foods.
The fact is not only are poor people unhealthy, it is their laziness that contributes to their poor health.
Example...Why cook a decent meal when it's easier to trundle over to the closest fast food joint.

you think its cheaper to cook a healthy meal with meat, vegetable and potato than to buy something that fills your stomach from the dollar menu at mcdonald's? i'd dispute that.

also, if we're talking about cooking for a family, it is a lot cheaper to make something starchy and fatty (e.g., mac and cheese or pasta) than to prepare a balanced meal.

isn't that the real issue?

Yes it is...Stop whining.
Hell, a savvy shopper can buy a chicken or a turkey, take it home, use the breast for soup, take the legs thighs and wings to make three or four different dishes and have meals for the week.
Or one can buy a roast for $25 take part of it to make a dinner. Use part of it to make sandwiches or hot open faced sandwich for dinner, dice some of it up and make a nice noodle and meat casserole.....See where we are going here?
All of this nonsense put forth by you people is based on you feeling sorry for certain people.
So instead of teaching them how easy it is to make good meals at much lower expense, you bitch about the price of food.
That is a disgrace.
Again, all I see is whining and complaining.

 

[koshergrl]

I can't feed anyone at McDonald's for $1.84/per head, and not have them ransacking the cupboards at bedtime.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Poor people don't eat healthy food because it doesn't taste as good as junk food. Poor people will spend more for junk than healthy food even if healthy food was cheaper. A bag of chips costs $3.00, a head of lettuce is 59 cents. They buy the chips.

It has to do with the psychology of being poor. It's why the poor will spend $300.00 for a pair of Nike shoes. Food is one of the ways they indulge themselves. They can't afford a trip to Disneyland, but they can afford a cupcake. They can't afford a new car, but they can afford the shoes. The poor have given up on sacrifice today for a greater benefit at some point in the future. Even if that benefit is their health and well being. It's worse now because the poor are being conditioned to believe that they have no personal connection to their health and well being. That's the job of social justice. It's not their responsibility. Their responsibility is to be happy, which means as much pampering and self-indulgence as they can squeeze out of every day.

How many poor people do you know? None? I thought so.

What is your point?
That because pone does not hang out with poor people they are not "down for the cause" or they lack the credibility required to offer advice? Cut the shit.
You're a moaning, yammering ninnie who complains about everything.

 

[koshergrl]

Tonight we're having a turkey breast ($7), with stuffing ($1.47), cranberries ($.79..I love Grocery Outlet) and spinach again (I already counted that cost yesterday, so today it's freeeeee). I'll make bread, so add another $1.50.

Family of 6: $10.76/6 = $1.79 per person.

Yeah, feed a family of 6...3 adults and 3 kids... at McD's for $10.76.

 

[jillian]

Poor people don't eat healthy food because it doesn't taste as good as junk food. Poor people will spend more for junk than healthy food even if healthy food was cheaper. A bag of chips costs $3.00, a head of lettuce is 59 cents. They buy the chips.

It has to do with the psychology of being poor. It's why the poor will spend $300.00 for a pair of Nike shoes. Food is one of the ways they indulge themselves. They can't afford a trip to Disneyland, but they can afford a cupcake. They can't afford a new car, but they can afford the shoes. The poor have given up on sacrifice today for a greater benefit at some point in the future. Even if that benefit is their health and well being. It's worse now because the poor are being conditioned to believe that they have no personal connection to their health and well being. That's the job of social justice. It's not their responsibility. Their responsibility is to be happy, which means as much pampering and self-indulgence as they can squeeze out of every day.

How many poor people do you know? None? I thought so.

yep.

 

[koshergrl]

That's not to say there's anything wrong with picking up McD's. I don't judge people for hitting the drivethru. I've done it HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS of times.

Which is how I know it's not a good value, no matter how you try to cut it. I've HAD to cut it out because I just can't fit that $100 (and that's a low estimate...it costs $8 if we pick up a couple of egg mcmuffins and breakfast burritoes and $10 if we get a big mac, one large coke, mc nuggets and a cheeseburger at night) into my food budget and have anything in the house at the end of the month.

For me it comes down to...it just doesn't fill them. It's like throwing money away on air. There's no nutritional value in the stuff they like (and I like) and we still want to eat something later.