Why Can't Poor People Afford Healthy Food?

[Noomi]

You had me until the burger at KFC No such animal Menu - KFC.com
Again if I wan pinching pennies I would be drinking tap water instead of bottled water too. Lots of excuses for not eating healthy foods, and cost is not high up on the list

We call them burgers over here. You might call them sandwiches.

 

[ba1614]

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?

No I don't I have a private well. But that begs the question if you already pay a water bill then why do you buy bottled water?

You watch, these people will start wanting control of our wells and want to monitor our usage of our own private well water too, all for our own good of course.

 

[CrotchetyGeezer]

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.

You had me until the burger at KFC No such animal Menu - KFC.com
Again if I wan pinching pennies I would be drinking tap water instead of bottled water too. Lots of excuses for not eating healthy foods, and cost is not high up on the list

Actually, you go by a standard menu which gives what their general items are and think this applies to every store? It says right at the bottom, "Our menus vary by location, so visit your hometown KFC to find these and other favorites on the menu, from our Chunky Chicken Pot Pie and Popcorn Chicken to the Doublicious® Sandwich and Macaroni & Cheese." This means the menu isn't necessarily the same in all locations. And, if I remember correctly, our local KFC offered hamburgers for a time. Don't know if they still do or not but, they did at one time.

 

[ba1614]

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.

There are a few specials out about this. The federal government subsidizes wheat and corn farmers--for high fat--high calorie--and high carbohydrate food--to feed the mass's. Vegetable and fruit farmers are out of this loop--they get nothing.

And this is one of the main reasons Americans are getting fatter and fatter--and the poor find it much cheaper to eat junk food than healthy food.

So lets layoff the responsibility for poor eating habits on government too!

Poor America

 

[thereisnospoon]

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

No I don't I have a private well. But that begs the question if you already pay a water bill then why do you buy bottled water?

You watch, these people will start wanting control of our wells and want to monitor our usage of our own private well water too, all for our own good of course.

It's already happened.
There was a 5 year drought here some 10 years ago. People were drilling wells on THEIR property to combat the water use restrictions. One County board of Commissioners threatened to pass a moratorium on well drilling. Their claims were two fold. One , that was not fair that not all property owners could have wells. And that wells often resulted in lowering water tables for adjacent property owners. They wanted to ban drilling they said because there was no guarantee the a well was not taking water from below a neighboring property. When the State told the County Commission it needed legislative approval to pass such a moratorium and that no such moratorium was forthcoming, it backed off.
So, being politicians and possessing easily bruised egos, the County Commissioners tried another tactic. They claimed they hired a specialist to test the well water around the county. The tests mysteriously showed evidence of above acceptable levels of Arsenic.
Now mind everyone on here that people in this County have been drinking ground water for 3 Centuries. Suddenly the water was deadly? SURE..

 

[koshergrl]

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

No I don't I have a private well. But that begs the question if you already pay a water bill then why do you buy bottled water?

You watch, these people will start wanting control of our wells and want to monitor our usage of our own private well water too, all for our own good of course.

There are people on this site who already advocate putting birth control in our water "for our own good".

Progressives are scary. And water is a big deal. I live in the rainforest, so I can pretty much always find water. It's the people in the cities who will be screwed. And they're the morons who want government to control EVERYTHING.

 

[CrotchetyGeezer]

No I don't I have a private well. But that begs the question if you already pay a water bill then why do you buy bottled water?

You watch, these people will start wanting control of our wells and want to monitor our usage of our own private well water too, all for our own good of course.

There are people on this site who already advocate putting birth control in our water "for our own good".

I'd advocate that water purified with birth control be piped to liberals' homes "for our own good".

 

[Jarlaxle]

It depends on where you buy your fast food, and which store you buy your groceries from.

I could spend $10 on junk from a fast food joint, and if I went to a supermarket, I could buy a loaf of bread, a carton of milk, and a packet of rice for about the same price.

I agree with people being lazy and not wanting to cook - although I can understand that after working a long day, the last thing you want to do is come home and prepare a meal.

No..You stated it was "too expensive"..Now it's "depends"...
As far as the long day thing....Lots of people who actually care enough to feed their families healthy meals make the effort.

If there is a discount store in your area, such as Aldi, you should shop there, the food is cheaper. If you have to choice but to shop at a Safeway, for example, you will be paying more for the same items.

Actually, Aldi's pretty much sucks rocks. Prices aren't great and the selection is, at best, dismal. Price-wise, you will do considerably better at Wal-Mart or a discount grocery store (Price-Rite, Save-A-Lot, Shop-Rite).

 

[Jarlaxle]

You must be fortunate to live in an area where the tap water is actually drinkable. I invite you to my place to drink the tap water. If you like it cloudy and full of grit, I am sure you it will be a real thirst quencher.

Btw I am not defending poor people at all. I want them to buy healthy foods, its just that in the last week I have come to have a bit more understanding about their complaints.

Hey..It's called a WATER FILTRATION AND PURIFICATION PLANT...We have them all over.

Doesn't mean that everyone has perfectly clean water, does it?

A faucet filter runs about $20. A filter pitcher is cheaper.

 

[Jarlaxle]

If you live in the right places in the US, neighbors may tuck homeless vegetables - squash, tomatoes, peppers, onions, whatever - into your mailbox, or leave them on your door step.

I've heard that in some towns in the Midwest, people will even leave orphaned veggies in the beds of pick-up trucks......

Seriously, does anyone else shop the 'scratch 'n' dent' section in the supermarket? That is *still* the first place I head to - the second is the 'day-old' rack for baked goods.

Depends what I'm buying. Offhand, I bought half a dozen "day-old" loaves of Italian bread recently. Four are in my freezer awaiting the same fate as the other two: garlic bread. I have bought many things from the "reduced" rack...often, it's nothing more than a partially-crushed box, a discontinued item, a torn label, or even just an older package design.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Inner cities don't have grocery stores.

Dude, you are stuck on STUPID!

I have BEEN to grocery stores in "inner cities"! How about the middle of Roxbury, Mattapan, or Dorchester?

 

[Jarlaxle]

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.

Actually, it's not. It all depends on where one shops and how smartly it is one shops. But, I myself am not too concerned with eating healthy. I can eat a bag of potato chips and not gain an ounce so, no biggy.

I HATE you!

 

[Jarlaxle]

You must be fortunate to live in an area where the tap water is actually drinkable. I invite you to my place to drink the tap water. If you like it cloudy and full of grit, I am sure you it will be a real thirst quencher.

Btw I am not defending poor people at all. I want them to buy healthy foods, its just that in the last week I have come to have a bit more understanding about their complaints.

Again I don't believe you about the water unless you live in Mexico.

as a water professional, I can attest to the fact that there are many places in the US and other places in the developed world that have municipal water supplies considered "safe" (i.e., all potential pathogens have been killed off) but that are nonetheless absolutely unpalatable...

Having had well water most of my life, I find ALL municipal water unpalatable. The chlorine taste is overpowering...a couple times, it has actually triggered my gag reflex.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Hard to figure why right wingers hate/resent the poor so intensely.
The first I recall was Reagan's lie about the welfare mom who picked up her welfare check in a Cadillac. More recently, the GOP politician saying, don't feed the poor, they'll breed.

hard to figure why left wingers disrespect the poor so intensely...

believing them to be inherently unable to make their own choices...

Michael Graham puts it best: The soft bigotry of low expectations.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I guess its hard to start a business when you have no money. Idiot.

it's also hard to start a store-front business when the local-government regulators shove a stick in the spokes of your bicycle...


eta: I saw several folks, who tried to run tiny neighborhood grocery stores out of their living rooms, being shut down due to local government regulations...

and the surrounding folks suffered 'cause they no longer had the nearby grocery...

Now that's a sin, but everything is over regulated. I put up a link about the regulations in California that a decent size grocery store had to have 4 acres of parking space.

Well right from the get go, who the heck can find 4 acres in the inner city for a parking lot?

Even if you can find the space...it will probably cost more than the building!

 

[Jarlaxle]

my father-in-law (the dad of my current, albeit estranged, wife) was a grocer in bf Mamou... he had a li'l cinderblock smokehouse where he made the best andouille and tasso I ever tasted...


eta: yeah... it's been my experience that if you cook anything long enough, with the proper seasonings, your patience will be rewarded...

First home smoked andouille I ever tasted was at this big bay up we used to go to. Uncle Earl's in Winnfield.

And this old timey was serving it up on buns. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Couldn't believe the flavor.

The bay ups were awesome but the food in the camps ran a close second.

btw... been my experience that if you have sumpin' particularly gamey, and you want to reduce it down, you should boil it separately on low simmer before you add it to the gumbo... mebbe a half-hour for duck... mebbe an hour at most for squirrel... mebbe as much as two hours for venison... afterwhich you dump the boil water and add the meat to the gumbo... but of course it's all a matter of personal taste... sometimes I appreciate the full-on headiness of a gumbo made outta a buck with attitude...

Why did reading this post make me hear When The Saints Go Marching In played on a banjo?

 

[CrotchetyGeezer]

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.

Actually, it's not. It all depends on where one shops and how smartly it is one shops. But, I myself am not too concerned with eating healthy. I can eat a bag of potato chips and not gain an ounce so, no biggy.

I HATE you!

You shouldn't. For those of us who are scrawny, it seems it's harder to figure out how to gain weight than it is for those who are overweight to lose weight. When I talk about eating a bag of potato chips and not gain an ounce, in reality, sometimes it seems like for every alleged fattening food I eat, I lose a few pounds. It really kind of sucks. The average weight for someone my age is about 182 pounds. I weigh about 140 pounds.

 

[Jarlaxle]

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?

About $15-30 at a Goodwill store.

 

[Jarlaxle]

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.

Done that. The "free range organic" bird was dry, tough, and tasteless. The cheap one was great at about one-quarter the price.

 

[Jarlaxle]

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.

I have never spent $25 on a roast. I get large, cheap cuts...

I still have the carcass of the Thanksgiving turkey in my freezer, lol. I don't know if I'm actually going to use it at this point...I made some yummy turkey noodles and we pigged on them for two days, but they are past their optimum freshness and are out the door now.

No turkey soup?!