Corner Post editorial —
Healthy food should be a right not a privelege for the wealthy
by Hannah Riddle, posted May 11, 2009
It seems these days’ fast food dollar menus make high-calorie foods easily available and appealing for the financially challenged. McDonalds was the first to put out a dollar menu and the idea has spread from restaurant to restaurant, making fast food chains alluring to those trying to get a cheap meal.
However, I try to avoid all fast food chains due to health choices, and the price I’m paying for healthy food is a big chunk out of my income. Is it not ironic that the healthiest foods are the most expensive items on that shopping list?
I am not just speaking for low-income families who cannot afford staples. These days it reaches deep into the halls of campus. Any student who tries to maintain a mostly lean meat, fruit and vegetable diet, along with other low-calorie foods, knows that these are the foods that are the most expensive at the grocery store.
How are low-income families supposed to maintain a healthy diet, teach their children healthy eating habits, and live within their budgets? It’s a cycle that is not easily broken.
“Energy-dense foods composed of refined grains, added sugars or fats may represent the lowest-cost option,” Adam Drewnowski with the Center for Public Health Nutrition and the University of Washington, told Diet Blog. And for the people who are low on money, he says choosing these foods “may represent a deliberate attempt to save money.”
MU’s college of Human Environmental Sciences deals with these types of problems every day.
“We spend a lot of time teaching people to afford healthy foods,” Candance Gabel, a Human Environmental Sciences faculty member said. The college distributes brochures to lower-income families confronting the higher-priced healthy food options.
The “Two Meals for Ten Bucks” brochure boasts meals that are “easy to fix, great tasting, and good for your family!” These handouts consist of recipes, shopping lists, and other affordable tips to help families stay on their feet financially.
“I think low-income families need to set priorities, and use them, and get used to using them,” Gabel said.
I was very relieved myself by these handouts. The foods sound appealing. Things like “chicken noodle soup” and a “broccoli, ham and potato brunch casserole” are just some of the recipes the brochure provides. All the foods sound good, and are in my budget. As for advice for other college students like me, Gabel suggests: “Buy whatever is on sale, and shop the coupons.”
