Okay, so I may have a few conspiracy theories running around in my head - but before you cry "NUT ALERT" just hear me out.
The government, or more specifically, the USDA, has had a list or pyramid, if you will, of foods that we should eat. Well at least the types of foods that the average person should consume as well as the quantities of such foods. Over the years, the pyramid has been tweaked here and there. Here's a link for the new revamped pyramid http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/index.html. This is a great link. It's interactive (gotta love that) and it breaks it down for you by food group. AND, there's also a link specific to children!
So clearly, the government has made sure that the information is out there so that we know what to eat. Or at least know what we are SUPPOSED to eat. But are we eating it? Really? All the time? No? Why not? Come on, we're all friends here, right? Because it's expensive to eat "right". Let's examine, shall we?
At Fast Freddie's Burger Barn (I made this name up. So, if there's really a Fast Freddie's Burger Barn I had no idea!), you can have a double cheeseburger, order of fries, 2 apple pies and a 32 ounce soft drink - all for a dollar each. If you are on a budget (and really, who isn't) this seems like a pretty good deal, right? So you eat there because, hey, Fast Freddie's Burger Barn is what you can afford. Then you start to notice that your clothes don't fit, that you're having a hard time taking the stairs at work - YOU'VE gotten fat!!! Why? Could it be attributed to your staple food at Fast Freddie's? Because you couldn't afford to purchase the "right" food at the supermarket?
Sure, who doesn't like a little burger and fry combo from time to time? But if you find yourself eating at Fast Freddie's everyday, 2 or 3 times a day because you make TOO MUCH to qualify for food stamps/assistance but don't make enough to purchase healthy food choices and keep the lights on, roof over the heads of your families and clothes on their backs - then at what point does someone step in and say, "this is wrong"?
I suppose my question is this - since obesity is beginning to reach epic proportions (bad pun), wouldn't it make more sense to have the foods that aren't so good for you cost more than the foods that we SHOULD be eating? Shouldn't fresh fruits, vegetables, lean cuts of meat - shouldn't these items be less expensive then say a box of _________ snack cakes? That way those Fast Freddie Fries (sounds good, right? Cajun seasoning?) could become the luxury, once-in-awhile items that they were intended to be.
I'm just saying...
Mackgurl
The government, or more specifically, the USDA, has had a list or pyramid, if you will, of foods that we should eat. Well at least the types of foods that the average person should consume as well as the quantities of such foods. Over the years, the pyramid has been tweaked here and there. Here's a link for the new revamped pyramid http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/index.html. This is a great link. It's interactive (gotta love that) and it breaks it down for you by food group. AND, there's also a link specific to children!
So clearly, the government has made sure that the information is out there so that we know what to eat. Or at least know what we are SUPPOSED to eat. But are we eating it? Really? All the time? No? Why not? Come on, we're all friends here, right? Because it's expensive to eat "right". Let's examine, shall we?
At Fast Freddie's Burger Barn (I made this name up. So, if there's really a Fast Freddie's Burger Barn I had no idea!), you can have a double cheeseburger, order of fries, 2 apple pies and a 32 ounce soft drink - all for a dollar each. If you are on a budget (and really, who isn't) this seems like a pretty good deal, right? So you eat there because, hey, Fast Freddie's Burger Barn is what you can afford. Then you start to notice that your clothes don't fit, that you're having a hard time taking the stairs at work - YOU'VE gotten fat!!! Why? Could it be attributed to your staple food at Fast Freddie's? Because you couldn't afford to purchase the "right" food at the supermarket?
Sure, who doesn't like a little burger and fry combo from time to time? But if you find yourself eating at Fast Freddie's everyday, 2 or 3 times a day because you make TOO MUCH to qualify for food stamps/assistance but don't make enough to purchase healthy food choices and keep the lights on, roof over the heads of your families and clothes on their backs - then at what point does someone step in and say, "this is wrong"?
I suppose my question is this - since obesity is beginning to reach epic proportions (bad pun), wouldn't it make more sense to have the foods that aren't so good for you cost more than the foods that we SHOULD be eating? Shouldn't fresh fruits, vegetables, lean cuts of meat - shouldn't these items be less expensive then say a box of _________ snack cakes? That way those Fast Freddie Fries (sounds good, right? Cajun seasoning?) could become the luxury, once-in-awhile items that they were intended to be.
I'm just saying...
Mackgurl
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