Many people know that even if they havent felt the pinch of the looming recession that they will have to tighten their purse strings if they are going to get through it. The problem is that most people will unknowingly neglect the quality of the foods that they take in simply to get their dollar further. It is alright to save on other unnecessary things but you should never skimp out on the dietary needs of your family.
There was a very interesting article published in a local weight loss magazine that stated that Americans are some of the most obese people in the world. According to them, we have some of the highest rates of heart disease in the industrialized world. This was even before the terrible turn in the economy. The funny thing though was how the belt tightening of the general American population has actually increased our levels of obesity and risk of heart disease. As you might imagine this is rather counter intuitive. Most people would think that if you are tightening your belt and spending less on food that you should actually get a little skinnier and not be exposed to higher risks of heart disease.
When investigating we came upon the answer to this strange phenomenon. It is mainly down to the pricing structure of foods in the US being radically different compared to other less industrialized nations. During the industrializing of the US and in the early post-war era, Americans demanded more meat and didnt have as much demand for vegetables. As a result of the economy of scales, animal proteins and fats are actually cheaper to buy than vegetables and low G.I (glycemic index) carbohydrates. Shoppers looking for deals in supermarkets can very easily purchase off cuts of meat that have been ground up for a mere few cents per pound.
It is this imbalance in terms of pricing foods that have made Americans so obese for so many years. The problem is now that a lot of Americans are losing their jobs and are in financial distress, they are turning to foods which are of even lower quality in the hope that they can save money. These cheaper cuts of meat are often ones with low protein and are high in fat. The cheap staples like potatoes and rice have very high G.I (glycemic index) and are generally bad for you too. Combine these cheap foods and the bargain basement price for fizzy pop and sweets and you have the recipe for one of the worst diet programs on earth.
Just to make matters worst are the huge number of fast food restaurants and diners which offer some of the cheapest meals available. Although the immediate response would be to lower ones pickiness when it comes to food, having cheap meals at the diner of at fast food restaurants are extremely unhealthy. There will be a marked deterioration of your health through eating too much fatty meats and also not eating enough fresh green vegetables to provide vital nutrients like vitamins, fiber and anti-oxidants.
Although it may seem at first that you have to make the choice between either maintaining your health of keeping your wallet happy, the decision doesnt have to be like that. You can get foods that are good for your health while still keeping your wallet happy. The only down-side is that you have to put extra effort in looking for quality foods. For the best health you should aim for freshness, leanness and fiber in your diet. You can get very fresh vegetables from farmer markets at extremely competitive prices. Cheap cuts of meat that are still lean can be obtained from your small-time butchers at very decent price too. It is all just a matter of looking around and finding foods that are nutritional and not simply relying on what supermarkets are able to provide.
The trick to getting a good diet in even if you are in financial distress is to shop carefully and not simply find easy solutions by choosing food that is of lower quality. You should never look at canned foods as alternatives to properly cooked fresh foods. The problem is that you just have to spend just a bit more time in sourcing for your foods that you can cook yourself.
