Rich people aren't less likely to be obese because they can afford vegetables...

I can git a "Big Meal" size uh Flamin' Hot Cheeto's fo 99¢. Ain't no brockolee cost like that.

It's clear that you are a troll, but there is a lot of truth to what you are saying. My wife and kids were spending the week at the beach with my sister's family last week and I was home working... I had the house to myself.

I decided to see how cheap I could eat while remaining healthy. Get this: The only places I bought food the whole week were Whole Foods, Trader Joes and a farmer's market stand near my office.

I spent $108.34 for the entire week. This did not include the two nights when I went for beers with some friends.

Each night I ate fresh vegetables, rice or pasta and a protein. I actually had tofu 3 nights that week. Organic tofu is like $1.99 for a huge square.

I had oatmeal and eggs in the morning and made a lunch to take with me. My lunch was usually a salad and rice/beans but I switched it up a bit.

I ate like a king and spent next to nothing.

Here is what I found out:

Grains at the Trader Joes are SUPER cheap. You can get a week's worth of oatmeal for like a buck.

Also, get longer-lasting fruits/veggies at Trader Joes, too. Things like avacados and bananas.

365 brand at Whole Foods is a damn good deal, especially the organic stuff. Also, the price of meat is very reasonable as long as it isn't deli meat or steak.

You can buy a trash bag full of fresh vegetables at a farmer's market for next to nothing. Just make sure it isn't one of those pretend farmer's markets set up for rich people.

Okay, here is the hard part: No processed foods or snacks. That shit is so expensive. I popped popcorn and ate watermelon for snacks.

I totally figured out why we spend so much on food each week. It is the snack foods and cereals. That is where you get hammered.

ItsClear wrote:

...I decided to see how cheap I could eat while remaining healthy....I spent $108.34 for the entire week. This did not include the two nights when I went for beers with some friends...

$108.34 for one week and one person. For your family of four that is $433.36 per week. That hardly seems cheap.

I know that there are persistent trolls on here who go around claiming that it is easy to eat well for $3/day ($21/wk). Of course, they are full of shit. But still, I would think that one person should be able to eat well for $50 - $60 per week.

Math Counts wrote:

$108.34 for one week and one person. For your family of four that is $433.36 per week. That hardly seems cheap.

Right but why the f would you have a family of four if you were poor? Having kids when you can barely provide for yourself is the dumbest possible thing you could do.

I am in a similar situation and so far this week in 5 days plus I have spent a total of $20 on a southern buffet and a sub sandwich. Otherwise, I have subsisted on the cereal, pasta, tacos, cheese, a few vegetables, and milk that we already had>>total amount there is about $10. That's $30. The fact is, though, that you can typically get by far the most calories for the buck with junk foods, the very foods that fill 95% of any supermarket and 100% of convenience stores. You need some knowledge to eat well even very cheaply. With the whole family here, fruits and vegetables amount to a very major share of our grocery bill, and they only last about half the week. Cereal, by contrast, costs about $6/week for the family.

Math Counts wrote:

[quote]ItsClear wrote:

$108.34 for one week and one person. For your family of four that is $433.36 per week. That hardly seems cheap.

I know that there are persistent trolls on here who go around claiming that it is easy to eat well for $3/day ($21/wk). Of course, they are full of shit. But still, I would think that one person should be able to eat well for $50 - $60 per week.

We spend only a little more than that (on average) for a family of 4.

I have my posse liberate grub at WholePaycheck. I spend about $40 a year on food.

Amaar wrote:

Math Counts wrote:

$108.34 for one week and one person. For your family of four that is $433.36 per week. That hardly seems cheap.

Right but why the f would you have a family of four if you were poor? Having kids when you can barely provide for yourself is the dumbest possible thing you could do.

Ummm...Pretty sure that ItsClear mentioned a wife and kids. This would imply a family of at least four in total.

Try to keep up.

If people eat less junk food it'll cost them less and they'll weigh less. People don't need THAT MUCH. Just have an item less or whatever.

I agree healthy food is expensive in most places.

Yes, i spent that on one person, but I ate well and we still have a good deal of the stuff left over. Plus, I run 80 mpw and my wife and kids are eating NOWHERE near the amount that I eat. I would go as far as saying that we could have fed all four of us on the food I purchased during that week.

My point was that you can eat very healthy, non-processed foods without breaking the bank. Sure, you can eat for $20 at the local southern comfort buffet, but you will be enormous.

Wow, what a world you live in when over 100 a week for groceries for one person isn't that expensive.

The rise in obesity rates in the US has clearly followed a rise in the average intake of calories. Most of the increased caloric intake has been from carbs, protein and fat. The rise in obesity rates has also correlated to a decline in physical activity and a rise in sedentary lifestyles. The Amish eat meat, cheese and bread all day (basically a 19th century German diet) but have a fraction of the obesity compared to the US population in general. The Amish also walk an average of 6 miles a day.

In lower income families the problem is that there is minimal time for food preparation due to long work days, working two jobs or working late shifts. Lower income families will frequently rely on fast food for meals or will cook the fastest and easiest meals from the frozen food section of the grocery store. Lower income families rarely have good access to health clubs, parks and other recreational facilities and many will keep kids inside to avoid gangs and crime in the neighborhood.

Sure, it is certainly possible for very diligent parents to make sure they are eating a good diet and get the family out for physical activity as much as possible. But the reality is that lower income families struggle mightily just to get by with what little they have. They will by a box of Little Debbie snack cakes for $3 that will keep for weeks instead of $3 for 2-3 fresh peaches that will only keep for a few days.

Precious Roy wrote:

The rise in obesity rates in the US has clearly followed a rise in the average intake of calories. Most of the increased caloric intake has been from carbs, protein and fat.

As opposed to what? haha

Math Counts wrote:

$108.34 for one week and one person. For your family of four that is $433.36 per week. That hardly seems cheap.

I know that there are persistent trolls on here who go around claiming that it is easy to eat well for $3/day ($21/wk). Of course, they are full of shit. But still, I would think that one person should be able to eat well for $50 - $60 per week.

Hey, any Letsrun forumites want to take a trip to rural India? Let's see how many obese people we can find, and calculate average wages, living expenses, food expenditure and medical expenditures! LOL!!!

[

Ummm...Pretty sure that ItsClear mentioned a wife and kids. This would imply a family of at least four in total.

Try to keep up.

Pretty sure he said the wife and kids were away and he tried to see how cheaply he could eat, while eating healthy.

You try to keep up and stop being such a meany.

So it takes $15 a day per person to buy healthy groceries. $5400 per person per year, or about $20,000 for a family of four. One person in the family needs to work full time at $10/hr just to feed the family.

Ted Underhill wrote:

[

Ummm...Pretty sure that ItsClear mentioned a wife and kids. This would imply a family of at least four in total.

Try to keep up.

Pretty sure he said the wife and kids were away and he tried to see how cheaply he could eat, while eating healthy.

You try to keep up and stop being such a meany.

Ummm...pretty sure that is completely irrelevant to the sequence of posts that you are replying to.

Sorry if you are too stupid to understand such simple concepts.

whole paycheck wrote:

So it takes $15 a day per person to buy healthy groceries. $5400 per person per year, or about $20,000 for a family of four. One person in the family needs to work full time at $10/hr just to feed the family.

That is $10/hr after taxes. What is the income tax rate there? 30%?

asdfe wrote:

Precious Roy wrote:

The rise in obesity rates in the US has clearly followed a rise in the average intake of calories. Most of the increased caloric intake has been from carbs, protein and fat.

As opposed to what? haha

Alcohol, I suppose.