One of the reasons given for why so many of America's poor suffer from obesity and diseases like diabetes is because they can't afford healthy food and because fast food is so cheap. I want to dispute that.
I live in Brooklyn. I'm on the Q subway line, and my stop is Prospect Park. I live right off Flatbush Avenue. My neighborhood has a mixture of poor people, working class people, middle class people, and people who are well to do.
I'm a college-educated working-class dude. Which is to say I ain't rich. I have to count my pennies. And that's not a complaint. I have a nice life.
I'm going to tell you something that might surprise you: I can't afford to eat at McDonalds. It's simply too expensive.
A Big Mac value meal costs $5.69. That's a lot of money. And that's in Brooklyn, in Manhattan it would cost a lot more. Like I said, I count my pennies and I have to get the most bang for my buck. Which means when I go to work, the majority of time I tend to brown bag it.
Now that all said, I'm not starving to death. And I'm not doing the college student thing of living off of Ramen noodles either. In fact I eat like a king. My diet is very healthy and varied. In 6'3", I weigh about 226 I'm a big dude okay? I like to eat, and yet, food is my smallest expense. I can generally feed myself for about 30 bucks a week. Which is basically like eating for free in New York City.
Now I can't speak for conditions in other boroughs or other cities. But I will admit that Brooklyn is special, in that general it doesn't, matter where you live, you are pretty much near a vegetable stand. And we have about 4 supermarkets near me, and two little black-run health food stores. And a food co-op. And there is a farmer's market on Saturdays and Sundays at Prospect Park (which is a five-minute walk for me). And if I were so inclined, I could take a five-minute bus ride to Park Slope and get organic produce, if I were so inclined.
Like I said, Brooklyn is special.
In my neighborhood there are a lot of black people from the islands like Haiti and Jamaica. And Africans. And Puerto Ricans. And yeah white people. The thing that's interesting is, those vegetable stands do a lot of business. Some of them are open 24 hours. That should tell you something. And I'll tell you something else, because of the clientele and the ownership (who are Chinese) you can get some really exotic stuff. And it is cheap.
This is my reality. And the question of expense is not even a factor in terms of eating a healthy diet. And it's ironic that the only time expense becomes an issue is when I choose to unhealthy food. Then it gets expensive. Fast.
And it is an interesting thing to note that as long as people tend to stick to their indigenous diets they don't suffer all these health problems. It's the moment they begin participating in the standard American diet that things tend to go downhill.
Anyhow, today, I want to illustrate something. The difference between a fast food diet and a healthy diet:
McDonalds
Big Mac Value Meal: $5.59
You get: Big Mac hamburger, large french fries and a large soda.
Five meals cost: $39.83
Forty dollars a week is a lot of money to me. Especially when you consider that I
only get five meals out of it. And I know that fast food is probably cheaper in other places. The cost of living here is higher, and what is considered working class wages here in New York, is considered middle-class somewhere else. It's all relative. That all said, let me show you what I can do with forty dollars:
Friday's shopping list:
DRY GOODS/PANTRY
2 lbs. Pearled barley - $1.18
1 lb. Oatmeal - $1.19
1 lb. Raw peanuts - $1.49
1 lb. Bulgar rice - $1.99
3 lb. Brown rice - $3.19
1 lb. Lentils - $.89
1 lb. Black beans - $.99
2 lbs. Yellow peas - $1.00
1 lb. Lima beans - $.89
1 lb. Soy chips - $1.49
6 cans Thai coconut milk (13.5 fl. Oz.) - $3.00
1 loaf whole-wheat multi-grain bread - $2.49
6 oz. Coconut cream/butter - $.79
1 dozen eggs (medium)- .89
FRUITS/VEGETABLES
2 lb. Onions - $.99
1 Clove Garlic - $.25
3 lbs. Organic apples - $1.00
3 lbs. Bananas - $1.00
3 Plantains - $1.00
2 lbs. Carrots - $1.00
1 bunch of broccoli - $1.99
6 tomatoes - $1.49
2 lbs. Sweet potatoes - $1
4 lbs. Cabbage - $1.00
Bag of green peppers - $1.00
3 avocados - $2.00
1 head of lettuce - $.99
1 bunch of spinach - $1.00
5 red plums - $1.00
3 pears - $1.00
TOTAL: $39.18
I should point out, I'm a vegetarian who falls off the wagon from time to time. So that's why the list is the way it is. I could adjust it for meat, and you'd still get more bang for the buck than five meals at McDonald's. And there is no way in hell I'd be able to consume all of this food in one week's time. And I'm big dude.
A creative cook could make a million different things with these ingredients.And if you have a crock pot, time and effort isn't really a factor.
And this list isn't actually as varied as the food I usually eat in a week. Papayas, mangoes, peaches, grapes, persimmons, melon, oranges, a variety of nuts. I never get bored. And there is always a deal. Five peaches for $1. Four navel oranges for a dollar... whatever. I try to mix it up. Experiment. Ultimately, it's guiltless fun. Can't say that about potato chips or candy bars. And at the very least you have the satisfaction of knowing the snack is working for you and not against you.
I tend to eat my fruits and vegetables raw. Which saves a lot of time and expense. And it is interesting because you actually end up needing to eat less when you eat raw. And that's because uncooked food is more nutritious than cooked food. And I get more than enough protein (what people really should be concerned with is getting enough amino acids, which a plant-based diet can more than provide for).
And this isn't a call for people to go raw. I'm just telling you how I'm able to pull it off. I'll cook on the weekends, and I know that doesn't make me a raw food purist, but I gotta live.
Now you might ask what does this have to do with progressives? Well when you consider problems like obesity and diabates and like, and the rising costs of health care, especially Medicare and Medicaid. To me it's obvious. Getting ensuring easy access to fresh fruit and vegetables is actually cost effective. Fresh fruit and vegetables are cheaper than prescription drugs. It's cheaper than doctor's visit. It's cheaper for us as tax payers over the long haul.
It's ironic that we pay all of these farming subsidies to have food processed into unhealthy food, food that actually makes us sick as nation. I think it makes more sense to pay to have the food not processed. It makes more sense to subsidize organic farmer's markets in urban areas of need. It makes more sense to subsidize nutrition education so that people can make smart choices however they choose to eat.
I don't expect everyone to become vegetarian or to go organic or to go raw. And I have to be honest every once in a while I get a hankering for some chicken thighs, and yes, I keep the skin on. The skin is the best thing man. And beef jerky, I love peppered beef jerky. And no! Turkey jerky is not jerky! But I like turkey jerky too. Like I said, I'm not of the pure faith, but I'm tryiung.
That all said, I'd like to be able to make it easier for people to make a choice. Whatever that choice is. But mostly, I'd like folks just to have the choice.