Last time, I shared some tips to buy healthy food at lower prices. However, some people don’t realize that while processed food looks so cheap in the grocery aisle, the long-term cost is much higher.
The American Diet – Cheap Food
Processed and junk foods are the largest source of calories in the American diet. Topping the list are grain-based foods such as bread, pasta, pastries, and pizza, as well as desserts like cookies, doughnuts, granola bars, and dairy desserts like ice cream. These foods are also among Americans’ top 10 sources of calories.
The sad thing is that those types of foods are what’s advertised to the American public. The advertising budget for these processed and junk food giants is over $ 4 billion annually!
Why Is Healthy Food More Expensive?
We have the cheapest processed and refined foods of any country on this planet, so it’s easy to think that healthy foods are more expensive. Processed foods are cheap because our government subsidizes the manufacturing cost to make the foods. (You should be asking why they would do that.) On the other side of this food issue is that very few funding subsidies exist for healthy foods like produce, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, and whole grains. These policies make those foods more expensive to buy.
If we review this situation, a few points become apparent.
- Processed and refined foods are cheaper. That’s a given. But the dollar menu is really the billion-dollar menu because of the billions in health care costs it causes.
- Studies show that the consumption of processed and refined foods are the root cause of most illness and disease for Americans.
- Our most recent data indicate that 75% to 80% of Americans are suffering from a preventable illness or disease. Preventable means a choice could have been made to prevent the illness or disease.
Recent studies also indicate that less than 12% of Americans eat the government-recommended three vegetables and two fruits per day. (Even that amount isn’t enough to promote a healthy body. It’s just enough to prevent some illnesses.) If only 12% eat the recommended five a day, then 88% eat nutrient-depleted and toxic chemical-laden foods.
75% of Americans are suffering from illnesses and diseases such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, IBS, depression, anxiety, obesity, eczema, and psoriasis. I see a relationship between these facts, do you?
In the long run, the overwhelming cost of medical care outweighs the cost of simply buying healthy food. Although food may be cheap, your health costs you in doctor’s visits, medications, and eventually quality of life. Pay for it now, or pay for it later. I’d rather choose to eat healthy now and not be dependent later on artificial medication and doctors to maintain my lifestyle.
You can help out your body by drinking nutritionally rich Vive Shake. Contact us at 877-878-3009 or info@viveshake.com for more information. Next time, I’ll dive into more details about why American food will never be healthy.