You’re reading a blog written by a former chunker. In high school I almost touched 1/8 of a ton (that’s 250 lbs for the mathematically challenged). I lost quite a bit of this weight due to motivation but I will never have a six-pack, unless you count Sam Adams. Losing weight is expensive, not that I had to deal with that in high school, but today it’s really hard to commit the financial resources necessary for a healthy lifestyle.
Not surprisingly, I’m not the only person dealing with this. You’ve probably noticed your own grocery shopping habits have changed during the recession. Maybe you went to Wal-Mart once or just looked around for cheaper foods. As it turns out, the recession has had a strong enough effect on our spending habits that the US is now at a greater risk for Diabetes and we’re getting fatter. Out with the expensive produce, in with the Ramen noodles.
The fact that this is occurring at all makes healthy food a discretionary item to Americans. Like vacations, luxury cars, and cool electronics, healthy foods are apparently a reasonable cutback during tough economic times. Listen to me very carefully, a healthy diet should be right up there with shelter, water, and clothing. It’s more important than getting proper exercise. Eating healthy keeps your energy up and keeps you alive longer. The longer you live and the healthier you are, the longer you’ll be able to work. So it’s worth putting off retirement for a month or two over the course of your career to buy healthier foods.
But you’re not going to listen to me, you probably don’t even think this applies to you. Just like all those studies that show how fat we are, you’re just happy to not be the fattest. That’s fine with me, the sooner you die, the sooner another job opens up for someone willing to take care of themselves.
I’ll leave you with a list of necessities for your health that can keep money in your wallet in time of need. Some cost more than the cheapest option, but you’ll be full longer and be able to avoid skipping meals.
- Ignore organic
- Frozen veggies are cheap
- Walking counts as exercise (just do it 30-60 minutes a day)
- Canned chicken and tuna are cheap sources of low fat protein
- For the price of fast food you can get fresh produce
- There are always apples or grapes on special, get them
- 100% whole grain wheat bread, no exceptions
- Cereal is really cheap, eat in moderation with some kind of fruit
- Bananas are probably the cheapest and most portable fruit
- All natural peanut butter
- Black coffee and any unsweetened tea
Feel free to add your own in the comments.
Photo: Kyle May
 By The Weakonomist |
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Shh… fat people cost less in health insurance over their lifetime… we need them to keep our costs down
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