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It's shocking, especially considering that failing two of those tests initially requires deliberate effort (smoking and bodyfat), even if after this point rever

by djhn 11y ago

It's shocking, especially considering that failing two of those tests initially requires deliberate effort (smoking and bodyfat), even if after this point reversal is far more complicated and difficult. Another two, daily activity and healthy food, have also become "non-default" behaviour only in the past couple of decades. Consider that increases in free time (for activity) and the fact that eating a healthy diet has never been as easy or less costly than now. Does anyone have similar data for other countries, cultures or regions?

deleted 11y ago
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sethammons 11y ago
Why do you say that eating healthy has never been less costly? Easy, maybe (the Internet makes information easier to find and global trade and larger super markets make it potentially easier to find), but I don't feel that healthy is less costly. Annecdata: I recall that vegetables and healthier breakfast cereals were cheaper than junk foods in the 80's. Now, due to mostly demand, it seems to have flipped. Add to that that the overall growth in the price of food had outpaced the the growth in household income over the last three decades (on mobile, hard to find a source), and I begin to understand how my mostly healthy groceries take up such a large percent of my income. And if we think of it in terms of healthy vs unhealthy foods and cost, I could save a lot of money by only feeding the family pasta or processed foods. Healthy foods costs more than unhealthy foods (excluding potential health issues).
- djhn 11y ago
  I'm open to being wrong. This would be an interesting point to research as an economist. You're right in that in the past 50 years unhealthy food has become relatively cheaper compared to healthy food. My thought was comparing the cost of a particular balance of nutritional value from now, to past centuries and millennia. Maybe it doesn't hold for the economic "golden years" in America from 1950-1970. My completely arbitrary estimate is that total food costs as a percentage of total household consumption has plummeted from something like 40-50% to about 2-5%. Of course, there are regional differences. At the moment, in the developing world getting enough protein is a challenge. For many historically meat was prohibitively expensive. But it wasn't so for people close to hunting or fishing industries.
  - sethammons 11y ago
    Man, I wish I spent that little. My family is closer to 20% of household income spent on groceries, and I make good money, too.

by djhn 11y ago

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

sethammons 11y ago

Why do you say that eating healthy has never been less costly? Easy, maybe (the Internet makes information easier to find and global trade and larger super markets make it potentially easier to find), but I don't feel that healthy is less costly. Annecdata: I recall that vegetables and healthier breakfast cereals were cheaper than junk foods in the 80's. Now, due to mostly demand, it seems to have flipped. Add to that that the overall growth in the price of food had outpaced the the growth in household income over the last three decades (on mobile, hard to find a source), and I begin to understand how my mostly healthy groceries take up such a large percent of my income. And if we think of it in terms of healthy vs unhealthy foods and cost, I could save a lot of money by only feeding the family pasta or processed foods. Healthy foods costs more than unhealthy foods (excluding potential health issues).

djhn 11y ago
I'm open to being wrong. This would be an interesting point to research as an economist. You're right in that in the past 50 years unhealthy food has become relatively cheaper compared to healthy food. My thought was comparing the cost of a particular balance of nutritional value from now, to past centuries and millennia. Maybe it doesn't hold for the economic "golden years" in America from 1950-1970. My completely arbitrary estimate is that total food costs as a percentage of total household consumption has plummeted from something like 40-50% to about 2-5%. Of course, there are regional differences. At the moment, in the developing world getting enough protein is a challenge. For many historically meat was prohibitively expensive. But it wasn't so for people close to hunting or fishing industries.
- sethammons 11y ago
  Man, I wish I spent that little. My family is closer to 20% of household income spent on groceries, and I make good money, too.