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> but the point is that the processed diet drives more calorie consumption My main gripe with this line of argument is that people rarely take price into accou
by radcon 7y ago
> but the point is that the processed diet drives more calorie consumption
My main gripe with this line of argument is that people rarely take price into account. It's pretty expensive to eat 2,000 calories of fresh food vs. 2,000 calories of junk food. I don't think it's some intrinsic quality of the food that's causing people to gain weight. I think many people who struggle with weight will eat as much as their money can get them, and your dollar goes a lot farther when you're buying junk food.
I also think we have a serious affordability problem when it comes to things like fruits, vegetables, lean meat, etc. People say fruit is cheap and sure, you might be able to get an Apple for $1, but that doesn't get you many calories. You need to fill out your diet with a lot of stuff like rice and beans if you're trying to eat cheap AND healthy. It's even worse if you look at prepared food, e.g. $11 for a 400 calorie salad at Panera. Assuming all your calories come at the same cost, you're spending $1,600 per month on food.
A fresh salad shouldn't be a luxury that only the rich can afford, but that seems to be the current state of affairs.
- swsieber 7y ago> I don't think it's some intrinsic quality of the food that's causing people to gain weight. This study seems to suggest that there is some intrinsic quality that causes them to eat more of it, and thus gain weight. I'm not saying that money isn't a concern (it is). But the money concern doesn't negate the intrinsic qualities.
- cableshaft 7y agoI actually used to lose more weight when I was really poor than I am now. I'd buy like a single Totino's pizza at 660 calories for around a $1 and I could make that plus maybe a sandwich or a burrito from Taco Bell or something last me all day. Probably had about 1200-1400 calories a day most days, and spent $3 or less. Now I'm spending like $10-20 a meal for two meals, and I'm probably consuming well over 2000 calories a day, probably 3000 a lot of days, eating things like Poke and Mediterranean salads and the like (not exclusively, I have unhealthy meals also). I realize I am just anecdata and not representative of poor eating habits in general. Studies seem to suggest that was an anomaly. I had Totino's pizza again the other day. Still good, still can get them for $1.50 or less. Just seems like I need to eat a lot healthier as far as food quality now, at least on average.
- m463 7y agoOn the other hand, your body seems to want to eat more junk food. So your body wants 1492 calories of fresh food, and wants 1492 + 508 = 2000 calories of junk food. I also think there are obvious optimizations you can do. compare whole food vs junk calories for say frugal lentils vs expensive chocolate and you might invert your formula.
- belltaco 7y agoReminds me of the time I was eating whole plant vegan food. We went to Nandos Peri Peri, a famous Peruvian chain. I ordered salad for like 8 or 9 bucks, but was extremely hungry when I got back to my desk. So I checked the calories on their menu, and the salad had 40 calories.