The Economy and your Diet

The economy is in the tank. There's no doubt that we are facing lean times that are likely to last for the foreseeable future. If you're like most people, you're trying to figure out the expenses you can cut out of your budget and those that remain essential.

This is a reprint of an article I wrote for the Northwest Asian Weekly last year. I thought it would be a good reminder for us during these lean times.

Rising Food Prices: the Silver Lining

By now, you’ve surely experienced pain at the gas pump and at the grocery store. It seems like the price of living is getting higher and there’s little relief in sight. While many of us have suffered through temporary price hikes at some point, economists tell us that these prices are not likely to come down in the future. That means that waiting patiently for life to get cheaper is not an option. It’s time to do some serious thinking about the choices we make. There is no doubt that rising prices of corn, wheat, dairy, rice, sugar and other staples has put a crunch on the pocketbook. How are the current conditions changing your trip to the grocery store?

Before we get swept away by fears that the sky is falling, let’s put our food prices in perspective. The Department of Agriculture states that U.S. families spent 9.9% of their disposable income on food in 2006. Twenty years ago, U.S. families spent 11% of their disposable income while thirty years ago, we spent 13.4%. In 1929, Americans spent a whopping 23.4% of their disposable income on food. While statistics haven’t been calculated for 2007-2008, it is clear that we’ve become accustomed to spending a smaller percentage of our income on our food than ever before.

Add to the mix this data; since 1970, the average American,

1. Eats 16 percent more food
2. Consumes an extra 79 pounds of high fructose corn syrup per year
3. Eats 22 more pounds of meat per year
4. Eats 19% more sugar per year.

The USDA estimates that of all the food that Americans purchase in retail stores, fresh fruits and vegetables only account for 8% of our total food expenditures. In contrast, over 30% of our money goes toward processed foods & junk foods including soda, candy, chips and cookies. Then consider that 1/3 of Americans’ overall intake of vegetables actually comes from French fries, potato chips and iceberg lettuce.

James W. Frick quoted, “Don’t tell me where your priorities are. Show me where you spend your money and I’ll tell you what they are.”

Have we become a nation that doesn’t prioritize healthy foods? Have we become a nation that prioritizes junk foods over healthy foods? A recent Gallup poll showed that Americans believe that healthcare should be one of the top concerns for government to address. It’s no secret that we value health but when you see where we put our money (and therefore our priorities), it is difficult to make the argument that we genuinely prioritize good health. There is a massive disconnect between what we say we value and the foods we consume.

Admittedly, none of us are happy about paying more for essential food items. But the silver lining in this situation is the opportunity to rethink our approach toward food. Food is more than just fuel to get you through the day. Food builds health. Food is medicine. Food has the power like nothing else to drive you toward abundance, vitality and energy.

As food prices soar, we can minimize the shock to our wallets by putting our dollars where they really pay off. Put your money into fresh fruits & vegetables, whole grains and healthy protein choices. Imagine cutting 30% off your grocery bill by eliminating processed and junk foods! This leaves plenty of change to buy the foods you need to keep you well.

Many of us were not duly motivated to make appropriate dietary choices when there was an abundance of cheap food. Now that the economy is forcing us to decide which foods deserve our dollar, let’s make good decisions.