Eating healthy is not a rich-only habit

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Tying in with my last post on how to have fun in these days of scarcity, I started a discussion with some friends. According to them, obesity is acceptable because not everybody has the money to eat healthy. As opposed to most countries in the world, the cheapest food in the United States happens to be fast one.

I completely disagree with this statement though and have found indeed that healthy eating can be quite easy and affordable. I started doing some research on healthy, cheap food, and it so happens that the news media is starting to catch on to the trend. In this article in the LA times I found some tips on how to buy cheaply and still manage to be healthy. 

There are some tips in the article that I think are essential. The first one, is to give up organic food. I know many of us college students still have the full-hearted ambition to save the planet but sadly it is more costly and not much healthier. I agree with the LA times in this one entirely. 

The other tips listed that I apply in my own life are buying low-fat milk, eating whole grains, buying lots of vegetables and drinking cold water instead of soda or juices. 

A tip of my own: If you get along with your roommates and you eat considerably the same (this doesn’t usually apply for those living with the opposite sex) you can share the essentials. By that I mean milk, orange juice and bread. Also, you can go to Walmart and buy one of those huge chicken breast trays and keep them all in separate bags in the freezer. 

I am a firm believer that there is no such thing as excusable obesity unless you have a serious thyroid problem. Heart disease is one of the few lethal sicknesses that can actually be prevented, no matter if you are broke. Eating in is always healthier and cheaper than eating out and fast food is, therefore, never excusable.

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