Tiffany Ritter
The Editorial Reflection
English 151
11 November 2012
Can You Afford to Eat Healthy? The obesity rate in the United States continues to rise year after year. Researchers are working to find the cause and reverse it. The problem is there is more than just one cause; we just have to find the biggest issue and fix it. The cost of healthy foods is not in the price range of many Americans; therefore, they continue to eat cheaper, fattier foods. Obesity rates could be reduced if the prices on healthy foods were reduced and more accessible to the general public. Cost is a major factor when shopping for groceries for many families. If healthy foods were more affordable than unhealthy food and snacks, Americans would choose to buy them more often than not.
The amount of low income families in the United States is continuing to rise. Sullivan says, “Census figures for 2011 show that the official poverty rate will rise from 15.1% in 2010, climbing as high as 15.7%, putting poverty at the highest level since 1965” (“U.S. Poverty Nearing Highest Rate Since 1965”). Therefore, the number of people who will be able to afford healthy foods will continue to decrease. Low income families tend to buy cheaper foods because they have no other option. For example, the McDonalds menu offers a cheap and affordable dollar menu, while the grocery stores provide overpriced fresh fruits and vegetables that are out of many families’ budgets. Families are increasingly becoming overweight because they simply cannot afford to eat healthy. Even the families that are trying to avoid fast food restaurants still end up steering towards the unhealthy foods at the grocery store because of the price difference. Wiggins believes, “Cash-poor consumers are ditching healthy, more expensive foods such as smoothies and organic vegetables for cheaper, less healthy ones such as hamburgers