Eating Habits Of The Poor

I have read a lot of articles lately about the poor eating habits of the poor. The most common recommendation seems to be "grow your own veggies". I think the following when I see that:

1. Fire escapes are to save lives in a fire. They need to be clear enough for everyone to move around on as they wait to climb down the ladder. You can't do that with pots of veggies out there. Most veggies get really big like tomatoes or peppers. They can't fit out there. While I did have a friend grow tomatoes in her trunk when she was living in her car, that's not a reasonable option for most people. They simply need that space.

2. There is a limited growing season for veggies. What are they supposed to do in the off season?

Soup Kitchens and Food Pantries help but they rely on food donations. They are also less likely to get fresh foods because of how quickly they go bad. The donated food is more likely to be the same canned and boxed stuff we are told to stay away from.

The studies all state the obvious...............poor people eat a lot of fast food. Well, duh! We feed all three of us at Burger King for between $13 and $14. It's one of our Friday night take out options. Here is the average cost of a cooked meal:

Pasta Salad: $4.06

Roasted Peppers - 2 nights $3.69 or $1.85 a night
Artichokes - 2 nights $1.89 or $0.95 a night
Small Container olives - 2 nights $0.99 or $0.50 a night
Oil - $3.79 a container or about $0.04 a night
Vinegar - $2.99 a container about or $0.15 for the one night
Garlic Powder - $8.99 a container or about $0.22 for the pasta for one night
Pasta - $1.39 a box or $0.35 a night



Protein:

London Broil - $7.98 (sale price just enough for one meal, no leftovers)
Oil - $0.04
Garlic Powder - $0.22
Total: $8.24

or

Chicken - $12.92 for 2 nights $6.46 a night
Oil - $0.04
Bread Crumbs - $2.39 a container about $0.80 a night
Eggs - $2.29 a carton or $0.76 a night
Flour - about $3.50 about 10 nights is $0.35 a night
Salsa - $2.49 a container or $1.25 a night
*It's been a while since we've needed flour. I have been using receipts for the other prices but this is an estimate. I dip the chicken in the flour, egg, and bread crumbs. It's hard to estimate how much I actually use. We also use lemon juice but it's possible to use just salsa OR lemon juice. Lemon's won't be that much cheaper since you need about 2 lemons for the one meal. It's probably close in cost.
Total: $9.66

Veggie:

Lettuce - $1.29

We have a few veggies with lunch so we only have lettuce at dinner. Most of the time I don't bother making veggies with dinner. It doesn't matter WHEN the veggies get eaten, only that they are eaten. I'll use the lettuce for a veggie reference but the cost of veggies vary significantly. The Red Leaf lettuce is $1.29 a pound. I'll use that for an estimated cost.

Total Cost of Dinner:

London Broil: $13.59
Chicken: $15

It costs the same for us to cook as it is to eat at Burger King. This didn't include the cost of electricity. We assume everyone can afford electricity but that's not the case. Some people don't have power to use to cook. You can't cook these meals if you live in your car or on the street. If you add the cost of electricity and dish soap, they cost MORE then Burger King.

Too often we focus on the meals themselves and forget about the other expenses that go into making the meals. Power for the stove, power for the lights to see when cooking, and dish soap to clean up afterwards, these are all things that are automatic for most people. But when every penny counts, those are pennies you think about when making decisions.

A lot of poor people skip meals too. The extra calories from unhealthy meals might help with the missed calories from a skipped breakfast. Especially since most poor people have labor-intensive jobs! This is why there is such a big push to raise the minimum wage. It's not about being able to afford more or better STUFF. It's about being able to afford to live healthier. When you don't have to worry about if you can pay the electric bill, you ARE more likely to cook meals like this at home. It might be a small difference when ALL expenses are considered, BUT you save a lot more in health expenses.

To me it seems that some people just want poor people to die. It doesn't matter to them if it's from a curable disease or hunger. Poor people aren't "too lazy to work". They are the ones not getting paid enough to live off of. They are the first to get laid off and in the fields that are less likely to need employees. Don't make assumptions about someone just from what you see.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/29/maria-fernandes-low-wage-work_n_5736790.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/01/diet-poor-eating-habits-wealth-inequality_n_5748874.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl9%7Csec3_lnk3%26pLid%3D523266