Our Floor Forums - Floor Covering Media

You are what you eat!

Posted on: 03-11-2023 by Elizabeth Yokel

Most people are familiar with the expression 'You are what you eat.' While it's true, maintaining a healthy diet is beginning to depend more on a person's discretionary income, unfortunately, as food prices continue to rise. Tragically, people with lower income and larger familes cannot afford to eat as healthy as the wealthy and they are consuming what they can afford: large quantities of ultra-processed foods. Healthy foods are an obvious choice if you're wealthy. But what happens when your not wealthy? How does a person or couple raising larger families decide between paying the rent or feeding their family?

It’s not a complicated decision. Or is it? What if you're poor or low income? Healthy foods are still the obvious choice. Why do you settle for processed foods? Because it's all you can afford? Poor people in poor neighborhoods usually shop at local stores in their area. Superstores with healthy foods are typically located in wealthy neighborhoods frequented by affluent shoppers who can afford their premium prices. Convenience stores with processed foods are typically located within income disadvantaged areas frequented by income challenged shoppers with large families constrained to a tight budget.

Unfortunately, convenience stores with processed foods are what usually populate the commercial landscape of poor and low income neighborhoods. Superstores aren't financially or geographically feasible for poor people without vehicles or access to mass transit. Living hand to mouth, they're exhausted. These people work multple jobs and don't have much of a choice. So they continue shopping at the local convenience stores nearby within rural areas off the beaten path of truck routes with less selection of healthy foods.

There is a disturbing trend of reported health risks among the working class raising families with a narrow variety of food choices. It's important to remember eating poorly isn't a choice for them, as it is all that they can afford.

What health risks? Obesity, diabetes, cancer and dementia, according to a comprehensive study in the country of Brazil, where researchers studied the dietary habits of 10,000 participants. The average age of these study participants was 51. The study was notably conducted for an entire decade.

What were their findings? People consuming over 20% of their calories from ultra-processed foods actually experienced a 28% faster rate of cognitive decline; compared to the those participating in the study who were consuming under 20%. This aforementioned figure was not a high threshold after considering that 20% of the average 2,000-calorie diet amounts to 400 calories and most Americans average approximately 58% of their calories from ultra-processed foods. This study’s sample size of 10,000 people is actually not an unsubstantial one and neither is the decades-long time time.

According to an unnamed nutritional specialist who was not part of the study, there was an extensive post study follow up. People with a pronounced interest in learning more reached out to the study participants for clarification.

The study results are short of proof. But it suggests that overindulging in ultra-processed foods is unlikely the best food for maintaining a healthy brain. Though how does someone on a limited budget avoid consuming ultra-processed foods? Is the widening wealth gap the root cause of this problem?

Movie enthusiasts: There is a thought provoking title: A Place At The Table. This particular movie is worth watching, as it shines a light on a dark secret: the plight of the poor in an inflation-plagued nation; it's not a third world country. It's The US. These starving people reside in one of the most wealthy countries in the entire world. Yet they are plagued with assorted health problems, likely because they can’t afford to buy healthy food for their family!