Poor find obstacles to healthy eating

Even the 'middle income' families are finding obstacles to healthy eating when one tomato costs over $2.00 at the farmers' market...

local wrote:

Even the 'middle income' families are finding obstacles to healthy eating when one tomato costs over $2.00 at the farmers' market...

I make $17,500 a year before taxes. Wonder if that is middle income? No more childsupport though. No family. Single, free and 93 (93 in 41 years).

Keith retired Gun-bunny wrote:

<quoted text> I make $17,500 a year before taxes. Wonder if that is middle income? No more childsupport though. No family. Single, free and 93 (93 in 41 years).

If you are retired military, this country should buy your groceries. At least your tomatoes.

From the article:

"Fruits and vegetables are not available in poor neighborhoods," said Elaine Robinson, director of the Asheville-Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement.

The closest food store may be a corner convenience store, where fresh produce can be hard to come by. If a family doesn't own a car, its members must rely on the bus to get them to the closest grocery store, which takes both time and money."

Good article that from the CT to bring up the problems of "food deserts":

A food desert is an urban district with little or no access to foods needed to maintain a healthy diet, but often served by plenty of fast food restaurants.

The concept of 'access' may be interpreted in three separate ways.

'Physical access' to shops can be difficult if the shops are distant, the shopper is elderly or infirm, the area is hilly, public transport links are poor, and the consumer has no car. Also, the shop may be across a busy road, difficult to cross with children or with underpasses that some fear to use because of a crime risk. For some, such as the disabled, the inside of the shop may be hard to access physically if there are steps up, or the interior is cramped with no room for walking aids. Carrying fresh food home may also be hard for some.

'Financial access' is difficult if the consumer lacks the money to buy healthy foods (generally more expensive, calorie for calorie, than less healthy, sugary, and fatty 'junk foods') or if the shopper cannot afford the bus fare to remote shops selling fresh foods and instead uses local fast food outlets. Other forms of financial access barriers may be inability to afford storage space for food, or for the very poor, living in temporary accommodation that does not offer good cooking facilities.

Thirdly, the mental attitude or food knowledge of the consumer may prevent them accessing fresh vegetables. They may lack cooking knowledge, or have the idea that eating a healthy diet isn't important.

In some urban areas, grocery stores have withdrawn alongside residents that have fled to the suburbs (see urban sprawl). Low income earners and senior citizens who remain find healthy foods either unavailable or inaccessible as a result of high prices and/or unreachable locations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_desert

Of course, people on this forum will just blame the poor for being poor and say "If they can't afford to eat, they shouldn't be alive".

Only in America does it cost more to eat healthy. It costs much less to produce fresh foods than all that fried, canned, preservative ridden crap that costs a fraction the price.

Republicans LIE wrote:

From the article:
"Fruits and vegetables are not available in poor neighborhoods," said Elaine Robinson, director of the Asheville-Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement.
The closest food store may be a corner convenience store, where fresh produce can be hard to come by. If a family doesn't own a car, its members must rely on the bus to get them to the closest grocery store, which takes both time and money."
Good article that from the CT to bring up the problems of "food deserts":
A food desert is an urban district with little or no access to foods needed to maintain a healthy diet, but often served by plenty of fast food restaurants.
The concept of 'access' may be interpreted in three separate ways.
'Physical access' to shops can be difficult if the shops are distant, the shopper is elderly or infirm, the area is hilly, public transport links are poor, and the consumer has no car. Also, the shop may be across a busy road, difficult to cross with children or with underpasses that some fear to use because of a crime risk. For some, such as the disabled, the inside of the shop may be hard to access physically if there are steps up, or the interior is cramped with no room for walking aids. Carrying fresh food home may also be hard for some.
'Financial access' is difficult if the consumer lacks the money to buy healthy foods (generally more expensive, calorie for calorie, than less healthy, sugary, and fatty 'junk foods') or if the shopper cannot afford the bus fare to remote shops selling fresh foods and instead uses local fast food outlets. Other forms of financial access barriers may be inability to afford storage space for food, or for the very poor, living in temporary accommodation that does not offer good cooking facilities.
Thirdly, the mental attitude or food knowledge of the consumer may prevent them accessing fresh vegetables. They may lack cooking knowledge, or have the idea that eating a healthy diet isn't important.
In some urban areas, grocery stores have withdrawn alongside residents that have fled to the suburbs (see urban sprawl). Low income earners and senior citizens who remain find healthy foods either unavailable or inaccessible as a result of high prices and/or unreachable locations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_desert
Of course, people on this forum will just blame the poor for being poor and say "If they can't afford to eat, they shouldn't be alive".

Well, IN MY OPINION we should be sure ou elderly and widows and orphans have what they need to be healthy. Local churches should provide that.

And baby-daddies should feed their own. And if they can't feed them, they shoudn't HAVE them. And if we can't make them feed them, we should make them have vasectomies. My babies' daddy should not have to feed some other daddy's babies just because my babies' daddy works like a dog and their daddy can't seem to get it together.

But I also believe nutrition should be a required course in early elementary school, and junk food should be highly taxed.

local wrote:

<quoted text>
If you are retired military, this country should buy your groceries. At least your tomatoes.

I don't ask nothing from my country. I'm not retired military. Spent a couple of years in the military though. Not going back to Field Artillery, so I am retired from it. LOL. My country did not turn it's back on me in my time of need though, like my family did. I'm just a finacially poor mountain man, can't blame no one but myself. Nothing is holding me back now since I no longer owe childsupport. Nobody but myself to worry about. I have pride and respect for myself though and will support myself and not become a bum, alcoholic and/or drug addict.

I must say at least the people of Asheville or at least Bob White has more intelligence then Los Angeles city as a whole. Amazing in little old Asheville you see a real American. Government really should not have a hand in this. It should be a community thing.

Well until someone gets sick and the lawyers come teaming in. Maybe los angeles could start with banning lawyers instead of fast food.

Pinto beans,fried potatos,fresh veggies from the garden and corbread.

"... he is pulling fresh Swiss chard and corn out of the ground ..."

He may be pulling chard out of the ground, but he's picking corn off the stalk. Did the reporter see him "pulling ... corn out of the ground?"

Ft Meade wrote:

Pinto beans,fried potatos,fresh veggies from the garden and corbread.

Now you're talking!

Last Buffalo wrote:

<quoted text>
Now you're talking!

Good morning LB. I'm with you, that makes a great meal. Hope you have a great day!

Carolinakat wrote:

<quoted text>
Good morning LB. I'm with you, that makes a great meal. Hope you have a great day!

Back acha, now how about a plate of your biscuits and gravy? I'll get around to emailing later. Stay cool!

Last Buffalo wrote:

<quoted text>
Back acha, now how about a plate of your biscuits and gravy? I'll get around to emailing later. Stay cool!

Biscuits and gravy are definitely the way to a man's heart.

I am always blown away when someone tells me they spend 200/wk on groceries. today a garden, no matter how small, goes a long way. Learning simple canning can really help store tons of food for later use. I find that many don't have a clue as to growing fresh food in pots or in a garden.

Tarten wrote:

I am always blown away when someone tells me they spend 200/wk on groceries. today a garden, no matter how small, goes a long way. Learning simple canning can really help store tons of food for later use. I find that many don't have a clue as to growing fresh food in pots or in a garden.

if only everyone had a yard to plant a garden.

local wrote:

<quoted text>
Well, IN MY OPINION we should be sure ou elderly and widows and orphans have what they need to be healthy. Local churches should provide that.
And baby-daddies should feed their own. And if they can't feed them, they shoudn't HAVE them. And if we can't make them feed them, we should make them have vasectomies. My babies' daddy should not have to feed some other daddy's babies just because my babies' daddy works like a dog and their daddy can't seem to get it together.
But I also believe nutrition should be a required course in early elementary school, and junk food should be highly taxed.

Good points!

Last Buffalo wrote:

<quoted text>
Back acha, now how about a plate of your biscuits and gravy? I'll get around to emailing later. Stay cool!

Stop! y'all makin' me real hungry!!