Healthy Foods Need to be Cheaper

What would you consider a ""cheap food""? Would you think of an order of fries and a burger or a salad? More than likely, you were quick to say the fast food. However, how sad is it that we live in a world where we cannot get a good, healthy and nutritious meal for a decent price. Think about how many people are affected by health problems each year, which are traced back to their eating habits or poor dieting. To give a rough idea, three out of four people are not receiving the correct amount of nutrients they need on a daily basis. This includes fruits, vegetables, grains and many essential vitamins our bodies need to function well or properly. Which then leads to a long list of diseases and sicknesses that could easily be prevented with a healthy diet. Just to give an idea of some things people may experience if they do not monitor their eating habits would be: obesity, type two diabetes, diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, heart disease and even a possible stroke. On another note, how easy is it to go into a grocery outlet and grab pre-made frozen pizza bites and a family size bag of chips versus purchasing chicken breast, vegetables, rice and then having to go home and meal prep afterwards? The cheaper version happens to be more convenient anyways, why wouldn't the population lean more towards that choice? This is another issue when the price of healthy foods comes into play. Most people live their lives with convenience, with this being said if a busy mom needs a quick on the go snack for her kids, she is more likely to buy the cheap snacks at the cash register whereas you never seem to see healthy choices at cash registers? Could they include granola bars and nuts? Of course, they could but the customers will of course, go for the cheapest option.

To go into depth of my first purpose of my paper would be the population's health. You may begin to think to yourself, well they wouldn't heave health issues if they just ate right. Which, the sickness and diseases linked to poor dieting would no doubt be changed if they were to eat correctly. Which I will discuss more into that topic in another point. Now, if you were to think of the yearly number of deaths that are linked directly to unhealthy, poor diets you would be mind blown. So many people are affected by their eating habits and most don't even catch or fix themselves till it is too late. Which of course, is heart breaking. As said above, there are multiple scenarios that can occur. Some are more life threatening than others such as high blood pressure and type two diabetes. Although one may ""mean"" more than the other, it is still sad to know that some people experience a life altering situation because of the way they eat. Which brings me to my next point.

The average person spends about ten dollars a day in food, whether that be divided out of the grocery bill they brought home the other day or if it is stopping on the way home from school or work. With this being said, several people struggle living in a low-income household or even living from paycheck to paycheck. Yes, I know, there are some healthy foods available for a lower price. However, the overall pricing is a bit much. Having said that, what do you generally think of when you see poverty homes or low-income families? Do you think of salmon and rice for dinner? No, it would be more along the lines of noodles or hotdogs. Not even particularly ""junk food"" but food in general that is not best for our body always seems to be cheaper! Not to mention, the cheaper food sometimes has more quantity as well. To put that into perspective, let's discuss chips. A bag of Lay's potato chips is about two dollars whereas a much smaller bag of Sun Chips, which would be a healthier option is probably around the same price. However, a low-income family will go with quantity over quality. If you can feed six people for two dollars versus four, it is only obvious what the ultimate decision would be.

Who is affected by the prices of our groceries? Well, I would personally say anyone who purchases groceries. This includes wealthy people as well. Yes, this class of people may be able to afford it but who doesn't enjoy saving money? The intended audience for this petition ranges across the board. From the eighteen-year-old college students to the sixty-five-year-old couple that is already retired. Nutrition should be something easily accessible to everyone, at a reasonable price. The reason why I chose this topic was because I see it as an issue many people run into daily across the world. I believe something should be done about it. As I think it would change the entire world! Imagine the decrease in numbers of disease and sickness linked to poor dieting. It would be life changing, literally.

In conclusion of my research, the pricing of healthy food is sky rocketing. Which challenges a good chunk of the world's population to have a good diet and live in good health. Not only are the prices affecting people's health but their financial status. If someone was diagnosed with a sickness or disease and had a strict diet to follow, they're likely to break the bank just trying to follow the doctor's orders. Hopefully, in the near future this issue can be changed!

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