Pricey Grocery Stores Attract Skinniest Shoppers

I'm sure by now you've noticed that I exceeded my $150 monthly food budget in just a couple weeks. I'm improving as the weeks go by, but still, in the end I'm being proven wrong. There's no doubt about it.

As further proof, a friend sent me a link to a recent article on MSNBC recently about a survey done in Seattle. The survey found that obesity rates were higher in lower-end grocery stores than in higher-end grocery stores. Whole Foods shoppers had an obesity rate of just 4% while Albertsons shoppers rang in at a whopping 38%. The study's lead author, Adam Drewnowski, said these findings suggested that obesity is linked with income level. And, furthermore, healthy food is more expensive.

I found another article by the survey's lead author published in the November/December 2009 issue of Nutrition Today entitled, "Can Low-Income Americans Afford a Healthy Diet?" In short, the answer is no. He says that lower-income households purchase cheaper, more energy-dense foods like cereals, pasta, potatoes, legumes, and fatty meats. And their vegetables and fruits are often limited to iceberg lettuce, potatoes, canned corn, bananas, and frozen OJ. Incidentally, does this sound like a Midwest diet to anyone else? Or just my household's diet???

The article also talked about the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) put out by the US Department of Agriculture to support the argument that healthy diets can be inexpensive. The TFP is used as the basis for maximum food stamp allowance. In June 2008, the TFP was estimated at $588.30 per month for a family of four. Um, that's roughly my food budget times four. Drewnowski also argues that the TFP is low in palatability and variety, and also time intensive to prepare, a luxury many low-income Americans don't have.

So clearly, this is not going to work out for me. I'll keep trying and see this venture to the end, if for no other reason to see just how wrong I am.

Link to MSNBC article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37280972/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/

Link to Thrifty Food Plan: http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/MiscPubs/TFP2006Report.pdf