The Economics of "Diet"

The Economics of "Diet"

Mike put together a great recap on a “diet” last week and so I am going to “piggy-back” on that regarding the economics of a good diet.

As Mike pointed out there are many diets that come and go in the media and many scientists and dietitians refer to the "Mediterranean diet” as the pinnacle relationship with food. Many people draw attention to the rich concentration of omega 3’s and Omega 6’s that come from fresh fish or the use of extra virgin olive oil. With all of this information at our fingertips Americans did what Americans do best… We tried to create shortcuts. We developed supplements that contained high concentrations of omega 3’s and Omega 6’s to try to circumvent the positive behaviors of this culture rather than the detail of their food. So by copying this diet in our “American way” why are we still so fat and unhealthy? What are we missing? I believe It is the economic side of things.

The average American consumer spends 7% of their gross income on food. The average Mediterranean inhabitant contributes greater than 20% of their gross income on food…  We are blind to the fact that individuals that live in this region eat FRESH FOOD. They are not concerned with spending their money on a ridiculous cable bill so that they don't miss the season premiere of Homeland rather they use this money to invest in their health and wellness. Typically living in more confined spaces with little to no cabinet space because they do not purchase foods they can sit on the shelves and are full of preservatives. Every food item in which they place in their mouth was purchased within just a couple days. As we continue to question why as a nation we are so sick and unhealthy? We need to recognize that as a nation we are spending so much of our gross income on medicine and hospitalization to treat rather than spending to prevent…

Let's look at the Mediterranean “diet” (or way of life). Take your annual gross income and multiply it by 20%… THAT number. Yes that HUGE Number is what you should allocate to your food bill. It seems absolutely astronomical to spend that much money on food but really as we continuously bitch over the cost of whole food ingredients and organic vegetables and fruits… Is it really that expensive to continuously invest in yourself? I don’t believe so.

I am totally comfortable being a self-preservationist and investing in my well-being. I’m also completely okay about having no idea what happened in this past season of Dexter. Comcast can bite me I have food to buy…

Please be aware that I am in no way trying to solve the socio-economic constraints of poverty stricken areas. This is simple in reference to statistical averages and does not apply to everyone!