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Recession Weight Gain is Rising!
Featured by Krizia from Eat Smart Age Smart
There might be a raging recession, but you’d never be able to tell from the number of meals served up in most fast food restaurants across North America.
As you might expect, your local Mc Donald’s restaurant leads the pack. In fact, the fast food hamburger business is so lucrative these days that Mc Donald has seen their profits rise by a whopping 80 per cent in 2008 (most other industries have seen their sales slide to dismal levels).
This might be meaningless to you, but if you take a look at hard numbers than you might be able to detect an alarming food trend that will have some devastating health impact in the long run: in the U.S. Mc Donald restaurants served up and average of 58 million people in 2008!!!
I’m not a fast-food eater at all so this is all quite strange to me, but at the same time I do understand the choices some people have to make. I’m still quite concerned about how this recession will treat the health of countless low-income families and white-collar workers who find themselves faced with a level of unparalleled debt.
My concerns are well founded because according to a recent research from Gallup-Healthways, it seems that a number of Americans are getting increasingly fatter during this recession.
The number of Americans considered obese has climbed by 1.7 per cent. You might think an extra 1.7 per cent of the U.S. population getting fatter might not be a big deal, but if I told you that that percentage represents a staggering 5.5 million EXTRA people who have a body mass index of over 30 (basically clinically putting them in the obese category), would you react differently?
People are getting fatter and their children are also getting fatter because there is less money to put food on the table and they often have to opt for lower quality foods and forfeit healthier food options.
It’s a known fact that you can get a fast food meal for $5. You’ll NEVER-EVER-EVER be able to buy a complete healthy meal for $5 and that means less people will be eating foods that sustains their bodies’ optimal health. The flip side is that more Americans are eating foods that are making them fatter and sicker.
We’re going to be in this recession for a while and that’s why I’m so adamant to find easy solution to help people make better food choices on a smaller food budget.
There are surely many foods that people who are living on limited incomes will have to give up, but with a little work and commitments, there are some things that you can do to stretch your food dollars a little further! I hope the following tips will help you curb the rising trend of recession weight gain!
7 ways to avoid gaining weight during the recession:
In my opinion the best way to avoid relying solely on fast foods during the recession is to have a plan. I hope you’ll be able to find a few tips that you can use today to help you control your food cost and help you eat better quality foods during the recession.
1) Coupons: I was never a coupon shopper, but when I decided to launch my media company a few years ago I found myself with little funds coming in and loads of expenses. In the past I would always forget my coupons at home or in my handbag, but as I became more and more of a budget shopper (which happens when you are starting a business), I start stapling the coupons to my grocery list and let me tell you that the idea of saving $0.50-$2.50 on some foods is motivation not to forget my coupons.
2) Seasonal produce: Not only are you eating fruits and vegetables that taste the way they should, but eating seasonal (and local) produce makes a whole lot of sense in helping you reduce your food bill. It’s a question of mathematics really because you’ll pay way less for strawberries in July or August than you would in January! If you learn to eat and cook around seasonal produce, you can eat a lot of nutritious foods at an affordable price!
3) Discount on meats: I’ve noticed lately that my local grocery store has been offering some substantial discounts on meats. I’m not talking about cheap cuts of beef or chicken, but I’m talking about striploin steaks and brand name chicken. When I arrived not long ago at my local grocery store to see with my own two eyes their striploin steaks at an average price of $2.50 instead of the usually $8-10, I grabbed 8 steaks in one sitting and ran to store them in my freezer! Since then I’ve done the same with whole chicken and breast chicken. Every time I pull out one of those discounted meats from my freezer, I marvel at the savings!
4) Use your freezer: As you can tell from the point above, I’ve been packing my freezer with great deals on good quality meat. I do the same when my favourite brands of frozen fruits, bread and ice cream are on sale. Your freezer is your best ally to control your food budget during a recession ... you’ll just want to remember to eat foods within two-three month of purchase because freezer-burnt food just taste awful.
5) Learn to like leftovers: I’m always amazed to hear that some people get rid of food after a meal because they hate leftovers. I cook all my meals and I can assure that many of my leftovers taste a lot better the next day. Leftovers help you make better use of food because you’re cooking for more than one day and instead of hitting the food court at lunch, you should bring your own lunch to cut back on cost.
6) Plan your meals: I plan my meals for the week, shop once and cook on Sunday afternoons for the week. It’s a bit of commitment, but since I’ve been doing this for so long, it’s second nature to me. I’m able to take advantage of weekly food specials by purchasing items on sale I can prepare for the current week or keep in my refrigerator for the following week. Meal planning has saved me so much money and hassle ... I could write an entire article on the benefits of taking a few minutes each week to decide on what I’ll be eating. This little food trick also ensure that you always have food in my fridge and you don’t have the need to swing by a fast food joint for a last-minute meal (I would not eat at a fast food joint, but if I didn’t have prepared meals, I’d have to stop by one of my favourite healthy eateries).
7) Weekly grocery store specials: Since the recession has started there are more and more grocery stores offering some substantial weekly specials to lure in the crowds. It’s working like a charm and if you are a smart food shopper there are loads of food items that you can buy at a fraction of the regular price. That’s why planning your meals for the week makes so much sense.
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