There is one thing that grinds my gears more than anything; hearing a privileged person state incredulously that “carrots are cheaper than fast food! It’s just an excuse!” when someone brings poverty and the cost of living into the obesity discussion.
Carrots are cheaper, yes. But when you look deeper into it, it isn’t as simple as that.
The Cheaper Myth
The reality is, carrots are not a full meal, nor are any other cheaper vegetable. They require the addition of various other foods in order to make them into an edible meal which also has enough calories to sustain yourself. You won’t just be eating a bag of carrots for dinner; you’ll be having it with some potatoes, some proteins, both of which cost money.
You’ll have to cook those carrots and other ingredients on the stove, in the microwave or in the oven, all of which cost money. You have to be able to store those ingredients in a fridge or freezer, something which over 1 million people in the UK don’t have access to, and again, cost money.
The amount of calories you get for the price is also lower in these foods. It’s no good us saying “go for the carrots” if that meal is going to leave someone hungry and unsatisfied.
The Food Desert Issue
As we discussed in the previous blog post, many people on low incomes also just simply don’t have the access to healthy foods. Supermarkets are miles away, public transport scarce, and food delivery services often require an order of £40.00 or more in order to deliver without fees; something many people just can’t afford. In these areas, fast food chains, take outs and convenience stores are rife, leaving little option to actually buy fresh fruits and vegetables.
“Why Don’t They Just Bulk Buy?”
Sounds like a great idea in principle, but people who are in poverty simply cannot afford the increased outgoing expense of buying things in bulk, and often, they might not have the space to store it if they tried.
Bulk buying is great if you have the means to do so. But many people in this situation simply don’t.
At the end of the day, people who are lower income are at a significantly increased risk of health conditions, higher body weight, reduced number of quality life years and have a lower life expectancy than those with higher incomes. People who are not in their situation simply cannot understand the impact that poverty can have; many individuals have no fridge, freezer, hob, oven or microwave; they cannot afford to bulk buy; and they don’t have the means to get to a better shop. Please be understanding of this the next time you say “just buy a bag of carrots”.
Photo source: UnSplash with thanks.
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