Economics of Healthy Living

[HungLikeJesus]

I just scoop up a pot-full of mud from down near the creek, mix it with some of the naturally-occurring vegetation from the back yard, maybe add some elk droppings when I can find them fresh, and I've created a very cheap and wholesome meal.

And it's 100% organic!

[SteveDallas]

The unspoken part of my quote was "what kind of healthy breakfast that I can leave my house and quickly pick up at or on the way to work without any prior preparation or planning on my part."

[aimeecc]

Most of the fast food chains have a fruit cup option. That's if you can subsist until lunch on just a fruit cup. If you get to work. Eating the fruit cup while driving is hazardous. Not as hazardous as trying to eat cole slaw while driving, but still hazardous.

[limey]

Originally Posted by aimeecc

... My mom's visiting in 2 weeks and will only eat ALL organic. Its going to be a pain. Oatmeal has to be organic slow cook - no quick cooking Quaker Oats...

Originally Posted by SteveDallas

The unspoken part of my quote was "what kind of healthy breakfast that I can leave my house and quickly pick up at or on the way to work without any prior preparation or planning on my part."

That's just it, though, isn't it. You have to put a little effort in yourself, like get up five minutes earlier in order to put a bowl of "organic slow cook" oatmeal in milk in the microwave for 2 minutes, stir, two minutes, eat, leave the house five minutes later because you don't have to stop for donuts ...

(no I don't do it every morning, but I try to do it some mornings )

Isn't a healthy diet all about variety - we range from Pot Noodle (Ramen equivalent, I suppose) to locally bred organically grown butcher meat in this house.

[aimeecc]

Originally Posted by limey

That's just it, though, isn't it. You have to put a little effort in yourself, like get up five minutes earlier in order to put a bowl of "organic slow cook" oatmeal in milk in the microwave for 2 minutes, stir, two minutes, eat, leave the house five minutes later because you don't have to stop for donuts ...

(no I don't do it every morning, but I try to do it some mornings )

Isn't a healthy diet all about variety - we range from Pot Noodle (Ramen equivalent, I suppose) to locally bred organically grown butcher meat in this house.

Its more that I already have the Quaker Oats, and now I have to go buy the organic oats. In fact, we have 3 bug tubs of quaker oats - and we don't eat it that often. We're more of a bowl of cheerios in the morning family. I'm always late out the door. Always. I haven't been on time for anything since little one.

My mom's organic only has alienated the family. But only because the sisters/sisters-in-law would ask before she visited "anything special I can get for you?" and she would answer no, then she would refuse to eat anything served and insist on being driven to the local organic market so she could go shopping. I am in the position of already knowing she'll do this, so I'm going to go ahead and stock up ahead of time. And she'll still want to go grocery shopping. But since I know this already, its ok.

[SteveDallas]

Originally Posted by aimeecc

My mom's organic only has alienated the family. But only because the sisters/sisters-in-law would ask before she visited "anything special I can get for you?" and she would answer no, then she would refuse to eat anything served and insist on being driven to the local organic market so she could go shopping.

It sounds like there's a good deal of parental power-tripping here that's not really related to any desire to eat organic.

[Shawnee123]

There goes all your healthful benefits right out the window (pun intended.)

"He was a good man. Kept a nice yard. Was healthy, well until he slammed into that semi while he was trying to eat his fruit cup."

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by aimeecc

I was listening to NPR the other day and they were talking about how in DC (and I'm sure a lot of other inner cities), the poor really only have unhealthy options. There's not an abundance of grocery stores, so if you're poor, without a car, its much more cost effective to go to MacDonalds than to try to get to a grocery store, and pay high prices for healthy food.

I've heard this argument before, and I just don't believe it. Sure, fresh vegetables are expensive, and organic food is even moreso--but your basic beans and rice is both healthier and cheaper than McDonald's. And they can be bought in bulk, so you're not going to the grocery store as often. Same with oatmeal, pancake mix, vegetable oil, pasta, potatoes, Velveeta, evaporated milk... it won't be the healthiest diet, but it'll still be better than McDonald's. Fast food will easily cost you $5 per person per meal, and conscientious shopping will cost much less, even if you have to add in bus/taxi fare to get to the store every 2-3 weeks.

[TheMercenary]

I just ate a completely un-healthy breakfast.

[aimeecc]

Good old multi-grain cheerios in soy milk for my family this morning.
I am looking forward to this weekend. Probably a blueberry pancake and sausage weekend. I really love breakfast. In particular, big, unhealthy breakfast's.

[classicman]

Bran freakin muffin....again - gotta get my cholesterol down

[shina]

Oatmeal

[busterb]

Oat meal, bberrys, oj, prunes. Beer.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by busterb

Oat meal, bberrys, oj, prunes. Beer.

Speaking of prunes.... I saw the intersection of this thread and the WTF thread in the store the other day.

Individually wrapped prunes.

I shit you not. Haw haw. A cylinder of single prunes, each in their own little wrapper. What a load of packaging.

[Cloud]

Originally Posted by BigV

Speaking of prunes.... I saw the intersection of this thread and the WTF thread in the store the other day.

Individually wrapped prunes.

I shit you not. Haw haw. A cylinder of single prunes, each in their own little wrapper. What a load of packaging.

oh, but you left out the best part. They're packaged for kid's lunches . . . and made to look like candy.