Home » Health » Why a Salad Costs More Than a Big Mac

Why a Salad Costs More Than a Big Mac

  • Heidee
  • March 23, 2010
fruit (and vegetable) salad
Less for more...

So you finally resolved to eat healthy. Maybe you read our article about how fast food is the fast track to death or you just want to shed some pounds because you’re going to be a bridesmaid for your best friend’s wedding four months from now. You decide to order a healthy green salad, only to find, to your utter consternation, that something less filling costs more than your usual burger. You’re prepared to sacrifice your appetite, but your budget is another thing, especially in these financially-trying times even using a discount coupon at that. So Team Healthy Living loses one more potential convert because of this major setback.

But why is this so? You’d think that it would cost much less to grow and water leafy plants than to feed and rear a cow, so why does a handful of greens cost more than huge slabs of meat?

Blame it on the government, who provides billions of dollars for the production of meat and dairy products then gives less than 1 percent of government subsidies to fruit and vegetable farmers.  As a result, meat and dairy seem falsely cheap, so we opt to eat them instead of the healthy alternatives. This right here is the root cause of our growing rates of obesity and chronic disease.


There is hope, however. The Farm Bill, a massive piece of federal legislation that governs what children are fed in schools and what food assistance programs can distribute to recipients, is going to be debated and voted on by the Senate this fall. You can help by encouraging senators to cut subsidies for unhealthy foods and give more for the fruits and vegetables.

If the healthy stuff were cheaper, do you think you’d be more encouraged to buy it instead of the junk? We’d love to read your comments!

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments