Healthy Living

Saturday, December 5, 2009

The reason why healthy foods cost so much

100_calorie_pack.jpg
I can't throw a stick in my office without hitting one of those 100 calorie snack packs on someone's desk. They're a popular item in the office candy store but people also bring in their own. I don't get the allure, quite honestly, because it's either recreated approximations of the snacks you love (the "Oreos" inside the 100 calorie Oreo snack packs bear zero resemblance to an actual Oreo) or little versions of the same thing you can get in the regular size pack, only with a bunch of printing on the package. Sure, it's convenience and enforced portion control, but also, really not eco-friendly. How long does it take to package up the same thing in your kitchen, using reusable sandwich bags? Two minutes? One?

So, maybe you don't care about the environment but let's talk bottom line. The folks on Wall Street just looooooove the fact that you're too busy to portion out your 100 calories for yourself, because these 100 calorie packs are now making them $200 million per year!

Can you imagine what we could accomplish with that kind of cashola? What kind of improvements we could make in the world? Sure, maybe you don't care that it costs 200% more for the same amount of food, (Check out the worst offenders) what you do with your money is your business, right? Sure, as long as you're going to waste your cash with your eyes wide open, but let's not pretend that someone is twisting your arm to buy these silly diet convenience foods.

I wonder if it's not the actual healthy food that costs so much, but rather our perception of what is healthy and what is not. Take for example, that stupid Special K water that Kellogg's is trying to convince you is the very best and happiest way to take care of your body. It's something like $1-2 per bottle, depending on the deal you score. All that for a measly 5 grams of protein and some sugar? The manufacturers are trying like crazy to convince us to buy into their concept of the world, and until we say no and put our foot down, I suspect that we'll still be sending our green straight into the pockets of big business.

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Comments 21-26 of 26
  • Mark's Avatar
    Posted by Mark Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:45am PDT

    Also Ron, the whole grains that people have been told to eat 6-11 servings per day of, have been found to actually block mineral absorption and cause all kinds of problems. Nevermind the fact that they are so energy-rich/nutrient-poor after processing (the only way you can digest them) that they usually pack a few grams of body fat on in every meal because of the energy surplus and insulin spike they cause. http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/pcnutrition.html

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  • Mark's Avatar
    Posted by Mark Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:50am PDT

    Weetabix - your point is a good one - i have often thought the same thing about the packaging that goes along with smaller portions. They are really just selling you less expensive trash in place of food. The only problems that I have with this article is your title. In it you called this food healthy. It is not worth the time to read the label - dont eat this.

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  • Redvioletskydancer's Avatar
    Posted by Redvioletskydancer Wed Jun 11, 2008 6:11am PDT

    Splurge. Go to www.rockymountainchocolates.com Live a little and eat dessert first. Sometimes it fills you up, tastes better and has less calories than the meals. I worked at Rocky Mountain in Indianapolis for a year and lost 30 pounds while working there even though we were allowed to eat as much of it as we wanted. The carmel apples,english toffee and chocolate covered carmels are fabulous. They give you anti oxidants, energy and vigor so you can burn more calories overall. Skip the oreo crud, yuck just like those lean cuisine. You lose wait because it tastes so nasty you skip it all together. Go for the real deal or don't bother. Then don't sit in front of the boob tube, go for a dance, walk, swim or ski and have some real fun.

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  • Redvioletskydancer's Avatar
    Posted by Redvioletskydancer Wed Jun 11, 2008 6:14am PDT

    Ooops. I apologize, I checked it and it is www.rockymountainchocolatefactory.com Long name but good deal.

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  • 's Avatar
    Posted by Wed Jun 11, 2008 11:38am PDT

    When I was growing up we had potato chips and other chip snack, ie Fritos, cheetos, etc. in 1 oz bags for schoold lunches or other. Then they introduced the big grab, then bigger still for 99 cents. Now they are advertising snack sized chips again as if they were brand new. Are they marketing specifically to young people? Cuz this idea is not new.

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  • Casper's Avatar
    Posted by Casper Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:29pm PDT

    This is reasonable,I once red this O N an Interracial xx club whose online site is ##++ S i n g l e P a r e n t Kiss .c o m+##, where all women are welcome to meet handsome and single men online for fun, new love and more..

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