By guest blogger and leading health-and-wellness expert Jillian Michaels
Here’s a statistic for you: One dollar will buy you 1,200 calories of processed garbage that will likely make you fat or sick, or both. Conversely, that same buck will only nab you 250 calories of healthy food (fruits, vegetables, organic meat, whole grains) that can help maintain a healthy body weight and prevent disease.
Bummer, right? What’s wrong with this picture? How did this happen? While I can preach personal accountability until the cows come home with regards to health and wellness, the bottom line is that for most American families subsisting on 50K a year, 250 calories for a dollar doesn’t cut it. Healthy food simply isn’t accessible or affordable to them. It’s tough to blame people for not living a lifestyle that is simply out of their reach.
Here’s another stat for you: In the 1960s we spent 18 percent of our annual income on food. Today we spend 9 percent. But before you get too excited… In the 1960s we spent 5 percent of our annual income on health care. Today, we spend 17 percent. Yay? I think not. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather spend that income on broccoli and chicken than on chemo treatments, Lipitor, or gastric bypass surgery.
As a result of these statistics, obesity and disease in America have run rampant. Two in three adults and one in three children are overweight. Diabetes, heart disease, and cancer rates have skyrocketed over the last 30 years. Our children are predicted to have a lesser life expectancy than their parents, for the first time in human history.
So what the hell is happening here? How has it come to pass that our food system sets Americans up to become fat and sick? Well, in large part we have our federal agribusiness policies to thank.
Although the USDA’s food pyramid recommends two to five cups of fruits and vegetables per day, its budget—mandated by Congress through the Farm Bill—encourages different behavior altogether.
Under the Farm Bill, the great bulk of USDA largesse flows to five crops: genetically modified corn, genetically modified soy, cotton, wheat, and rice. Of the $113.6 billion in commodity subsidy payments, a.k.a. your tax dollars, distributed by the USDA between 1995 and 2004, corn drew $41.8 billion—more than cotton, soy, and rice combined. And, to point out the obvious, NONE of our subsidy dollars are going toward fruits and vegetables (with the exception of apples, generally processed into cheap sweeteners).
The huge corn and soy payouts encourage overproduction, and have helped sustain a long-term trend of falling prices. And cheap corn and soy, underwritten by the subsidy program, have subsequently changed the diet of every American. These crops in particular lend themselves perfectly to the processing of cheap consumables that are passed off as food. A perfect example of this would be the booming market for high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which has been linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes. HFCS now accounts for nearly half of the caloric sweeteners added to processed food, and is the sole caloric sweetener for mass-market soft drinks. Between 1975 and 1997, per-capita consumption of it jumped from virtually nothing to 60.4 pounds per year. Yikes.
Why would our government set us up for failure in this way? Simple. Because the special-interest groups who stand to gain from this policy, such as Monsanto, Liberty, and so forth, lobby our representatives in Washington and make generous contributions to their election campaigns. You see, companies like Monsanto own the patents on these GMO seeds. In addition, they sell the pesticides and synthetic fertilizers the seeds require to thrive. Without the Farm Bill, these guys would be in big trouble.
So what do we do, and how do we get out of this mess? The solution is multifaceted. First, grassroots, community-driven efforts are critical in fighting federal policy to transform the American diet. Make efforts to support your local farmers. Join a CSA. Grow your own. Reallocate your funds so that you stop wasting money on bottled water and toxic cleaning or beauty products, and put it into organics whenever possible.
Second, stay educated and aware of what’s going on, so you can fight back. Did you know that President Obama has approved three new GMO crops in the last year, despite the fact that the garden in his own backyard is organic? Attend one of the anti-GMO rallies that are currently taking place across the country. Sign petitions to demand that GMO foods be labeled. Write your representatives and ask them to reverse the Farm Bill in 2012. Demand that our tax dollars go to subsidize organic fruits and vegetables, so that healthy foods will be affordable and accessible to all Americans.
Here’s what you can’t do—bury your head in the sand. We vote with our dollars. We the people must reflect this change personally, and demand these changes from our government. With diligence and determination we will win this fight. I’ll see you on the frontlines.
This contest has now ended.
One more reason why I love Jillian Micheals! Thank you for not just making us aware of a problem but empowering us to do something about it!
Wow!!! I always wondered why it was more expensive to eat healthy. I never thought the goverment was behind it though. Jillian Michael’s your awesome!!!! Your always helping and encuraging others!!! Thank you so much!!!
This is the first time I’ve seen a health and wellness expert admit the problem we all face in buying higher quality healthier foods! I really appreciate that acknowledgement! I can buy a bell pepper for $1.50 or an organic bell pepper for $4. It’s ridiculous! Thankfully we just started our own garden, so I’m excited to be growing my own peppers and more! Keep sharing this info Jillian! We’re listening and fighting with you!
You’re beyond amazing, Jillian, and I love that you’re a big part of so many of our lives. Thanks for your expertise and educating so many to get/keep a better quality of life!
Jillian is right on, as usual….just back in from watering the newly planted veggie garden. Not only will the food be delicious when it comes time to harvest, but the process of planting, nurturing and growing your own is therapeutic and a great excuse to get out in the sun! Until the homegrown stuff is ready though, I just became a member of a local CSA. We’ll see how that goes…
Not to sound negative – but this is all old news. And it’s only getting worse. The food companies aren’t thinking about health. They think about return on investment.
Tragic really. What has this country come to? I love Jillian, her videos and inspiration. Thank you once again for the eye opener.
This is all great information and I truly do believe knowledge is power. It is unfortunate how many people do not realize how toxic their food is.
AMAZING article. Thank you so much for sharing. Our local farmers market starts back up this week. So excited!!!
I am a mother of a family that lives on a lot less than the 50,000 and would love to eat better all the time. Money does play a huge part of it but also education of other families and mothers play a role, too. Even if you are one of the ones in the know, not everyone is or cares so no change is effected. I try my best and add as many veggies to meals as possible. Very good article, I wish more people understood or knew how they could affect change in their own communities and school cafeterias.
This is a great article. I never really realized just how bad we were eating until my 9-year-old got really sick. She had anemia, systemic inflammation, headaches, etc. She had many food intolerance’s and now we are on a diet free of all this processed crap! I really thought we were eating well too. You just don’t realize what is in the food. Read labels–you will be amazed!
EXACTLY! This is why I love Jillian, straight forward with the facts! I have started to grow as many of my own vegetables as I can and I freeze whatever we can’t consume right away. Thanks Jillian, I hope people wake up and take note! Since I started reading more and more about the harmful stuff on our fruits and veggies I buy as many organic as I can!
Jillian– love your workouts, biggest loser, and now can’t wait to read this book! Thanks for all your work and desire to help individuals as well as our culture!
I really love this article. It is so real. I hope to win this book. I am currently unemployed along with so many and I need this help this book can give me to lose weight on a budget.
Well said Jillian!
My parents raised my brother and myself on less than 50k a year ( I am 29 years old) but we ate food from our own farm. Sometimes, we only ate “beans and taters” with a sliced cantaloupe or tomatoe and we loved it and had no clue we were “doing without”….I think you summed it up well when you said that we need to look at where we are spending our money and revamp it so we are buying locally and buying healthier foods. I am one who can’t shop at whole foods very often because it is so expiensive but I try my best to budget healthy foods in so I am doing my part. For myself and for my 2 year old daughter. Thank you Jillian for speaking out!!! xoxoxoxoxo
What a shame. Any progess, however slow, will benefit the next generation to come. I always mean well to eat healthy, but then get sucked into getting what’s on sale with a coupon.
THANK YOU! I have been preaching about this exact thing for years. I have the argument at least twice a week that while it might seem cheaper to eat the bad foods…you’re paying that difference in your overall health. And I have nagged the lobbyist issue for years. Jillian…please please please keep this forefront in the minds of your fans. We need to make a change soon.
Great info! Thank you…
Thanks for shining a light on this troubling issue. Our health starts with what we put in our bodies.
Thank you Jillian for educating us and being a advocate for a healthy lifestyle.
PS- Love your books & Maria Rodale’s Organic Manifesto
JM, your posts, writings and information are always spot on & it’s greatly appreciated. I have a kid who is a supertaster (bet you never heard of that). Google it & it will surprise you.
This is an absolutely amazing article. It needs to be shared with everyone so that we can all get behind this movement. So many people want cheaper fruits and veggies but don’t know how to get it. This explains it perfectly. Thank you.
I was the first person to reserve this book at the local library as I made a resolutionto no longer buy new books, but I was sad to return it! As a medical underwriter with almost 20 years of experience, her information is so on point. People ask me all the time how they can be healthier to be more insurable – I use to say “control your build”, but I’ve likened myself to Jillian’s style and am organically honest with people now and say, “get off your ass – get control of your weight – and get control of your life”. JM is one of my mentors – great book.
Some of the actions seem so small when taken individually, but when done collectively, perhaps we create change. Why do I still feel pessimistic?
yes, we need to keep hammering away at this topic, this is critical to keep putting this information out in the front of the everyone’s mind. thanks for your work on this Jillian.
Thanks Jillian for spreading the word on health there are so many who just don’t know the truth. Your work is making a difference.
great article.
Thank You! When Jillian brought up the discussion on the book ‘The Organic Manifesto’ I received the book for Christmas. After reading just a few pages I became angry. It’s been the best thing to happen for me. Since January first I started eating fruits and veggies in place of all the processed, packaged “foods”. I have lost 50 pounds, I have more energy than ever before, I feel fabulous, I am less stressed – even in stressful situations. All the crazy cravings are gone. An best of all it takes less food to fill me up. I have found that I spend less on food because it does not take as much to satisfy me. The transistion period was easier than I thought. I made sure to keep my body’s ph level in normal range, which I believe helped with the sugar and caffine withdrawl.
Thank you to all who have the pioneering spirit to help us get healthy.
As mentioned above~The sad thing is that the people who are reading this are the ones that are already informed. It’s up to us to reach out and make the change! Start with your own family and move outward and upward 🙂
Thank you so so much for this article. I know that going organic is always more expensive but I try to go this way as much as I can. It’s a little bit more effort here and there but so much worth it.
Seriously, these numbers Jillian they just blew my mind!
We ALL need to do something about it otherwise our friends, neighbours, teachers and even the most close thing in our lifes our family is just going to die slowly.
LET’S make CHANGE!!!
thank you, jillian!! I went the Vegan route, for multiple reasons, and it takes a lot of planning to be able to afford to do so! KNOW WHO AND WHAT YOU ARE VOTING FOR!
Good stuff! My daughter and I have chosen to go vegetarian and we are determined to do it correctly. I have been reading The Kind Diet which is extremely interesting. And Robert Lustig backs up everything you say here, down to the biochemistry. A guy in a dark room with really bad powerpoint slides for an hour and a half and I was completely riveted. Look for Sugar: The Bitter Pill on You Tube.
Informative and educational…Thanks so much. I always enjoy Jillian’s style of getting to the point without any sugar (or HFCS) coating! I’m writing Senator Burr today…
By no means do I eat perfectly, but I’m trying to improve. I’m also trying to spread the desire to improve to those around me, and I appreciate your simplistic food dollars vs health-care dollars explanation to those who would argue cost with me.
Thank you!
thank you for this post! We can do something about it, but we have to actually do it!
Fantastic Article. It’s so sad to see what our government is doing to us.
this was a great post! very informative!
Thank you for saying to a wider audience what I’ve been saying for years. The fast food industry with help by the media is making this country fat! Lobbyists for big companies aren’t interested in our health but their wallets! Keep up the great work Jillian, you ROCK!
We all know that the government doesn’t run this country – big corporations including Big Pharma companies do and those who are subjected to buying and eating food that is detrimental to our health and well-being which in turn leads to health issues which leads to Big Pharma companies profiting from the medications which are also harmful to us. A vicious cycle indeed. We should all encourage and practice healthy and organic eating habits as well as letting our voices be heard to get these issues changed. Power in numbers!
It is disheartening the statistics of food vs healthcare “then and now” – I have encountered the “healthy food is too expensive” argument from friends and family. Not fun.
I’m continually disgusted by the reign of money in our government. God help us!
Outstanding article! About to share on Twitter.
Used Febreeze last night and stupidly wondered why my head hurt, when I know better. Thanks for the article and the links.
Thanks for the great informatiion. Food is a huge struggle in this country!!
I just read your “Master your Metabolism” book it really opened my eyes. I am working on changing my diet. I started yesterday! Keep up the fight for healthy foods!
Wow! That’s definitely something to think about. I really hate shopping at the store because you can only get so much good food for your dollar. You put it so well and it’s nice to see statistics behind it. I hate HFCS!
Even though I live in the country, I don’t know near enough about what’s going on with our food! Thanks for the enlightening information. I look forward to reading your book. Thanks for all you do 🙂
This is an excellent read JM. I remember hearing part of it in the Podcast with Maria Rodale. I think HFCS is more deadly the people realize. Also the fact that it ultimately comes down to the Government controlling what “they” want us to spend our dollars on. I’ve held some interesting convos with people from other Countries, and AMAZING the difference. Did you that in Sweden they actually pay for Gym memberships ? My friend told me that they want healthy workers. Also, I believe that when it comes down to it, if you map out where your money is going, everyone can afford to eat Organic. Especially if they stick to the basic brands (ie. Whole Foods 365 Organic) and look at the long run. Would I rather pay more now, and risk my Diabetes coming back ? NEVER ! Pricey Dr. Bills every 3 months & I work for myself so I pay everything out of pocket, not to mention not to mention…I choose life, and not a debilitating disease. NO Amount of money could entice me to go back to the unhealthy lifestyle I used to live.
Whew ! Long comment I know, but this is a topic that gets to me, as it should. Excellent Write up & Read JM as Always. Thank you for always continuing to fight for a Healthier America. Always will put forth effort (ie. signing petitions) etc. and anything that I can do. xo 🙂
Excellent article. Reminds me of the movie Food, Inc. when you speak of the GMOs… so pitiful. And so sad that it is this difficult to change.
Can’t wait for my CSA pickups to start next week!