Story originally printed in the Holmen Courier or online at www.holmencourier.com

Published - Monday, May 19, 2008

COULEE CONSUMER: Balancing food costs, nutritional value

By MARY MEEHAN-STRUB

In April, I shared ways you can lower your grocery bill, and a few weeks later, I wrote about increased food and fuel costs. I recently read an article from Tufts University, “Can You Afford to Eat Right?” This article points out that individuals and families find themselves in a dilemma when they try to eat right for their health.

Can you afford it?

If we compare food costs from 2006 with 2008, you will find that white bread has risen nearly 25 cents, red delicious apples have gone up about 20 cents per pound and a dozen eggs are up more than 70 cents.

I often share tips on how to lower your food bill. When you go to the grocery store, the secret to shopping for healthier foods is to shop the store perimeter. In most food stores, you will find the fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, grains, meat and seafood around the outside walls of the store. The convenience and processed foods are in the middle.

With the rising costs of nutritious foods, it seems as if empty calorie foods — those that don’t add much, if any nutrition, seem to be getting cheaper. Statistics tell us that obesity has increased dramatically over the last 20 years. The Center for Disease Control shows the prevalence of obesity in Wisconsin at 25 percent or greater. Is the increase in obesity linked to economics?

In a recent study at the University of Washington researchers found that low calorie, nutrient rich fruits and vegetables were considerably more expensive, calorie for calorie than sweets and snack foods. And a companion study showed that the cost of healthier foods had risen disproportionately compared to other foods.

The average price of the lowest-calorie, highest-nutrient foods increased by almost 20 percent from 2004 to 2006. The cost of the most calorie-laden foods dropped 2 percent.

Consumers often make decisions based on the funds available, and forget the hidden costs associated with cheap calories — obesity and the related health problems that go with it. Take a look at the choices you make each day for lunch — if you have $3 to spend, what choices do you make? Added sugars and fats are more affordable that healthful foods. Fruits and vegetables, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, are luxury foods for some families.

Researchers reported that individuals and families trying to get the better bargain for their money found energy-dense foods cost an average of $1.76 per 1,000 calories, compared with $18.16 per 1,000 calories for low-energy but nutritious foods. Consumers on a budget might be thinking about satisfaction for the dollar they spend — what will it take to stop being hungry, rather than how much nutrition can I get for a dollar.

The average American spends $7 a day on food, or at least they used to. Limited resource families average $4 per day on food. Based on the University of Washington findings, if you were on a 2,000 calorie diet, the cost for you to eat energy-dense food would be $3.52 per day, versus $36.32 per day for a high-nutrient food diet. If food costs are a problem for you, which would you choose?

Thus, if what you can afford is the energy-dense food that adds to the waistline, and that is what you buy, then you are “darned if you do, and darned if you don’t!” Consumers are caught in this web of rising prices for healthful foods, trying to get the most for their food dollar and, in doing so, make choices that might not be considered the healthiest because they have the potential to increase body weight, if eaten in excess, and not mixed with adequate daily exercise.

And with food prices continuing to rise, it most likely will get harder to purchase the high-nutrient foods.

People in charge of the family food finances will need to plan carefully to include healthy foods and live within their budget. Here are some smart buying habits to consider when you are planning: