How Expensive is Cheap Food?

September 24th, 2009 · 9:50 AM

The Real Cost of Cheap Food

Opening page reads: He’s raised on grass and hay and lives happily on a pasture by the ocean. His meat is free of antibiotics, but can we afford to eat it? We can’t afford not to. Time Magazine recently reported on our national dietary habits in this compelling article, but it left out a few things you ought to consider.

The following problems are identified in this article:

1) Pigs, cattle are being raised in confined pens (I call them concentration camps), next to each other, tails removed to reduce biting one another.

2) Antibiotics are given, as these tight quarters are prone to infection. This contributes to antibiotic-resistance among organisms.

3) Cattle and pigs are fed corn grown with the help of government subsidies and millions of tons of chemical fertilizer.

4) The way we farm now is destructive of the soil, the environment and us.

5) Thanks in part to skewed subsidies, our food system has made it inexpensive to eat badly. ($1.00 will buy 1200 calories of potato chips, 875 calories of soda, 250 calories of vegetables, 170 calories of fruit.)

6) Millions of tons of fertilizer are ‘running off’ to the Gulf of Mexico, killing all the wildlife in these dead zones, thus destroying our leanest and healthiest sources of protein.

Dr. Gardner’s comments: Bryan Walsh is right on with his observations. Here are a few he did not mention:

1) Much of the corn is genetically modified that is being used as feed for the animals. There are clearly too few of the important questions being answered about this technology.

2) Although Bryan mentions the fertilizer problem, there is no mention of the amount of antibiotics and their by-products being released into the ground in the manure, getting into the water table, creating antibiotic-resistant organisms.

3) Although difficult to quantify, there are different ‘frequencies’ engendered in meat from ‘happy’ cows compared to ‘concentration camp’ cows.

Buy from the local farmer, who is not using antibiotics and fertilizers. Plant and cultivate your own garden—it will supply food and relaxation and fresh air and sun exposure.

Tags: concentration camp meat, food costs, food farms, organic food

2 responses so far ↓

1 Nora // Sep 28, 2009 at 10:58 am

How do we go about changing our habits to eating healthier food? I have tried many times to shop for fresh organic foods, but I find most of the veggies & fruit spoil so quickly! I don’t have time or money to shop more than once every two weeks! Also, when I get the food home, I am so over whelmed with it all. I am constantly opening my fridge & finding old soggy, limp, rotten fruits & veggies! Then there is the actual time & energy of pulling three healthy meals, plus snacks together for my family. By the time I get home from work & all our activies & duties that take place inside & outside the home I just want to throw something together or go out (so there is no clean up issues), which I know is unhealthy, but is easy & not a chore! I would love to be able to feed my family right, but where do I begin? Please help! Show me how not to be overwhelmed! How to find the stuff in the fridge! I am throwing out so much rotten food (money) each week! How do I pull it all together???
2 Dr. Stan Gardner // Oct 6, 2009 at 6:26 pm

Nora, You have just identified a major challenge to everyone trying to change any area of their life. It needs to be done one step at a time, and not to be discouraged with setbacks. If you can’t go to the store but every 2 weeks, then get some organic (that you eat first) and non-organic for the second week. Let me offer a few suggestions: 1. When cooking healthy, cook for 2 or 3 meals and eat them over a 4-6 day period. 2. Buy healthy tortilla chips and grated cheese and have nachos-can make them super-nachos with sour cream, chili (unfortunately from a can), tomatoes if available. [We always have nachos as our back-up quick plan. 3. Find brown rice and cook in a cooker-plenty of meals for rice pudding (cinnamon and raisins instead of so much sugar), rice cakes (just add eggs to rice and cook like a pancake). 4. Snacks-always have nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit always out on the counter. 5. Frozen vegetables-just run under the hot water and serve cold, or warm in pan. 6. Meats-have frozen chicken, fish, hamburger always on hand. Organic, grass fed is best. 7. Always have plenty of eggs available-great source of protein and good fats. Overwhelmed?? Just focus on the next thing, and don’t eat the elephant all at once.