March is National Nutrition Month in the US.
Nutrition … and access to healthy food … is one of those things that shouldn’t be elitist, but it is. It’s cheaper to buy and eat unhealthy food than it is to eat fresh, healthy food, so the economically disadvantaged or struggling are less likely to be able to purchase food items things that are healthy.
I know that it’s easy for pundits and and talking heads to scoff at the above statement, but then, they’re not usually living at or below the poverty line. Yes, I KNOW that it’s just as easy to buy apples as it is to buy ramen noodles – but you can make a meal out of ramen noodles. You can’t make a meal out of an apple.
I’d also like to point out that if it comes to eating healthy food OR keeping a roof over your head (or keeping the heat turned on, or keeping the electricity turned on, or keeping the car from being repossessed)? Most people – and logically so – are going to choose the unhealthy option if it means being able to stretch a buck.
But it makes me sad that people have to choose.
And it makes me sadder that 1 in 6 Americans are going hungry.
If you want to know more about hunger in America, and how you can help, you can go here:
If you’re interested in helping families develop better relationships with healthy foods and cooking, you can go here:
And if you’re just interested in National Nutrition Month, you can go here:
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