A Likely Casualty of the Economic Slump: Healthy Eating

The obesity epidemic in the United States has made getting the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables a major issue at the dinner table, but a University of Alabama expert says the focus on healthy eating may suffer in 2009 thanks to the downtown in the economy.

“During the difficult economic times ahead, consumers may attempt to contain food costs by purchasing more pastas, potatoes and rice rather than meats, poultry and vegetables since these items are inexpensive and filling,” says Dr. Ralph Lane, professor of human nutrition and hospitality management at UA. “However these foods contribute little more to the diet than empty calories.”

These empty calories will replace an already lackluster appetite for fruits and vegetables. A study in the journal of the American Dietetic Association finds that American families already spend only 15 to 18 percent of their food budget on fruits and vegetables — percentages that do not cover the recommended five to nine servings per day, per person.

“Food trends to some degree will still be driven by convenience and with the vast array of prepared tomato and cheese sauces and gravy mixes available to top the pastas and potatoes, the outlook for eating healthy and maintaining a normal weight during the economic downturn appears rather bleak,” Lane says.

“On the brighter side, vegetable gardening has increased in popularity, recently, and will probably continue since produce may be grown for a fraction of the cost in food stores and garden-fresh produce contains more nutrients with fewer calories and gives the gardener a greater sense of satisfaction from having grown their own food.”