Fat

[Eden]

I think it is a myth that healthy food is more expensive than junk food too..... I will grant you that some neighborhoods have grocery stores that are woefully unstocked with healthy items (especially fresh produce), but tofu, beans and fresh vegetables are much less expensive per serving than prepackaged meals and meats. Even in the poorest of grocery stores I'm betting you can still find 90 cent cans of cooked beans and dried ones for even less. When you get vegetables you don't have to get fancy ones - things like cabbage, carrots and squash - cheap, cheap, cheap - or go frozen. I think that some things don't taste that great after being frozen, but its better than nothing, and usually quite inexpensive as well. Around here a lot of places have a neighborhood produce stand still too. When I worked up on Beacon Hill I used to be able to go in there and buy a weeks worth of produce for less than $10...

I think that education/taste in food is a much bigger barrier. Lots of people never learn to cook and lots of people never learn to enjoy foods that are not mainstream junk foods... they would probably refuse to even taste a really nice lentil curry, they would think it takes way to long to cook, etc.

[RoadRaven]

I think that education/taste in food is a much bigger barrier. Lots of people never learn to cook and lots of people never learn to enjoy foods that are not mainstream junk foods... they would probably refuse to even taste a really nice lentil curry, they would think it takes way to long to cook, etc.

I sooooooo agree with you Eden. We have made a deliberate effort to not only model cooking to our children, but to also show them how to use up left overs, to grow some of our food, and to shop wisely, and to "make" them prepare meals for a family as well as for themselves.
Hopefully, as sustainability issues become more important to individuals, wise food selection and preparation will become more of an everyday consideration.