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May 01, 2008
Low Income Equals Poor Diet
It's one of those familiar sayings - you think you can't afford to eat 'well', but really you can't afford NOT to! It turns out that low income families have poor dietary habits, eating more processed foods and less fruits and vegetables (although it is a studied fact that the majority - like 95% - of Americans don't get the minimum recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables, so this may be a mute point!). But the reality is that if you want to get out of poverty, you've got to strive for better. For starters, that means better health. A healthy diet doesn't have to be expensive. Exercise doesn't have to be expensive (last time we checked, a 20 minute walk didn't cost anything). These two variables are the start of building a foundation of a healthy life. A better diet means the brain functions better. Just the discipline of striving for good health will create a ripple effect into other areas of life - doing a better job at work, setting goals to 'move up' and get promoted, more creative thought, improved relationships, and so on. Here's more on the subject of low income families and their poor diet --
Three studies published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association have found that people with lower income do not consume enough fruits and vegetables, largely due to cost factors.
"Cost is one of the factors often cited as contributing to less fruit and vegetable consumption among low-income populations," wrote Alanna Moshfegh in an introductory article. "Cost, as well as convenience, has been shown to be a leading influence on food choice for low-income individuals."
The three articles appear in the November issue of the journal, which is devoted to issues of poverty and nutrition as part of the Council of Science Editors' Global Theme Issue on Poverty and Human Development. More than 230 scientific journals have participated on the council. Read more...
Bottom line: a healthy diet is the beginning of a healthy and balanced lifestyle that can lead to increased productivity and a healthier way of life (you know, the American Dream!)
Note: If you don't get enough fruits and vegetables in your diet, then strive to do so. Diet and exercise can help reduce the risk of degenerative diseases like heart disease and stroke, diabetes and cancer. Click here to learn why eating fruits and vegetables is especially important, and how you can benefit from adding Juice Plus+® to your diet. Juice Plus+® is the most thoroughly researched nutritional product in history.
Posted by Dr. Patrick and Julia Havey on May 1, 2008 at 02:12 AM | Permalink
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