$36 a day for a "low calorie diet"?

Here's that old myth again: obesity is an economic issue because poor people can only afford to eat high-calorie food. AOL reports the latest version in Skinniest People Grocery Shop HERE. Seems that Adam Drewnowski, an epidemiology professor at the University of Washington claims that:

People who are poor and have less to spend on food try to get the biggest calorie bang for their food buck. That means they not only shop at cheaper stores, but also buy less healthy food.

They do not have to get the biggest calorie bang for the buck! Ideally, they will be trying to get the biggest nutritional bang for the buck. Obesity indicates in nearly all cases that too many calories are being consumed, which would permit purchase of fewer, more nutritious foods on the same budget.

You can afford to shop at Whole Foods even if you are on food stamps ... and I've got the data to prove it. Last month, my green meals averaged $1.83 per person. The North Carolina food-stamp allowance is $1.99 per person or 27 cents more. And my plan includes buying everything every month, including salt and cooking oil, and does not use coupons. Yes, my thrifty plan costs less at $1.18 per meal, but I could have spent less at Whole Foods if I hadn't chosen organic ingredients whenever possible.

But Dr. Drewnowski must consider Evian water or reduced-fat foie gras to essential Weight Watchers fare. How else to explain his study results that say:

a calorie-dense diet costs $3.52 a day, compared with $36.32 a day for a low-calorie diet.

That's more than $12 a meal, including breakfast.

I agree wholeheartedly that access to good ingredients isn't enough. People need the money to buy food plus the skills and a place to cook it. But you don't have to be rich to be thin.