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The Cost Of Nutrition: A Cartful Of Fruits And Veggies

How much does a shopping cart full of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables cost?  Let’s see:

Oranges (4.25 lbs @ $1.28/lb): $5.44
Bananas (2.66 lbs @ $0.48/lb): $1.28
Grapes (2.50 lbs @ $2.78/lb): $6.95
Green Onions (one bunch): $0.66
Asparagus (1.00 lbs @ $1.47/lb): $1.47
Apples (2.79 lbs @ $1.46/lb): $4.07
Nectarines(1.53 lbs @ $1.98/lb): $3.03
English Cucumbers ($1.78 each): $3.56
Tomatoes (1.37 lbs @ $2.78/lb): $3.81
Strawberries (1.00 lb @ $1.37/lb): $1.37
Bag of carrots (1 lb): $1.48
Mini sweet peppers (2 lb bag): $4.98

That’s $38.10 for 21.1 pounds of fruit and vegetables. That’s $1.80 per pound. Interestingly, that’s cheaper than just about everything else you can buy in a grocery store whether it’s boxed, canned, processed, fresh or frozen. It’s also interesting that this is what you’ll pay for the right to eat fast food. Go to any McDonald’s and you’ll spend about $5 for a value meal, which I suspect doesn’t even reach 3lbs of weight. Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist*

Why Does A Salad Cost More Than A Big Mac?

A reader pointed me out to this current food pyramid subsidy model showing what the daily recommended servings are for each category of food compared with how the federal farm subsidy programs actually work against the goal of a healthy nation.  You can click on the image to enlarge it and take a close look at how powerful lobby groups have become.

There is no reason why dairy and meat farmers should be getting 50 billion dollars in farm subsidies.  And if we are playing the subsidy game (which I think is a fraud), why are vegetables, one of the most healthy things we can put in our mouth, getting slaughtered at the table of entitlement handouts? Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist*

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