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 The current economic crisis brings up the question of health costs. Eating properly is one of the most effective and economical means by which we can obtain and safeguard good health in the long and short term. However the debate on how much we pay for food is influenced by different beliefs and points of view...
A recent exchange of views on the newspaper La Repubblica initiated a lively debate on health costs. The discussion began with data on obesity levels, definitely more common in low income regions. On the October 9th issue, a Napolitan reader living in Genoa commented on this topic, criticizing the costs of well-being.
The author of the letter, for whom the purchase of fruit and vegetables would be quite expensive, claimed that he was practically forced to give his children those high carbohydrate and high fat content snacks that cost less on the market. He went on to say that he bought fat meats of inferior quality and was unable to afford the monthly membership fee of 70 Euro or more at the athletic club. In conclusion, he stated that in Naples, the slender woman have always been from the richer areas while those of the poorer districts have almost always been destined to “let themselves go”. This social imbalance naturally leads to a destiny of obesity for themselves and for their children.
Several days later a letter from another reader called attention to a second type of wealth: you don't have to be a king to eat well, you just need to use some good old common sense. He went on to say that he has never bought soft drinks, even for parties; junk food snacks are never given to the children, regardless of their cost. An apple, fruit, a slice of bread with oil and salt or a piece of homemade cake (perhaps made with leftover bread and a few almonds) are nutritious, satisfying and not only low calorie, but also low cost.
The letter ended with a call for a budget conscious reduction in the consumption of meat and an invitation to start jogging (which costs practically nothing). The general idea of the letter was that total health costs are not as high as some people would have us believe. Of course, organic foods are better, but safe foods, even if not organically grown, are always preferable to snack foods.
Even though I was born in an upper middle class family (made up of two parents and seven children!), I still have fond memories of buying groceries at the local markets in the evening when the day's produce was available at a lower cost. I also remember many trips to the general produce market in my mother's old Austin A40. There we would purchase cases of apples, pears or other fruit to divide among the other residents of our condominium. Today there are solidarity groups that teach us not to throw away money for useless items and help us to live our lives in such a way that, with a little care, our bodies can get the right “fuel”. In this way no man or woman has to “let themselves go”.
Our destiny and our health planning are in our hands. Everyone can eat in a healthy way and still stay on an acceptable budget, avoiding the contradiction that “economizing on food makes you gain weight...”
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