Many of you reading this might be struggling with finding time and money to eat healthy. I know that for myself and people on my college campus, this is a real concern. Many students find it easier to buy cheap food at the Dollar Tree near NMSU campus, instead of stopping by the natural grocer (Toucan) right next door, simply because of cost. Every time I go to Toucan it is much emptier than Dollar Tree. The article “Americans Eat the Cheapest Food in the World, But What is It Really costing?” addresses the fact that many people don’t have the transportation to go to a grocery store that sells fresh fruits and vegetables. This is just one of many excuses not to eat healthier. The example of the Dollar Tree and neighboring natural grocer highlights this reason behind unhealthy eating. Students that do not have a car cannot go to Walmart, which has much cheaper produce in comparison to a natural grocer like locally owned Toucan Market or Sprouts. But even if someone can get to a place where fruits and vegetables are sold, they still choose to buy a 37 cent cup ramen instead, simply to save money. Another reason why people do not choose to pick up vegetables is simply that they do not know how to prepare them and if they do, they feel like they do not have time, too.
One of the main reasons for unhealthy eating is the fact that healthier meals take time and money to make. Even if someone has one of those things, they may not have the other, which leads to quick fast food pickups instead of hours of food preparation for a healthy dinner. Some companies are actually trying to make the situation better and capitalize on the excuse most people have “no time to make healthy food.” If someone has money, then they can get a food subscription box called “Hello Fresh”. Hello, Fresh is a company that sends the costumer pre-packaged organic ingredients to make a meal at home. The company seems to be doing pretty well by advertising through YouTube star partnerships. I got this subscription for the first time last week and the food was great and did not take long to make. This could be a personal solution for me to eat healthier. It is worth the effort to spend the money now on eating healthy because if you don’t it can lead to health problems in the future.
Besides unhealthy eating, there are many food issues in the world including food security and hunger. The United States and other urbanized countries have much less food insecurity in comparison to third world countries. In the United States, food insecurity does occur more than one might expect. New Mexico has a higher food insecurity percentage than the percentage of the United States as a whole. This statistic may not be surprising to some people because New Mexico is generally known as a ‘poor’ state. There are statistics that show a racial demographics of food insecurity. In New Mexico, Native Americans have the highest food insecurity. Many people say that education is the best way out of poverty and therefore being more food secure. It is proven that people with a college education make more money than those without, so if you are in college right now pursuing a degree than you are on the right track to eating healthier in the future.