Has the Recession changed the way you eat, what you eat?

[DearAbby]

As Black Unemployment Climbs, Healthy American Eating Declines


As Michele Washington walks into a McDonald's in Harlem on a recent evening, exhausted from a two-hour commute and eager for an inexpensive meal, her seven-year-old son, Monty, breaks into a chant that has become a regular soundtrack.

"Three things, three dollars," Monty says rhythmically, reciting his mother's rules of engagement at this ubiquitous outpost of cheap and plentiful calories. "Three things, three dollars. Mommy, give me three things."

While Monty dashes toward the counter, continuing his mantra, his mother trails behind, cringing. In the three years since she lost her full-time job, Washington, 33, has surrendered so much: her own home with its cherished kitchen; her car; her sense of sovereignty. Now, her son's chant reminds her of another element lost to diminished economic fortunes -- her commitment to healthy eating.

"It's kind of embarrassing when your seven-year-old has his own rhyme about the Mickey D's' dollar menu," says Washington. "This is not a mother of the year moment."


More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/17/eating-habits-the-next-ec_n_900443.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008

[HopeHoops]

1. Not one bit. We're vegetarian so our food budget is tiny compared to omnivours.

We haven't changed a damn thing and food prices for what we eat haven't really changed either.

[DearAbby]

2. Eat grass clippings?

Healthy foods, fresh veggies are pretty expensive.

[joeybee12]

3. That's what I've found...it's more expensive to eat healthy...nt

[HopeHoops]

6. Then I don't think I'd call what you're eating "healthy".

Working with base ingredients is not only more nutritious but it is also far less expensive. With processed foods, it seems you're paying more for the packaging than you are for the actual product. That's certainly true with dried chives (extreme example, but a fun one) which are something like $450/oz. ALL you are paying for is the packaging. Buy grains and dried legumes by bulk - they're far less expensive than anything pre-processed. Still, canned beans aren't all that expensive. Fresh vegetables go a really long way but you have to watch the prices and know what's a good deal. If it is too expensive this week, wait it out and get something else. Knowing how to cook helps too (minor detail).

[Warpy]

11. Beans and rice are cheap and supermarkets here sell 'em in bulk

Throw in underdog veggies like winter squash, cabbage, turnips and enough onions and garlic to take the curse off when you roast them and you've got a lot of healthy meals. Thinking outside the bean gets you loaves and patties as well as soups and stews.

The one thing I missed was fruit. I never could afford more than occasional bag of raisins or jar of applesauce.

[HopeHoops]

18. Fruit is a matter of seasonal availability. In the fall, we buy a SHITLOAD of apples.

We've made our own applesauce (just boiled down apples, nothing else) and canned it, but mostly we dehydrate them. We use the same device either way - I think it is called an "AppleMate II". Basically it is just a cork screw with a skewer on the end that clamps to the table. It has a spring-loaded arm with a blade that peels the apple as it is about to enter the ring at the far end which has a blade that slices the apple into a curly-fries shape as the core passes through the ring. That's perfect both for cooking them down and for dehydrating, especially since they are all the same thickness so they dry at the same rate. That's a problem if you hand slice.

We have two dehydrators. Both are GardenMaster (made in the USA). The older one is about 16" in diameter and has twelve trays. It takes a long time for fruits and vegetables but is perfect for herbs, and we have damn near every herb we ever use in our herb bed. The other is about a 20" diameter with twenty trays and it will dry pretty much anything in twelve hours. Canteloupe, kiwi, strawberries, bananas, apples, nectarines, peaches, mango, lemon, orange, carrot, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, asparagus, well, nearly anything will work. Whatever we have excess of or can find cheap in the store goes into the dehydrator and lasts us for many months. We keep the dried stuff in freezer zip bags inside opaque plastic tubs. The shelf life is pretty much indefinite.

[Warpy]

31. Depends where you live

They never get under $1.29 a pound here in NM and that's pretty expensive for someone on a bare subsistence food budget.

[HopeHoops]

35. I'm lucky when it comes to apples and mushrooms...

I live just north of Adams County, PA (home to Gettysburg) and a FUCKLOAD of apples (that's an official measurement) are produced there so they're really inexpensive in the fall. You can also easily find ones that haven't been sprayed or coated in wax. There are local stands and markets everywhere.

Just to the east is Lancaster and much farther to the east is mushroom heaven, well if you like the smell of the growing medium. We have crisp, fresh local mushrooms available all year at decent prices.

Other things aren't so easy to come by. Finding quality artichokes at a reasonable price is pretty difficult. We have to wait a long time for fresh corn and be patient as the sources come into play up the east coast. The family-owned grocery store I shop at actually posts where the corn is from so you can track it from Florida up to that lovely word "LOCAL" as the season progresses. We have local corn available now, but it isn't at its prime yet. Another two or three weeks and it will be wonderful.

Peaches, nectarines, apricots, and the sort are almost always hard (under-ripe) until August. We do have excellent local doughnut peaches around that time! And you can pretty well write off fresh tomatoes until the local crops ripen. The winter shit is exactly that - shit. No flavor, pithy consistency, no juice - just a pink ball of shit.

Availability of quality and reasonably priced produce really is a matter of where you are located.

[Warpy]

36. I live in the DESERT

and we have been without measurable rainfall since the first of January.

There was one big orchard northwest of town but the Las Conchas fire burned it this year.

Not even tumbleweeds are growing this year.

[jwirr]

24. Thanks for the tips about underdog veggies - I have never thought

of it that way. My grandson may not eat them but I will.

[Aerows]

30. I just bought a food processor for this reason

I've started noticing that if you don't know how to handle the base ingredients of food, you pay a very high "hidden" tax. We have a garden, and I'm going to can the tomatoes that we can't use before they go bad.

When you use a food dehydrator, how does it affect the taste when you use them to cook with? Can you dehydrate tomatoes instead of canning them, and then put them in soups? We have a bunch of cucumbers growing, too. Carrots and onions seem like they would hold up pretty well in taste.

How do you use the vegetables you dehydrate?

[Drahthaardogs]

33. I always plant Romas because you can avoid canning them.

Just freeze them in a bag, run them under hot water and the skin will peel right off, and use them in sauces, etc. Beefstyle tomatoes will not freeze like Romas.

[HopeHoops]

34. Cucumbers? That's one I haven't tried. Not sure. As for the OTHER veggies...

You can throw them into pretty much any kind of stew or non-milk broth and they'll reconstitute pretty well. Carrots get REALLY dry so soaking them first helps (and throw in the soaking water too!)

There's no way to compare tomatoes that are canned from dehydrated. Different animals. Most of the dehydrated fruits we eat just like they are as snacks. I'll snack on the dried tomatoes too. As for the cucumbers, try making pickles! You don't have to use "pickling cukes". Whip up a batch of cucumber and red onion salad and can that. We use damn near everything that comes out of the garden and very little goes to waste, mostly what the rabbits or insects get at but that's a very small portion of the overall crop. Damn I love having a garden.

[HopeHoops]

4. We grow a lot of our own, but frankly the prices haven't changed much.

Grains are about the same. Sometimes tomatoes, peppers, and citrus fruits spike for a period but that's more related to weather issues than it is to economic issues. Pasta hasn't increased in price in years. Dried beans and lentils cost about the same as they did a decade ago. Flour, sugar, and other baking needs are fairly stable in price. No real change on balance.

[snooper2]

10. Aldi has nanners' 39 cents a pound, oranges 50 cents a pound

head of lettuce 99 cents..

5 lb bag of potatoes $1.49

1 lb bag of seedless grapes was like $1.39

whole pineapple for a buck fifty..

[Mimosa]

5. Definitely have changed

We don't go out to eat often at the modestly priced places we used to go, and we NEVER go out to the more expensive 'nice places' around town like Hal's on Old Ivy or Kyma. It's all we can do to pull through each month.

We're supposed to be eating a high protein diet (blood sugar issues). That can be challenging. I would enjoy eating out. I have a health condition which makes me too tired to spend much energy cooking.

[HopeHoops]

12. Have you tried lentil stew with quinoa?

Quinoa is a complete protein and it cooks in less than 15 minutes, so don't throw it in until close to the end of your cooking cycle. Lentils are high protein, cook fairly quickly without soaking, and don't need much attention - just don't let them boil over or you'll have a fucking mess from hell. They're also naturally sweet and especially good with onion and garlic. You can toss in carrots, potatoes, green peas, celery, spinach, mushrooms, and all kinds of things to keep each batch interesting. If you can find red lentils (they're actually bright orange), try those - damn good.

[Mimosa]

13. Love lentils.

You just made me hungry! :7

[HopeHoops]

20. Okay, then track down some red lentils and some garam masala and enjoy....

Red Lentil Dahl:

- However many red lentils you feel like cooking (a cup or two is usually good). Make sure the pot is big enough but not too big. The lentils and water should take up no more than 1/3 of the depth of the pot when you initially add them.
- Water to cover by about two inches initially, more as needed.
- Garam masala to taste (depends on the mixture - some is really strong, other not so much)
- Black mustard seed (if available)
- Ghee (clarified butter) or peanut oil if you can't find ghee.
- Optional: chopped onions, mushrooms (shitake is particularly good), potatoes (cubed), carrots, be creative

Heat over a medium flame. Initially, you have to stir the lentils frequently to keep them from clumping. Once the water is boiling, reduce it to the point where it is just simmering while covered. You might have to crack the lid a little to keep it from foaming and boiling over. Now you can go two ways here. It makes an excellent "soup" type dahl if you keep adding water. The other option is more of a paste (hummus consistency) that you can scoop with tortillas, pita slices, or nacho chips. Either way, add the "optional" stuff near the end and only for as much time as it takes to cook them.

The trick is making sure the lentils are done and having the patience to let them GET done. That mostly means leaving them alone on a low flame, but you do need to keep tabs on them to make sure they don't boil over. This is a great time to do laundry. Oh, you will need to "sample" from time to time to see if they are soft enough. :evilgrin:

OPTIONAL: You can transfer the mixture to a heat-capable blender and puree it for a really smooth consistency. I don't do this.

Just before serving, heat the ghee or peanut oil (not a lot) in a non-stick pan. Add about a half-teaspoon of black mustard seed and wait for it to start to pop. Then add the garam masala, turn off the heat, and stir for a few seconds. Immediately dump it into the dahl and stir it in well.

Then EAT!!!!

[jwirr]

25. Never tried lentils but you make them sound delicious.

[Warpy]

7. My dietary changes came when everybody else was still living large

and I was broke but now that y'all are poor and I have the potential to live large, I really haven't changed all that much. I just felt so much better on light, po'folks food that I kept the whole idea. Plus, I've always enjoyed cooking.

I haven't felt the need to keep the pot of stew on the stove to feed hungry people who knock on my door yet, but it's coming, I'm sure. I'm grateful to be in the position to do that.

The one thing I didn't do, no matter how poor I was, was go to McDs. That's false economy, paying someone else to cook you inferior food that makes you feel lousy.

[kestrel91316]

8. It was kind of a special occasion when I bought a package of 4 boneless,

skinless chicken thighs to poach and shred for tacos the other day.

WOW. CHICKEN THIGHS.

[LiberalEsto]

9. We stopped eating meat

for several reasons: love of animals, health and financial.

I'm also putting a bit more effort into the vegetable garden.

[HopeHoops]

15. Health is a major reason.

Industrial factory farm animal parts are beyond disgusting. It is more toxic waste than sustenance. If you're going to eat meat, kill it yourself in the wild so you'll be getting something with more nutritional value than fat and poisons. There's also the weight issue. I just shake my head every time some Atkins freak launches a sermon on "MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT" when you can tell they haven't lost an ounce, and probably gained a few pounds. What people in the US call "meat" now is nothing like what was sold 40 years ago. Even back then it wasn't great, but it was way better than the shit on the market now.

[closeupready]

14. Not really. I guess I prepare more of my own food, since eating out is a huge waste of money, IMO.

So in that sense, yes.

I eat healthier now more as a function of my own desire to improve my diet and health, rather than as a function of the recession.

[Lifelong Protester]

16. The part in the OP about losing the woman's kitchen makes it

tough. If you don't cook, can't cook, don't have a place to cook, that makes it damn hard.
I find that my vegetarian diet,
my willingness to cook,
careful watching to see what fruit and veggies are on sale,
having a good CSA,
growing a few vegetables,
having friends who share excess garden bounty,
using a lot of legumes I buy in bulk and cook in a $7 crock pot,
drying food when it is abundant (tomatoes--my word those are expensive to buy, 'sun' dried tomatoes?),
generally training my tastebuds to like "made at home better than 'prepared elsewhere' food.


All of these things help my food budget, and my health. I know all of these (maybe none of these?) are available resources for many.

I feel lucky.

Very lucky. I had a mom who was born in and lived through the Depression (the first one) and she taught me some thrifty ways. I find the older I get, the less afraid I am of having less. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to starve by having my future SS cut, but I am happy to figure out now how to do more with less.

[11 Bravo]

17. Not at all, at least not yet.

[Marrah_G]

19. We cook alot more now

And we also get food shares from a local CSA, have an organic and have a cow on order that will last the year at least. I shop now far more carefully. No prepared foods. I am learning old skills like bread baking and pasta making and hope to do my first real canning this summer/fall.

We eat alot differently now.

A pot of stew is cheaper and healthier then most of the prepared crap or fast food.
Potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms, squash.... whatever meat is on sale.... or no meat at all. Some kale or chard or spinich.

Or vegetable soup with beans and cans of diced tomatoes, carrots, potatoes.

Lots of stirfries and stews.

[Innoma]

21. Big Time

In the 'good old days,' I would reward myself at the end of the week with, say, a nice porterhouse. But not only has the price escalated to a point that it’s become acutely painful, I now worry what kinds of residual hormones or antibiotics it’s been laced with, under what conditions the animal has been raised in, or how it’s been handled and packaged for sale. To make matters worse, if I do break down and splurge once every few months, the meat is often so abysmally dry and tough that I'd almost prefer boiled cabbage.

These days, my first point of entry at the local supermarket is the produce section from which all my other weekly dinner choices hinge. What's disheartening, though, is the produce is often of such low quality, obviously having been picked weeks prior and then languished in some mega storage facility before being sold: the broccoli is limp and flowering, the brussels sprouts yellow and black, the zucchini soft with sunken-in flesh, etc., etc. If left to my own devices, I could easily become vegetarian, but when I have to sift through dozens of bell peppers to just find one that is not quite on the edge of rot, I feel as if I'm being involuntarily routed to the frozen and prepared foods section where everything is somehow always seems so much cheaper (as long as you are willing to ignore the high salt levels, various and assorted chemicals and the high-fructose corn syrup which is in all that stuff).

Sure, I could hit the local farmer's markets, of which there are many, but for me, it just so happens that each one is located far away and at times I just can't get there. Or I could garden, which I've done off and on for the past 15 years, but for these last two years I've been working more (and making less), so the time needed to spend on a proper garden just isn't there.

So I'm stuck with the local mega-supermarket and try to do the best I can. But every time I buy some second-rate produce or meat, I feel as if I'm giving tacit approval to crap product. It's either that or microwave Hot Death Pockets.

[SammyWinstonJack]

27. Costco has great produce. Fresh and long lasting.

[robinlynne]

22. Actually now I eat mostly vegetables. I didnt before. I just avoid meat, and

I dont miss it anymore. Probably eating healthier than before.

[jwirr]

23. It has changed our shopping habits - we buy what is on sale and

some basics like milk and cereal. I eat less meat but my grandson will not go without so I cook less. I cannot wait until the gardens are producing - what we do not eat I will preserve in some way so that we can afford to eat better. By the way I get food stamps as a separate household and he does not get anything.

I am looking for prices to go up again (drought in the south) and it is going to be extremely hard then. Bread and cereal will go up and fruits also. Scary.

[Starry Messenger]

26. I think people are missing the part where she used to have a kitchen and cooked healthy meals.

If you don't have a place to cook tons of bulk stuff, it is tough/impossible to keep up cheap healthy meal creation.

[WatsonT]

28. People should be eating healthier now

1) eat less. Getting less of the same thing is always going to be cheaper than more.
2) eat out less.
3) eat less meat and dairy (those are expensive). Rice and beans is a fine meal and ridiculously cheap.

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. This week I noticed at the market

prices went WAY UP

[Philippine expat]

32. Nope n/t

[femmocrat]

37. Not at all. n/t

[sakabatou]

38. Not really

It's medication that has changed.

[Snoutport]

39. Not the recession...but the food prices have

I'm being more careful of going to the less fancy store....i've been noticing big jumps in prices but they are bigger at the fancy store. ($4 for craoker!)

[bigwillq]

40. Yes. I only eat peas.

:rofl: