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I think what lurkette was really getting at is that the economics of commodities in this country subsidized by the Farm Bill mean that less healthy calories are cheaper for people to buy and consume. Time-wise, these cheaper calories are also easier to procure. In parts of this country, especially in inner cities, it is hard to find affordable produce. NYC has done a great job of addressing this issue with the introduction of greenmarkets, and other places have as well; here, our farmers' market takes food stamps. However, a lot of markets aren't set up for that sort of thing, and furthermore, for the poor and already overweight, getting to a farmer's market over a grocery store nearby is not really feasible, especially if one has put in an 8-hour+ day. Is a poor person with a weight problem really going to put in the time and effort it takes to eat healthily (shopping at the farmer's market, spending $20+ a week on fresh produce, finding ways to cook said produce, prepping and cooking said produce) or are they going to go for the cheap box of macaroni and cheese that takes 20 minutes to prepare from start to finish? It does take a great deal of effort to buy, prep, and cook fresh food--even Rachael Ray takes a lot of short cuts in her 30 Minute Meals, and many of them are completely unreasonable if you're on any sort of budget.
Yes, a head of romaine lettuce is 99 cents here, but I know it's not the same price elsewhere, and it's certainly more expensive to purchase the romaine that's pre-washed and cut.
We can insist all we want about personal willpower and responsibility, but the fact is that the economics of food in this country set people up to fail, depending on where they live.
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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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