A Little Rant: The Crap We are Feeding Our Children (and Buying Into Ourselves)

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Wow! You can now get 20 of these puppies for just $4.99. Does that mean you are going to give in?

Yesterday evening while watching television, I saw an advertisement on TV for McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets. The 20 piece is now “on sale” at a special $4.99. That’s a penny under $5.00 for 840 calories, 49 grams of fat and 125 mg of cholesterol. For all of those taking advantage of this deal…congrats? But are you really doing yourself or your children a favor by clogging them up with saturated fat, sodium and an overdose of calories?

The sad thing is that many families are taking advantage of these Fast Food “deals” just like this one. You can now get a box or two of Mac ‘n’ Cheese for 50 cents, a bag of chips for a buck, and a foot-long grinder for $5, most with a free sugar-laden soda. Schools serve loads of instant potatoes, pizza, and fried chicken in the cafeteria and call that “lunch.” Oh, and some are even going as far as saying pizza counts as two servings of the required vegetables, and if you don’t believe me start watching Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. That’ll surely open your eyes to what’s really going on out there. What kind of message is this sending to families, and more importantly to all of the kids out there?

Why is it that a bag of organic spinach can cost up to $10? A small package of hormone-free, all-natural chicken is double (even triple) the cost of a 20-piece nugget. What the heck is going on in the food industry?

If it were up to me, fast food prices would be sky-high and we would start seeing some real deals on REAL food, the food that matters. When are we going to see 20 “pieces” of organic, vine tomatoes go on sale? A bag of whole grain pasta for 50 cents? A free water bottle for every purchase of a veggie? That’s what I’d like to see. Yes, affordable food so that families who have been relying on crap to pay the bills can actually start affording to eat well.

What’s your take on the matter? Do you succumb to “cheap” food even though you know it’s bad for you? Do you splurge on pricy, organic eats for your health?

2 Responses to “A Little Rant: The Crap We are Feeding Our Children (and Buying Into Ourselves)”

  1. Fast Food Nation, Gross? | Comfy & Confident Says:

    […] I have been reminded of why that is. I read a couple articles and posts (like this one from Rachel’s blog) and it just grosses me out. Fast food is not real food – the ingredients consist of a whole […]

  2. Healthy Chicks » Blog Archive » Boston Organics: Our First Box Has Arrived! Says:

    […] we can, especially when it comes to fruits and vegetables. It’s shocking to find out how many chemicals, pesticides, and hormones are added to the foods we eat every day, and the scary thing is it can be hard to tell. Of course […]

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 30th, 2011 at 10:07 am and is filed under Health & Wellness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.