We Get Fat Because Food is Cheap
One factor that some have argued has contributed to the obesity epidemic is that food has become cheaper relative to our income.
From the graph above, you see that food prices have dropped from 25% of disposable income to about 10% of disposable income in the past 80 years.
However, Japan, South Korea and many of the thinnest nations are very rich and their income and wealth are more spread out than it is in the USA, which should result in a higher obesity rate. Also, the poorest people with the least disposable income in the US are usually the most obese.
This theory doesn’t seem to have much merit. It’s possible, however, that eating more vegetables can help with weight loss and veggies are more expensive, but this is a different argument and I don’t think the price of veggies has increased relative to our income. Also, most of the poor can afford enough non-organic veggies.
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