What is eaten in one week?

As I was listening to the CBC this morning, I heard a story about “what is eaten in one week.”

The idea is to compare what a week’s worth of groceries costs and consists of for families in several countries.

That the American family featured spent $341.98 was not surprising. And while the difference is arresting, it was also not surprising that a family in Chad spent a mere $1.23.

Economic disparities aside (and after visiting in some very poor places, believe me, I’m not forgetting those disparities), something else is striking.

More money spent on groceries does not mean more food, it means more (perceived) convenience. And if anything, it means worse food. In fact, the poorest families actually eat (percent-wise, at least) more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Check it out for yourself.

The poorer families (or at least the ones spending less), actually have more real food. The photos are filled with fruits, vegetables, rice and grains. And while the Mexican family would do well to reduce or eliminate their Coca-Cola intake, it’s clear that the American family stands out as being the only one filled with junk food, and an appalling lack of fruits, vegetables and other fresh food.

Obviously these photos are not a picture of every family in each society, but they are also not aberrations. The Italian family’s food reflects choices that are based on a food culture that has been developing for centuries. It involves lots of fresh foods.

So many American families eat the junk food and products that make claims to fast, easy meals because they are supposed to be cheaper, and easier, than cooking from fresh ingredients. It’s primarily Americans (and maybe Canadians, who aren’t pictured) who have bought into this idea. Local plantains carry the day in Ecuador. Fresh vegetables win in Egypt. The Mediterranean diet persists. And so on.

I understand that this web page is not a scientific study, that it is merely one piece of information related to a topic that is much bigger. But it is reflective of the bigger issue. The notion that to get dinner on the table we need to order pizza, grab Burger King or start meals from a box, or the idea that we can’t afford or don’t need or don’t have time to use fresh fruits and vegetables has been cultivated in this society by the major “food” companies. Our sense of what is good to eat has been perverted.

Looking around the world you can find many different diets (I don’t mean of the Atkins kind), and many ways of eating and balancing foods. There is not a single best way, such as “French” or “Mediterranean” or “Japanese.” But you can point the finger at America and see that there clearly is a wrong way. Land of the free, home of the obese.

For all of the effort and money that has gone into fighting the tobacco companies, the food companies have caused harm just as bad or worse with none of the repercussion. They will be the next target. Nonetheless, an entire culture has lost its way with what food is, with what we, as human beings, should be eating. Yes, it’s a matter of personal choice – and plenty of Americans are now choosing fresh, real food – but each food “innovation” comes at a price. A very high price.

I grew up with a homemade dinner on the table virtually every night of the week. Sometimes it may have been leftovers; one time-saving strategy for two working parents my mom used was to make a lot of food on the weekend or days she had the time. It may have been re-heated, but it was still homemade, good food. There was always at least one vegetable, and no meal was complete without a salad. We read labels; there were always fresh fruit and vegetables in the house. Everything may not have been made from scratch, but it was close.

My in-laws are the same, and perhaps even more so. They go through a lot of pasta, but you will never see a jar of sauce (unless it’s been made by the nonni). Meat or fish during the week is done simply and easily, without the assistance of Hamburger Helper. The reality is that it doesn’t take long to put some fish fillets in a baking pan, coat them in a bit of olive oil, bread crumbs, garlic and parsley, and then put them in the oven. Similarly, it takes almost no time at all to slice up some chicken breast, toss it in bbq sauce, and put that in the oven. Vegetables cook quickly; salad is a cinch when you wash all the lettuce on the weekend and only have to grab what you need for the nightly salad.

I’m not advocating fancy meals every night. But in one hour or less you can put a very good, very fresh and even healthy meal on the table. It may take a little more planning and a change in buying habits, but it’s worth it. It’s better for you and the planet, and better still, the result is tastier meals.