What the world eats

[Big Daddy]

Did you also notice how many people the Mali and Ecuador families are feeding for their $30 a week? (Ditto EB )

Whole foods stretch farther than processed foods.

Has a lot more to do with the fact that the avg income and cost of living is a lot lower. I think the pictures are more effective at showing the way food is packaged and what food cost in different countries.. Obviously unprocessed grains are going to be a lot cheaper than all the processed food we have here. I don't think too many of the people on this forum will have 5 bags of grain and rice each month. Look at the tables showing the different life expectancies and health care cost's. The USA is double on health care costs. We have the most unhealthy diet, highest health care costs and longest lives. That's big pharm for you.

 

[keljonma]

I just found this SS site and was reading this thread and checked the link. Did anyone notice the families that spent the least on food, had no meat (atleast that I could see) .....

old fashioned!

Some religions do not condone eating meat, and that could be one reason why some families did not have meat included in their purchases.

It could also be that they raise their own goats or chickens for food.

 

[sylvie]

I just found this SS site and was reading this thread and checked the link. Did anyone notice the families that spent the least on food, had no meat (atleast that I could see) .....

old fashioned!

Some religions do not condone eating meat, and that could be one reason why some families did not have meat included in their purchases.

It could also be that they raise their own goats or chickens for food.

Good observations!

 

[Dace]

I just have to chime in that I do believe that American image is accurate...for the average family. As someone already mentioned most families have two working parents and all of those brightly colored boxed are not called processed crap (as they should be) they are called processed food. I would say that the vast majority of the American public truly do not know how bad that stuff is for them.

As I think about eliminating more of the processed crap that we eat I have to ask myself if I really have time to cook even more from scratch. I cook a very large percentage of our diet from scratch but there are still things that we rely on that I would love to get rid of. On my hit list right now is granola bars. I would like to quit buying the premade garbage as I know they are just sugar and crap that I can't pronounce, but my kids love having them in their lunches. I am on a quest to find a homemade version that they will eat!!...I wandered off my point....it is very hard for a full time working mom to prepare as many home cooked meals as most of us here do, that is not to suggest that no one here works I just think that we as a group have a different mind set than the average.

 

[FarmerChick]

I agree Dace


even the "30 minute" meals from scratch.....like sautee chicken and veggies and Voila--you got a "good" dinner is hard on working moms.

So much to do nowadays.......I am home. I still have trouble finding that time to cook good meals---I do--I make it a priority---and I only got one kid and no demanding job.

I can't imagine a Mom working full time with 3 kids and bills up the wahoo and still try to be like a SS person. I know it would be hard!!!!!


and yes, the world's idea of food is warped now. will get worse I believe!!

 

[1stepcloser]

Wow. I wanted to weep for the Mali family. Makes you realize how blessed you really are...

The processed crap seemed to run over the American table. We don't eat like that so it throws me off when I stop and realize the bulk of our country does. The Indian family looked like that had GREAT food. I wanna live with them!

 

[FarmerChick]

BUT the Mali family are all smiling!!!

If you don't know it (that crap food exists out there) then you don't miss it. I doubt a Mali family will ever see the internet let alone their picture on it.

 

[1stepcloser]

I adopted my daughter from Liberia. I saw many smiling, malnurished faces.

People in 3rd world countries are not unaware. They know of food they cannot afford to buy. They know the internet exists. They watch TV...just normally it is one TV at a storefront and people gather around communally in the evenings. Only the rich have internet, those who can scrape up extra cash go to internet cafes...those who can't focus on day to day issues of surviving. Trust me, they are very aware they are living a hand-to-mouth existence. That is why my daughter's parents gave up their parental rights...in a desperate hope their daughter, my daughter...our daughter would have a better life.

(((Sorry, didn't meant to go off on a tangent. Just wanted to add my personal perspective.)))

 

[sylvie]

I stayed in Mexico with several families over two years time. I did not see the abundant use of fruit and vegetables as shown in this array.

After looking further at the photos I called my friend who lived the last two summers in different areas of Mexico with a several families as part of her language degree. She did not see this amount of usage of fruits and vegetables, either. I'm not sure how representational that photo is (from our combined experiences).

Who paid? Maybe that is why everyone is smiling.

 

[RLAZ]

Wow.

The Indian family looks like they eat the healthiest.