Why It's Cheaper To Eat an Unhealthy Diet

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has an illuminating piece (here) on why a Big Mac costs more than a salad (among other things). Seems that when Congress hands out subsidies to farmers and ranchers, 73.8 percent of all those millions go to meat and dairy products, a big chunk (13.2 percent) to grains like corn, another 10.6 percent to foods like sugar, salt and oil and a distressingly small 0.37 percent to vegetables and fruits.

Veggies and fruits are the solution to our nation's obesity, which is caused by meat, dairy, sugar, corn and oil, among other things. The Basic Southern Food Groups (grease, flour, salt and buttermilk) get almost all the federal dollars.

Agribusiness conglomerates, especially those raising meat, dairy and corn, are run by people of immense wealth and great political influence. Fruits and veggies not so much. Once again, Congress is the enabler of this country's biggest problems, not the group that can solve them.

(Graphic: PCRM.org)