Having the Right Diet in a Recession

Why does a website that centers on the economy have anything to say about your diet? We think you’ll see why by reading on. During the lean times of an economic recession like what the U.S. economy is experiencing, stress levels increase and along with stress come poor diet, poor health, and weight gain. Food and ingredients that are organic (healthier) are sold in specialty food stores which are even expensive when there is no recession. So in lean times there is a tendency to consume the unhealthier and cheaper preprocessed and junk foods which lead to health problems and the potential to have high medical costs. Diet is very important during a recession so that you can keep your health in check and not incur more medical expenses. Here are some recession diet tips:

Avoid fad diets. The latest craze diets were the Atkins and South Beach Diets. Anyone who has ever tried these will tell you that it is very expensive getting the ingredients for meals in these types of diets. Yes, they are healthy and the South Beach Diet is recommended by cardiologists but they will destroy your budget that is needed to survive a recession. Also, people are rarely able to stick with fad diets because of the deprivation and the boredom that sets in. That means all the money invested in the beginning is lost.

Avoid diet pills. These are the pills that supposedly are the answer to all your weight problems. Not only are they expensive but studies show that they rarely work. And, they can even endanger your health. During a recession with many losing their jobs, you will find that there will be more trying to sell these diet pills to make extra money to hold them over while looking for another job.

Avoid processed foods. Processed foods seem inexpensive but they are stuffed with artificial low-grade fillers. They leave you feeling full but provide very little nutritional value—just empty calories that make you gain weight. Don’t waste your money on processed foods during a recession or any time.

Beans, pasta, and rice are good fillers but make sure you complement them with exercise and activity. Why is it that these are the main staples of many other countries but the percentage of obese people in these countries is not as high? Take Asia for instance. Rice is served in practically every meal but the populations in those countries do not have weight problems like Americans do. Yet if you go to an Asian country, you will see that the majority of people do not own cars and if they do, the traffic is so bad that they would rather walk to the bus stop or train station. You will also see organized free exercise programs on street corners. Fish, meat, and vegetables go along with the rice too. These staples are also perfect for lean times like during a recession because they are relatively inexpensive.

Fast food is a budget killer. Plus it is tremendously bad for your health. Office workers tend to go out every day to the local fast food establishments for lunch. Not only is this expensive but it can make you very sleepy because of the heaviness of the food. That sleepiness can affect your productivity at work in the afternoon. Of course, during a recession, you might have to cut back your patronizing of fast food establishments.