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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Way Americans Are Shopping For Groceries Is Truly Worrying
The latest entry in NPR's eye-opening "Graphing America" series takes a deeper look into how Americans' spending habits have changed at the grocery store.
One of the most interesting findings is how much we've reduced spending on groceries over the last few decades, even as the cost of many foods have soared.
Between 1982 and 2012, we shaved 3 percent off our grocery budgets to just under 9 percent of total income, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But it turns out that actually says a lot less about our savvy spending habits than our reliance on high-calorie convenience food.
"We now spend a much bigger share of our grocery money on processed foods, which includes things like frozen dinners, canned soups and snacks," NPR reports
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-way-americans-are-shopping-for-groceries-is-truly-worrying-2012-6
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)year or so.
coalition_unwilling
(14,180 posts)platform and dirt-cheap. Can't recommend them highly enough for cost-conscious and health-conscious consumers.
Pretty easy to fix too. Only about 15 minutes to boil them up and spice them for storage and use later in the week.
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)mix with other beans, brown rice, spices. Fry them up. put on hamburger bun.
coalition_unwilling
(14,180 posts)to soak up any flavor I throw at them in a most delicious fashion. Yumm!
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)coalition_unwilling
(14,180 posts)Asian countries' diets.
Right now, I can buy bulk lentils for $0.99 to $1.49 a pound (green tend to cost less than red or black). Has to be one of the best bargains available in any type of food stuff.
FSogol
(45,553 posts)Quite delicious!
Mz Pip
(27,454 posts)I've never been big on processed foods. I read labels and if it has something that I can't pronouce I probably won't buy it. That and high fructose porn syrup which seems to be in just about anything that's in a jar.
I do have a big freezer where I keep the bags of rice, flour, beans, lentils, barley, etc. I freeze leftovers so I don't have to eat the same thing 3 days in a row.
It really isn't that hard to cook healthy meals. It just takes a bit of organization. I don't think I spend that much time on it.
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)It costs more money because there are more ingredients, but ANYTHING is better than just plain boring baked meat and frozen veggies. I would rather eat salads than that.
bigwillq
(72,790 posts)is from a Food Network recipe.
Healthy, affordable and yummy!
Most are really not that expensive.
appleannie1
(5,072 posts)as needed from the produce section of a store.
JI7
(89,279 posts)not always just about money but time also. and often both.
people want something quick without much preparing, cleaning etc.
Zalatix
(8,994 posts)We have zero processed foods in our household and it costs us about 2 hours to fix something. It's ridiculous.
GoneOffShore
(17,342 posts)sitting down to eat.
Without using processed food or a microwave.
I make 6 pizza doughs and freeze them - defrost as needed. Pesto, or my own frozen tomato sauce, grate some mozzarella, and pizza - faster than the very good place down the road can deliver.
The longest part is heating up the oven.
I could go on, but I'm going to cook dinner now.
FSogol
(45,553 posts)Does it need to warm up and proof again?
GoneOffShore
(17,342 posts)about 5 to 6 hours.
It actually reproofs itself by the time it's defrosted.
I use the Joy of Cooking recipe. Recently got some Italian flour and got an absolutely fantastic crust.
Disclaimer - I have a BlueStar gas oven with a convection fan and a thick pizza stone. The oven temp goes to 500F and with the convection, I can cook a pizza in about 8 minutes.
FSogol
(45,553 posts)I'll try freezing it.
FarCenter
(19,429 posts)Both frozen prepared and deli centers are big in grocery stores around here. They are basically competing with the fast food restaurants.
David__77
(23,553 posts)I use a lot of good quality prepared foods. I buy hot prepared foods from deli section as well. It's a trade-off. If I worked less, I might spend more time preparing food. But I honestly prefer not to deal with dishes, cooking fumes, clean-up, all that domestic drudgery.
Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)They just recently sent me one of their cookbooks called "The Complete Quick Cook." It's really quite helpful as far as tips on staples to keep around for quick meals and delicious, healthful recipes that can be whipped up in less than an hour, many in a half hour or so. And when you fix it yourself, you know what's in it. We hardly buy any prepared foods.
coalition_unwilling
(14,180 posts)was matched by a decline in meat purchases. So, from a health perspective, maybe a wash, as the reduction in fat from meat may compensate for the excessive calories from sweets and processed foods.
Not a nutritionist, so just an educated guess on my part.
getting old in mke
(813 posts)it is interesting that most of the gain in Processed Foods & Sweets comes from the reduction in Meat (+11.3% vs -9.8%)
Lindsay
(3,276 posts)but the grocery store I usually buy from seems to have increased stocks of processed foods and decreased the amount and selection of fresh produce. I don't know if that's in reaction to consumers' buying habits, or if the food industry is forcing those choices on us.
I also don't know if it's also true of the meat department, since I don't buy that.
(Yeah, I shop the local farmer's market as well, so I'm not saying I'm buying more processed foods myself. Just the way things look to me as a grocery store shopper.)
hedgehog
(36,286 posts)For example, processed foods such as frozen dinners and soups are counted with snacks such as chips and sweets.
In some cases, the purchase of processed food is a good thing. My elderly father eats cereal for breakfast and frozen dinners. Access to processed foods mean he has a much better diet than he would otherwise have.
tsuki
(11,994 posts)garden renaissance has affected the money spent. Is the money spent at farmer's markets also counted?
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)Staple items are a much cheaper way to go. People are buying more processed foods because they no longer have a clue how to cook and can't read recipes.
Warpy
(111,380 posts)because it looks like a decrease in meat consumption has simply been transferred to the "processed food" category.
This could be elderly folks living alone who buy prepared dinners, singles who work long hours buying prepared dinners, and working parents who order takeout when they can't get it together to slap a couple of chicken breasts into the broiler. I know that was my dad's pattern, living on premade frozen foods out of the freezer plus the occasional cheap hamburger.
longship
(40,416 posts)I do consume some processed food, mainly for convenience. My main staple is as stated.
southernyankeebelle
(11,304 posts)blender and was able to get 6 large bags of tomato juice. I put them in the freezer. When I make a pot of hot homemade soup I pull a bag out of the juice and add one can of tomato paste. Add veggies (I add carrots, celery) plus use one large white onion (for flavor, I don't like to eat the onion). Then put stew meat in and let it cook. Make sure you have enough water to cover all the veggies and meat. I usually add water if needed. Then I make elbow macaroni and when it is done I had the soup to it and sprinkle lots of parmesan cheese. Delicious and a cheap meal you can stretch out. Nothing better in the winter and when someone in the family is sick.
cali
(114,904 posts)the prices of processed foods is astounding to me. No way I could afford them, but then again no way I'd want to purchase them. I love to cook and I actually quite enjoy the challenge of fixing good healthy meals on a very limited budet.
4th law of robotics
(6,801 posts)some people won't like this correlation.