Low Income Families and Food

One of the topics we talked about during this food lesson was involved with lower income families. Many families who have extremely low incomes tend to eat more fast food and unhealthier foods than those with a more substantial income. This concept is especially tough for children considering that there are about seventeen million kids in the United States who have trouble getting enough food throughout the day.

This article focuses on a specific family that lives in Pennsylvania. The family falls far below the line of poverty. Due to their income, this makes it difficult for the parents to find healthy and nutritious food at a reasonable price. The mother of this, Connie Williamson, stated, "A gallon of milk is $3-something. A bottle of orange soda is 89 cents. Do the math." She is trying to assert that it is more affordable for their family to have unhealthier than it is to have healthy food. For  families such as Connie's who struggle to find and pay for meals for their family, feeding their children is far more important than the nutritional value of the food. 

The concept of hunger is difficult. Advocates of healthy eating for children, such as the First Lady, Michelle Obama, want children to eat right. However, there is a problem for those in need who just want to eat enough. For those who are in poverty, it is tough to have both. What these advocates need to take into account is that healthy eating might not be affordable for children who live in households with such low incomes. While we help children become healthier, we should also make sure that we  assist those who can not afford to eat healthier.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128621057