Costly Nonetheless

Only a few decades ago, poverty was associated with thinness. Today, in developed countries at least, the opposite seems to be true. The reason: Instead of healthy, low-calorie foods, many poor people opt for high-caloric, energy-dense products full of refined grains and sugars to tide them over missed meals.

Limited income people assume they’re getting a bigger bang for their buck with these foods. In one respect, they’re right: A survey of Seattle-area supermarkets in 2003 found that 20 cents spent on cookies would provide the same amount of food energy as 95 cents spent on carrots. Even so, many pay a heavy price later in life for these poor nutritional habits in the form of obesity and related problems.