Everyone wants food to be cheap when they go to the supermarket or the food market to buy food. Even if you can afford thousands of dollars of Apple mobile phones, as long as the price of two dollars to see eggs, it will make people feel bad mood. But few people think that the price of food is related to health. What are the impacts of rising prices and price cuts on the nutritional quality of three meals?
One day, when Gu Zhongyi's dietitian chatted with me, the customers waiting for fried cakes under the Hufang Bridge lined up on a daily basis, but after a price increase of 5 cents, the length of the team was reduced by half. He suspects that if the price of cooking oil goes up, there will be fewer people to buy this type of fried food. - It can be seen that sometimes food prices are not necessarily a bad thing.
Will high-fat, low-fiber processed food prices increase people’s health? The results of a 20-year study in the United States are very convincing (Food Price and Diet and Health Outcomes: 20 Years of the CARDIA Study). The study found that for every 10% increase in the price of carbonated soft drinks and pizza, the energy intake of respondents was reduced by 7% and 11%, respectively; the price of Coke rose by US$1 and the respondents’ daily Energy intake decreased by 124 kcal, weight loss by 1.05 kg, and insulin resistance index decreased by 0.42. Similarly, if the price of pizza and coke rises by one US dollar at the same time, the daily energy will decrease by 181 kcal, the weight loss will decrease by 1.65 kilograms, and the insulin resistance index will drop by 0.45. Researchers believe that Americans will be healthier if they take the price of take-away fast foods and sweet drinks.
There are also studies (Food Prices Are Associated with Dietary Quality, Fast Food Consumption, and Body Mass Index among US Children and Adolescents). For American children aged 2-11 years, the higher the price index of fast foods, the higher the child’s dietary nutrition. The higher the quality, the higher the price index of fruits and vegetables, the higher the child's weight level, and the less dietary fiber intake. It seems that once the price of fruits and vegetables goes up, children can eat less.
In another study (The cost of US foods as related to their nutritive value), the researchers analyzed the price of 1387 foods. The study found that the use of starchy foods and oils to supply energy has the lowest cost (meaning that if you want to gain weight, you have to eat them with high efficiency and low cost). In contrast, vegetable prices are the highest in terms of unit energy, followed by fruits (which means more vegetables and fruits, more money, but it is difficult to gain weight). Meat, poultry, and fish are the highest, and cooking oil is the lowest, if measured by price. In terms of the amount of food that contains the same amount of energy, carbohydrates and fats are cheap, proteins are expensive, and dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals are all more expensive.
Researchers believe that this result can be a good explanation for Americans' actual purchase behavior. People with low incomes and low education levels tend to buy more foods that are rich in fat, starch, and sugar, because these food ingredients are the cheapest. To eat more fruits and vegetables each day requires more cost, and it is easier for high-education and high-income people to accept this dietary pattern.
So, is the more money you spend on your diet, the healthier your diet will be? Not necessarily that. In a study published in 2010 (Relation of food cost to healthfulness of diet among US women), the correlation coefficient between healthy diet and food expenditure was only 0.44 among American women. One-fifth of respondents with the highest dietary health scores only spent 24% more than the least healthy group. Among them, the purchase of nuts, soy products, starchy beans, and whole grains is more expensive and the healthy diet score is higher; the more money is spent on processed meat products and high-fat dairy products such as cheese, the healthy diet The lower the score.
Can education rely on consumers' food purchase behavior? The results of this research are often rather disappointing because the effect of education is slow or even not obvious. For example, a study found that 6 months of nutrition education is almost ineffective, but discounted sales of health foods on tailored nutrition supermarket on sale (a randomized controlled trial). It seems that educating consumers on rational shopping has a long way to go. Therefore, some Western governments have taken the initiative to levy high taxes on sweet drinks, high-fat dairy products and snacks with low nutritional value in order to guide consumers to buy less. Low nutritional value foods. Studies have shown that if you buy health foods and receive cash subsidies, those with low incomes will have more incentive to purchase them, thus improving the quality of your diet.
From the distant United States back to China, recently, a news on the price of eggs was broadcast on television programs in China. It was said that the price of eggs returned from the high of 11 yuan to the low of 5 yuan, and the prices of various vegetables also fell sharply. However, the meat prices in the market are still firm. Two days ago, I bought a pound of leg of lamb, the price is 45 yuan. Are these price changes a good thing or a bad thing?
In China, there are also researchers who use the survey data of Chinese residents' diet and health to establish a number of models to discuss the relationship between the price changes of edible oil and the health of residents. The analysis of each model indicates that as long as the relative price of edible oil and other foods has decreased, it is related to the increase in body fat content of residents. That is to say, as long as the relative price of oil and other foods decreases, people will be more willing to buy oil, and willing to use large amounts of oil to cook food, which is probably one of the important factors in promoting weight gain.
The Food Price Policy Can Favorably Altered Macronutrient Intake in China, published in 1999, mentioned that if the price of meat, eggs and cooking oil rises, then The fat content will fall, which is helpful for preventing obesity and heart disease.
No matter how the price changes, I only hope that parents who grasp the power of family shopping can understand that oil and sugar can't be eaten much cheaper. Even if the price drops, the amount of meat and eggs will have to be moderate, and vegetables and fruits should be given to children no matter how expensive they are. .
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