[PINeely]

Originally Posted by bbbbmw

Uh... NO ONE is forced to eat at Whataburger, or anywhere else, for that matter. It's a choice. It's still cheaper to buy food and prepare it yourself. There are no "victims" in this, except children whose parents make their food choices.

And Whataburger isn't that far off Chipotle....

Cheap food is generally worse for you. Think about the cost of a 12pk of popcorn versus fresh veggies for example... It contributes to obesity and poor health for sure because poorer people can't afford fresh veggies, proper meats, etc and have to settle for the dollar menu instead. I'm with you though that eating unhealthily is a choice for MANY Americans who have the means to eat well but don't for convenience or any other reason.

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by PINeely

Cheap food is generally worse for you. Think about the cost of a 12pk of popcorn versus fresh veggies for example... It contributes to obesity and poor health for sure because poorer people can't afford fresh veggies, proper meats, etc and have to settle for the dollar menu instead. I'm with you though that eating unhealthily is a choice for MANY Americans who have the means to eat well but don't for convenience or any other reason.

Supposedly, popcorn purchased at the movie theaters costs more per ounce than filet mignon at most restaurants (certainly casual dining restaurants where an 8 oz filet will usually cost you around $30-$50). At least that's what I've heard from friends. It sounds plausible enough, though. Of course this isn't a criticism of anything you said, as I'm sure you're referring to dirt cheap popcorn purchased at the grocery store. It's just an interesting side statistic related to popcorn.

Vegetables can be pretty expensive especially on a per nutrient basis, but rice, beans, and bulk chicken can usually be purchased for cheap. I don't think any fast food restaurant comes close. Fast food is pretty expensive compared to bulk chicken thrown in a slow cooker with minimal ingredients, for example.

Rice, especially, is extremely dirt cheap and it's as staple of one of the healthiest nations on earth (Japan). Even if you find plain rice to be too boring or too much of a blank canvas to work with, I've found plenty of packaged rice concoctions that can be bought for cheap.

H.E.B. in Texas sells these "spanish rice" packets at 46 cents a pop (serving size: 1) and they're pretty tasty. Just add water. Cooks in ~10 minutes.

[BayMoWe335]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Not a chance. Hoity-toity places like that give you a single scallop, a spear of asparagus, and some artsy sauce drizzled between them. Then they charge you $195. You can go broke and starve to death at the same time.

I have to say, the meal was quite small. Best food I've ever eaten, however.

[S65 Underdog]

As long as you have a diet coke with it you're good.

[MrRoboto]

I can't believe that in the US you can order a hamburger medium, rare, etc. Ground beef should either be cooked or not.

[954Stealth]

Originally Posted by MrRoboto

I can't believe that in the US you can order a hamburger medium, rare, etc. Ground beef should either be cooked or not.

what if it's air beef and not ground beef?

[954Stealth]

I agree that you can eat healthy and inexpensively. If you chose right and take the time to prep your meals it can be much cheaper than grabbing your kids a value meal for dinner on the way home from school or practice every night. However, the opposite is a common misperception. Here's an interesting NYT article

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/op...anted=all&_r=0

[Templar]

Not sure why OP gives a flying fuck what other people eat. It's their choice to eat like shit.

[kscarrol]

This guy!!!

[954Stealth]

Originally Posted by Templar

Not sure why OP gives a flying fuck what other people eat. It's their choice to eat like shit.

and then we get to pay for their healthcare

[fcman]

OP ate at a nice restaurant for the first time in his life and now he's Alton Brown.

[P1]

Originally Posted by Templar

Not sure why OP gives a flying fuck what other people eat. It's their choice to eat like shit.

Simple: because assholes like that f*ck up the healthcare system for everyone. I think if you eat like shit, don't take care of yourself and choose to live unhealthy, you should pay a premium for health insurance.

In 2012, 20% of US health care expenditures were a DIRECT result of obesity. As an FYI, that's $190 billion dollars.

[upstatedoc]

Originally Posted by TrevorM3

let those obese people keep eating, they will learn the hard way. Sooner than later

Originally Posted by Templar

Not sure why OP gives a flying fuck what other people eat. It's their choice to eat like shit.

Originally Posted by 954Stealth

and then we get to pay for their healthcare

all true

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by P1et

Simple: because assholes like that f*ck up the healthcare system for everyone. I think if you eat like shit, don't take care of yourself and choose to live unhealthy, you should pay a premium for health insurance.

In 2012, 20% of US health care expenditures were a DIRECT result of obesity. As an FYI, that's $190 billion dollars.

Slippery slope there. Next it's those who drink alcohol or ride motorcycles or ski or participate in any "risky" activity. No matter how healthy humanity becomes, there will always be a leading cause of illness/death.

And to turn your figures around, 80% of US health care costs had nothing to do with obesity but are the DIRECT result of something else. That's $760 billion. Assuming your stats are correct, of course.

I suspect the primary DIRECT cause of US health care costs is corporate greed. Lots of money to be made in medicine if you can just convince everyone that they need a purple pill.

[Templar]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Slippery slope there. Next it's those who drink alcohol or ride motorcycles or ski or participate in any "risky" activity. No matter how healthy humanity becomes, there will always be a leading cause of illness/death.

And to turn your figures around, 80% of US health care costs had nothing to do with obesity but are the DIRECT result of something else. That's $760 billion. Assuming your stats are correct, of course.

I suspect the primary DIRECT cause of US health care costs is corporate greed. Lots of money to be made in medicine if you can just convince everyone that they need a purple pill.

This right here. Medication is much worse, and people are taking more of it every single day. Yet that is OK because the healthcare industry says pills are good. All while they rake in billions of dollars.

We're also not going to stop paying for other people's shit anytime soon either. If anything, it's going to get much worse. We are way past the point of no return on that one...

[954Stealth]

Here is some data around the examples chosen above

"The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion in 2008 U.S. dollars; the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight"
-- CDC.Gov 2012 http://content.healthaffairs.org/con....full.pdf+html --
In 2014 dollars, and with added costs, that pretty close to the quote amount abouve ~$190B


"Annual health care expenditures for alcohol-related problems amount to $22.5 billion. The total cost of alcohol problems is $175.9 billion a year (compared to $114.2 billion for other drug problems and $137 billion for smoking).2
In comparison to moderate and non-drinkers, individuals with a history of heavy drinking have higher health care costs. 3
Untreated alcohol problems waste an estimated $184.6 billion dollars per year in health care, business and criminal justice costs, and cause more than 100,000 deaths."
-- http://www.alcoholpolicymd.com/alcoh...alth/costs.htm


"In 2010, the 4,502 motorcyclists (operators and passengers) killed in motorcycle crashes made up 14% of all road traffic deaths, yet motorcycles accounted for <1% of all vehicle miles traveled (1,2)"
"During 2008–2010, a total of 14,283 motorcyclists were killed in crashes, among whom 6,057 (42%) were not wearing a helmet. In the 20 states with a universal helmet law, 739 (12%) fatally injured motorcyclists were not wearing a helmet, compared with 4,814 motorcyclists (64%) in the 27 states with partial helmet laws and 504 (79%) motorcyclists in the three states without a helmet law"
-- http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6123a1.htm

[BayMoWe335]

Originally Posted by Templar

Not sure why OP gives a flying fuck what other people eat. It's their choice to eat like shit.

Because I am paying their medical bills.

[nagisak31]

Originally Posted by fcman

OP ate at a nice restaurant for the first time in his life and now he's Alton Brown.

Lol, pretty much.

[P1]

For those saying that people eat fast food due to economics, I can make spaghetti completely from scratch (the sauce) for $19. That is with all organic, quality ingredients. The portion is large enough to feed four, with leftovers to feed two more the next day. So you can get 6 meals out of $19. That comes out to $3.17 per meal per person.

And I bet there are a million other examples just like it.

[954Stealth]

Originally Posted by P1et

For those saying that people eat fast food due to economics, I can make spaghetti completely from scratch (the sauce) for $19. That is with all organic, quality ingredients. The portion is large enough to feed four, with leftovers to feed two more the next day. So you can get 6 meals out of $19. That comes out to $3.17 per meal per person.

And I bet there are a million other examples just like it.

That is cheap, but not healthy! My comment was really about the perception of value. I read something a while back about how the fast food industry lobbied and campaigned to make home economics a thing of the past so the PERCEPTION that fast food is cheaper would prevail. I dont think the people here in this thread are disagreeing that you can eat cheaply at home and still do it healthily (and not on an all spaghetti diet) but try telling that to the millions of Americans who would rather spend $5 on a double cheeseburger meal than face the aisles of the grocery store and have to think for themselves about putting meal together.

[jophish17]

I love Whataburger, but know better than to eat it (or burgers in general) frequently.

I think another point is that time is worth money to all of us - probably more so for lower-income people who may be juggling multiple jobs, be a single parent, trying to get through school etc. A good healthy meal takes at least 30 minutes to prepare, not counting the time to buy the ingredients, compared to a stop on the way home from work

[UncleWede]

Everything in moderation. It *probably* won't kill you to eat at Whatta-Lotta-snotty burger a few times a year, any more than slamming a bottle of Jack a few weekends a year.