$2.50 healthy meal for the poor or cheap

It's a well-known fact that people with lower income levels in the West generally have a poor diet. That is one of the major factors which determines their lower life expectancy, and poorer general health. The big question for me is 'why'?

I am a cheapskate, and often times enjoy eating cheap food. I am also a health and fitness nut, so the food I eat must be healthy. I have a genetic predisposition to being overweight, but I have around 6% body fat due to my diet and exercise routine. For reference, my deviant ID below is probably just over 10% body fat. I am also lazy, so cooking for a long time is out of the question. Turns out that all of these conditions are easily satisfied.

Let's suppose you are poor and you have a minimum wage job. I'll give you a brief outline about how to feed yourself for ~$10 for a whole day with just about the healthiest food you can eat for ANY amount of money. That's right, you can eat better than your neighbor making over a hundred grand.

Here are just some possible ingredients. Cartonized egg whites, fresh and frozen vegies (broccoli, green beans, carrots, pepper, tomatoes, dill, cucumbers, etc), fruits (apples, oranges, bananas, etc), possibly a generic low sugar and high fiber cereal, low-fat milk, grains like rice or corn and potatoes or pasta, beans or chickpeas, and chicken breast and canned tuna, some olive oil, some nuts for snacks, perhaps some whole grain bread.

If you go to a couple of good stores say Costco for non-perishables, and a good local grocery store for the produce and buy $70 worth of this stuff, it will feed you for a week EASILY.

Stir frying vegies with egg whites takes 5 minutes. So does a salad from fresh vegies with chickpeas or beans. Boil rice, potatoes, or pasta once in a few days and have it in the fridge whenever you need it. Frying or grilling chicken breast is just about the easiest thing. Opening a can of tuna or other fish is self-explanatory.

Forego 95% of the stuff the military industrial complex wants to sell you at the store with flashy ads. Check it out, your life expectancy just went up 5-10 years, and the amount of money you spend on food has just decreased threefold. You may or may not know this, but life expectancy and health are determined 90% by lifestyle choices and diet, and 10% by the health care you receive. So, if you can't afford health care, you've got one area where huge improvements can be made relatively easily.

Why do poor people eat shitty food? It's not because of the money. I can eat for a day for the same price you will eat at McDonalds once. It's not because of the time, since I can prepare all my meals in a 1/2 hour while also watching something on Youtube.

If you are poor and you eat shit, I want to know why. Speak out, I know you're out there.