My Mom always won the “why can’t we have sugary breakfast cereal?!”debate this way: “Too expensive. We can’t afford it.” How could we argue with that? It was true. The sweet stuff was more expensive. Bran flakes for another week.
Mom couldn’t win that argument now. Not only is sweet cereal cheaper, sugary cookies are cheaper than fruit (WAY cheaper), and heavily sweetened yogurt is half the price of plain yogurt. The least expensive EVERYTHING seems to have some sweetener, the most popular being high fructose corn syrup. Cane sugar looks like health food in comparison. Monday night’s dinner was spaghetti and the sauce I purchased (selected because it was the cheapest, not because of its ingredients) was considerably sweeter than the stuff I usually buy. I have to admit, it tasted pretty good.
Then I looked at the ingredients, and, yep, there it was: high fructose corn syrup. Why is sweet so cheap? Federal subsidies, for starters. High fructose corn syrup, because it is made from corn, is a heavily subsidized commodity by our government making it a very cheap and strangely satisfying ingredient to include in just about everything. Our government subsidizes our farmers, but not the ones that grow varied and nutritious fruits and vegetables (there are some apple subsidies, but only apples, and the subsidies are miniscule in comparison).
Why is sweet so cheap? As a society, we have accepted the food industries choices without question. Where is the outrage, the boycotts, the lobbying of congress to change our choices, our subsidies? Who is looking out for our children who are increasingly obese and in worsening health all the time, especially kids from low income families?
I read labels when I shop, but Sunday’s shopping trip was a different sort of experience. I looked at prices first and that dictated whether I bought the white flour or white pasta rather than the whole grain varieties, the sugary pasta sauce rather than the sauce without added fillers. The sweet yogurt over the plain. I had to make my budget.
This morning my 9 year old daughter is gleeful to find that I FINALLY purchased the grape jelly she tasted two years ago when we were visiting friends in California. She loved it, and wondered, could we buy some? I make our jams in the summer to last the year, so, no, I’ve been saying for the past two years, “we’ll eat our homemade jam. It’s cheaper.” We pick the fruit from roadsides and glean from gardens of neighbors, use the expensive sweeteners sparingly (honey, organic cane sugar) so yes, our homemade jam is less expensive. But not this week. Not when I have to buy jam from the store. Welch’s won. It was definitely the cheapest. I don’t think I need to say what the main ingredient is after grape juice.
She lathers the purple jelly on her toast. Yum. |
| Rev. Melanie Oommen of First Congregational UCC |
This is a week to watch and pray. I am trying, but it often difficult to digest what I witness. What I witness leads me to repentance. Today I pray for our children, for the choices we make about the food that we give them. I repent that we have arranged our food supply not for their well-being and flourishing, but for the greatest profit margin. God, forgive us. We know what we do, and we do it anyway. By your miracle, show us how to give our children our first and finest fruits. Sweetened by you and you alone. Amen
This article by Michael Pollan about U.S. food subsidies is worth reading:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/
Michael Pollan has a lot to say about food. To keep reading: http://michaelpollan.com/
Glad to be at the table with you,
Pastor Melanie
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Melanie, I love your writing!
I can relate to your sugar woes.
In our family, I refer to sugar (in all its forms) as either a drug or a hormone. I'm not sure which, probably both.
As part of our homeschooling curriculum a few years ago we had "SAD day." Standard American Diet. We were studying nutrition, etc. So we went to the local big-box grocery and watched what people bought and we double-checked with the cashiers ("Is this stuff that families normally buy?"), purchasing three meals' worth of commercial "factory" food, along with some iceberg lettuce.
We then analyzed the labels as we cooked and consumed our meals. I'd say we got kind of drugged with sugar, yes.
We were very, very thirsty. So much salt!
And the unanticipated additional result? THE TRASH. We filled a huge trash bag with all the plastic packaging, etc., recycling what we could, of course. Normally we produce that much trash in one to two weeks... It took only one day.
We all learned a lot, right? too much salt, sugar, and trash, and not enough of what mom says is good for you..... And to this day, the kids beg for another "SAD day." Because--you got it--they loved it. Gee, Mom, one Pop-Tart won't kill me! "Sad," indeed, if this is how people live from paycheck to paycheck (or without any at all).
Grrrr,
Lina