Obesity Costs

Obesity Costs

The money spent on dieting programs is worth spending because society will eventually pay the price for obesity in health care costs and job absenteeism. There are many weight loss programs out there in every price point. Some programs can cost a person up to fifty dollars per day such as Medifest and Nutrisystem. There are plenty of other programs that are less expensive but just as effective. Take Weight Watchers for example. It is probably the best known weight loss programs in the world. With current spokesperson Oprah Winfrey and passed spokesperson Jennifer Hudson. This Program is so popular they even had a commercial during the Super Bowl. For a cost of ten to twelve dollars a week.. Weight Watchers estimates to lose up to 2 pounds per week by going to meetings either in person or online, logging all food eaten, and counting their point value.

According to the Huffpost Healthy Living “The most comprehensive study of its kind indicates that yes, unhealthy food is about $1.50 cheaper per day, or about $550 per year, than healthy food ” (Carrey Polis, Huff Post). While $550 more money spent to eat healthy per year is a lot for many people, that cost is insignificant compared to the long-term costs of obesity. The Pump Handle says that “producing skinless chicken and leaner meats requires more work at the processing plant. They also gave a nod to arguments that years of agricultural policies and subsidies that favor the production of less healthy foods — “inexpensive, high volume” commodities like corn — have contributed to cheaper prices. Overall, they called for more research into the reasons underlying the price differences.” commodities like corn — have contributed to cheaper prices. Overall, they called for more research into the reasons underlying the price differences.” (Kim Krisberg). Krisberg a freelance public health writer living in Austin, Texas was saying that the healthier food is more expensive because the meats are not being put through processing machines or on assembly lines. Meaning more time and manual labor is needed to prepare the food in a healthier way.

Fresh vegetables are considerably more healthy than canned vegetables because canned vegetables are processed with sugars, preservatives, and salt. Fresh vegetables always cost more than canned vegetables because fresh vegetables can spoil within a short period of time. Fresh vegetables only grow in certain parts of the country and in certain seasons but canned vegetables are accessible on the shelves of the grocery store at all times throughout the year. Also more trucks are needed to transport fresh vegetables than canned vegetables incurring more travel expenses due to the extra truck drivers. Fresh vegetables also take up more space on trucks.

“Obesity is one of the biggest drivers of preventable chronic diseases and health care costs in the United States. Currently, estimates for these costs range from $147 billion to nearly $210 billion per year.1 In addition,