• lud@lemm.ee
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    3 months ago

    Sure healthier might be more expensive, but eating less energy isn’t more expensive.

    • HelixDab2@lemm.ee
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      3 months ago

      If you consume less energy, but end up malnourished because you weren’t getting enough micronutrients, then you haven’t really come out ahead, have you? Rickets and scurvy ain’t cool.

      • lud@lemm.ee
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        3 months ago

        Are there lots of nutrients in cheap food?

        It’s incredibly easy to avoid scurvy.

        • HelixDab2@lemm.ee
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          3 months ago

          Lots of calories from fats. Generally poor in micronutrients. There’s very good reasons that you’re supposed to eat lots of leafy vegetables. Multivitamins may stave off the worst effects of malnutrition, but the bioavailability of multivitamins is generally poor, e.g. you can take 100x the necessary daily amount of D3, and still have low levels of vitamin D if you aren’t getting enough time outside in sunlight.

          You don’t have to eat perfectly all the time to avoid malnutrition, but if your diet is consistently high in fats and simple carbs–which is what really cheap food tends to be–you’re probably going to have chronic deficiencies.

          • lud@lemm.ee
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            3 months ago

            So generally just decreasing food intake if you eat primarily bad food isn’t any more dangerous, because 0 nutrients - 0 nutrients is still 0 nutrients.

    • Xanis@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      So here’s the kicker that SO many people forget to consider:

      Jobs that pay shit in the U.S., and/or have garbage benefits, are often also the ones that make you move around an extraordinary amount, or have you on your feet for 8-10 hours with a 50/50 chance of being allowed to sit down for 15 minutes.

      Both of the activities above illustrate one incredibly important unseen factor: Energy. Use more, eat more, spend more.

      Do the math.

      Moreover, in these highly stressful positions eating generates the elusive dopamine. Which combined with 15 minutes to shove food down your throat often means sugar, grease, and salt.

      • lud@lemm.ee
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        3 months ago

        But if one gets fat then they obviously have excess energy.

        • Xanis@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          And they also have access to aspects of being overweight that makes them more tired and less likely to enjoy activities, and more likely to get less nightly rest.

          Basically, while less calories in than out is the way to go, it is rarely that simple for nearly everyone.

      • EatATaco@lemm.ee
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        3 months ago

        I think the other posters point is that ultimately it’s calories in, calories out. If you are getting fat, then eat fewer calories, which can be done by just eating less of the same exact thing you are currently eating.

        • Xanis@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          Yeah, of course that’s the point. Mine is that not all calories are made equal and more expensive options, aside from obvious options, tend to fill more for [caloric] less, and provide additional nutrients that supplement the body in a way that supports a healthier lifestyle.