Linda and Hungry,
Both of you bring up important issues. First, is that the unintended consequences of providing inexpensive and plentiful food has been ill health. Besides the daily misery of aches and pains, you eventually pay out much more in healthcare costs after years of over the counter purchases just to manage your pain in your daily life. When you don't feel well, your decisions aren't the best either, causing all kinds of other unintended results. Second is that the hard earned dollars spent feeding yourself nourishing, quality foods will change your life. Think back to your pre WB days and the $ amounts spent buying things to eat, including snacks. What was your average grocery bill? How much did you spend on drug store type items and how many doctor visits and/or prescriptions did you fill? As time passes, you will be adjusting the quantities and types of foods so that your bills as a total actually drop. Bottles of Advil, Tums, Immodium, Exlax or sleep aides and the like are rarely needed when you are really healthy. Alcoholic beverages also tend to be consumed in less quantities than before, adding dollars not spent on an item you hardly use anymore. Don't forget about the stops at convenience stores for that quick cup of coffee or chips and candy just to get you through the next hour or so until your next meal.
The start up costs are high, but once you settle in to your WB routine, you will realize that you eat less, feel satisfied and have not spent all the money in your food/drug budget. What a wonderful felling that is!
The working poor and lower middle classes too often spend their money on the wrong foods. Packaged, sugared, processed stuff filled with empty calories and nutrition. Carts filled with high glycemic foods and few veggies or fruits are commonly seen in poor neighborhood food stores. This has been the same as long as I can remember. For example, most don't make their own ice tea or lemonade for pennies, they buy soda for dollars. Meals tend to be fast food takeout or pizza or a packaged heat and eat type. I observed this nearly fifty years ago and it hasn't changed. Farmers grow the produce that sells. If there wasn't a market, they wouldn't grow it. Growers don't care about how the ingredient is used. They only care about the price they are paid per pound.
]This unsustainable bubble will pop as all bubbles do. The people not buying wheats and grains are growing. If Dunkin' Donuts thinks it can profit from the gluten-free movement, lots of other companies will start paying attention to the market place that says it wants clean food. Companies, like farmers, can't stay in business if their products don't sell. Also, there has been a number of news articles about the Acquifiers being drained faster than can be replenished, almost at the point of no return now. Mother Nature might do what our foolish government has failed to do.
We walk with our pocketbooks in our demand for clean, nutritious food.
