Split decision

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-05 16:24

"You tend to go for the value meal at a fast-food restaurant," says Jeff Levi of Trust for America's Health, a non-profit health advocacy group.

It is not just the price-tag difference. Drewnowski's research shows education and other demographic factors play a role, too, in whether people have the information to choose more nutritious options - and the extra time it takes to shop and cook for them.

In a recent study of the eating habits of 164 Seattle-area adults, he found women with the highest incomes and most education ate the most nutritious fare, with steadily improving dietary quality for every dollar spent.

Yet when Drewnowski examined what the US Department of Agriculture calls a "thrifty food plan" for healthy eating, he found it takes between nine and 16 hours a week to purchase, prepare and cook while the average US working woman - still the chief family cook - spends about five hours a week doing that.

So Drewnowski started slicing and dicing federal statistics to compare average national prices per portion with the nutritional value of different foods, per 100 calories. Comparing the two rankings let him find best buys, the middle ground between most nutritious yet expensive and the not-so-healthy in each food group.

"Milk is off the charts," Drewnowski says, especially if people choose low-fat versions over sugar-packed, no-nutrient colas. "It won't be spinach and arugula and poached salmon. It'll be potatoes and beans and (lean) ground beef and milk and yogurt."

On his list, carrots trump peppers, and apples trump strawberries, as cheaper and longer-lasting. Canned tomatoes pack even more of the nutrient lycopene than pricier fresh ones. Canned or frozen corn kernels mean no paying for the cob.

Somewhere between expensive salmon and cheap bacon comes lean hamburger - just drain it well - and chicken that can be quick-cooked many ways besides artery-clogging deep-fried.

Then there is the potato, maligned by the anti-carb movement. It actually has more potassium than a banana, fiber and even vitamin C. Just no fatty fries: Boil or mash or bake, and go easy on the butter. "It got nations through famines," Drewnowski notes.

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