Solving Obesity: Food Prices Based on Calorie Count

by Angel Lynn Diamond | More from this Blogger

26 Jan 2009 06:57 PM

I had an interesting thought the other day as I pulled up to the drive-thru window of the local fast food restaurant as I counted my money. What if food prices were based on calorie count? Not only would we all be thin, but we would be all the wealthier as we are all counting our pennies these days.

Let's just say that a cheeseburger, which is about calories 340 at one local fast food chain, sold for $3.40 and a Caesar salad, which is about 160 calories at the same place sold for $1.60. Another example would be the fruit parfait at 160 calories for $1.60 or an apple pie at 250 calories for $2.50. If these were your choices for that day and you were low on cash, which would you pick? Well, of course, most of us would opt for the salad and parfait, right? Or not? Are we so addicted to food that we would pay the extra money for that cheeseburger and apple pie?

This idea would probably eliminate the need to serve unhealthy foods and steer people into eating a more healthy diet. It would also take the guesswork away from those who were actually dieting and thus eliminate the need to study the calorie count of foods as well. On one hand, businesses would lose money selling based on this theory due to the decreased price intake on lower calorie foods, but on the other hand, they might just have more customers because they served healthier, lower calorie foods.

In the long run this would eliminate the need for actual dieting and people would not have to concentrate so hard on keeping their weight at a healthy number. And what's more, we would have more money in our pockets. They would have to serve more customers; however, to make the same amount of money, but people would live longer so they would have customers for a longer length of time. I finally opted for the salad and parfait because of my pretty bare wallet, but this was good because I am dieting anyway. Crazy idea, I guess, but these are just some of my random thoughts. Go figure.

Angel Lynn writes in weight loss, single parenting, and health

Learn more about Angel Lynn Diamond

I am a mom to my precious one and only, a nurse in a heartwarming adult living facility, and a freelance writer.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger

Samual (11722) 29 Jan 2009 03:52 PM

Like here though, you can get a bigmac meal for like £5, where as you can buy a salad for £2 and not a calorific one either as the dressing isn't pure fat like alot of them.

Angel Lynn Diamond (224) 29 Jan 2009 04:32 PM

I couldn't read the entire message. Could you tell me what you mean?

Valorie Delp (49340) 07 Feb 2009 04:29 PM

Samual your signs for European money are rejected by our comment system. Try writing it out. . .numbers and words only. . .no symbols. (A pain I know.)

Angel--what an interesting thought. ;-)

Angel Lynn Diamond (224) 07 Feb 2009 05:56 PM

Thanks Valorie! I know that this would not work in every instance, but this was just a thought that I had circling around in my brain as I sat there contemplating what I was going to get to eat that day. Silly me!

Samual (11722) 07 Feb 2009 06:54 PM

Valorie, we do not have European money. Just ignore the capital A's with the squiggles that appear, it just reads as AA$ would.

Valorie Delp (49340) 09 Feb 2009 04:42 AM

I know. . .I meant the pounds. But thank you for the explanation. . .for some reason I was't seeing the pound sign before the number. That helps Angel?

Here it tends to be that the cheaper food is more fattening--unless you cook from scratch.

Angel Lynn Diamond (224) 09 Feb 2009 02:25 PM

Oh yes, now I see the pounds sign. Yes, now I understand, Valorie!