Why Is Everyone So Fat When Grocery Spending Is So Low?

SlavOz on 19/06/2021 - 19:29
Last edited 19/06/2021 - 20:21 by 1 other user

Some recent research I conducted led me to this:

I'm always sceptical of survey data but I've checked others and most of them have similar statistics.

Eg, family with 2 kids spends an average of $336 on food and drink per week. That seems like a massive stretch for a household with 2 adults, especially if either one has a large appetite.

I live on my own and I spend at least $150 a week on just food. I only drink water so I save in that regard. Part of the issue is that I need to follow a low-carb diet so stocking up on rice, cereal, bread and other fillers isn't really an option.

Still, it baffles me how some people are feeding their kids with such restrictive diets yet we are constantly seeing claims that obesity is on the rise, even among children. What's going on?

Food & Grocery

Comments

  • Muzeeb on 19/06/2021 - 19:31
    +101

    grocery spending is so low

    Take away and fast food spending is high*

    *Probably

    • SF3 on 20/06/2021 - 00:43
      +13

      $5 Domino’s pizza.

      Upcoming (speculative) 50c big macs and 20c hamburgers from McD. Could be less than $150 per week total with half price ww or coles specials. Can’t speak for the health benefits.

    • CalmLemons on 21/06/2021 - 18:07
      +3

      People eat too much.

      At the wrong time.

      ^ Main reasons - lookup circadian rhythm and diet.

      Apart from that:

      Eating junk - processed foods are much cheaper due to economies of scales and cheaper storage and transport costs.
      Genes.
      Sedentary lifestyle

    • garage sale on 22/06/2021 - 22:39
      +3

      sugar in food is cheap …. so easy to get fat on the cheap … fat is is also cheap snack foods like corn chips 27% fat but on special $1.50 pack ….

      there are lots of cheap fattening foods, get expensive if you buy lean beef, etc.

      • t-money on 23/06/2021 - 08:46

        but the fat beef and cook it out!

  • pharkurnell on 19/06/2021 - 19:39
    +122

    Shit food is cheaper than healthy food.

    YMMV

    • SlavOz on 19/06/2021 - 19:46

      So I've heard. I haven't bought junk food in years so I wouldn't know.

      Is it still the norm for kids to have a pack of chips, a roll up, and some crackers for their recess?

      • treeman on 20/06/2021 - 14:59
        +8

        Yes it is definitely still a staple in kids lunchboxes.

        • caitsith01 on 21/06/2021 - 16:07
          +1

          Do you have kids? Most schools would not let you send chips.

          • treeman on 21/06/2021 - 16:57
            +1

            @caitsith01: No I'm a teacher.
            I teach at a number of schools none have outlawed packets of chips.

            All public, unsure if private is different, I teach in primary and high schools.

            • caitsith01 on 21/06/2021 - 22:01

              @treeman: Hmm interesting. My kid's at a public primary and no way would chips be ok. Different states and schools might differ I guess.

              • treeman on 22/06/2021 - 08:25
                +1

                @caitsith01: Maybe more about socio economic areas?
                I go to Schools that are generally in the poorer parts of SA.

                • caitsith01 on 22/06/2021 - 11:33

                  @treeman: Quite possibly. I can imagine that schools with more kids from disadvantaged backgrounds would probably take it easy on that stuff given that a lot of parents would probably be struggling enough without being guilted about what's for lunch.

                • T1OOO on 22/06/2021 - 14:45

                  @treeman: Only few enclaves that are not.

      • bonezAU on 20/06/2021 - 17:10
        +17

        I am not sure why you are being downvoted for asking a legitimate question.

        • ChickenTalon on 20/06/2021 - 21:59
          +5

          Downvotes by all those stuffing their kids lunchboxes with chips and fruit flavoured lollies? Most unwilling to engage so a downvote will help clear their conscience somewhat.

        • witheredcouch on 21/06/2021 - 08:41
          +13

          Id say the downvotes have nothing to do with the question, but instead the implied (maybe unintentional) superiority from not consuming Junk Food.

          • bio on 21/06/2021 - 09:04
            +3

            @witheredcouch: Isn't it by definition superior not to consume junk?

            • witheredcouch on 21/06/2021 - 09:32
              +7

              @bio: Regardless of whether it is or isn't (I think the answer is somewhere in the middle), it is also poor etiquette to flaunt one's perceived superiority, as it typically just serves to stroke egos and not much more.

              • Squidmcsproggen on 21/06/2021 - 16:08
                +7

                @witheredcouch: 1st thing that popped into my mind as i was reading the OP post
                Ego boost is all this post was about

        • surg3on on 21/06/2021 - 10:16
          +8

          Its his holier than thou statement of 'I havent bought junk food in years' attitude. Immature.

          • Nexo on 21/06/2021 - 14:40

            @surg3on: It's not that deep. He literally just made a statement saying he doesn't buy junk food so he has no idea and that's why he was asking. People on Ozbargain love taking things personally.

            • Cheaplikethebird on 22/06/2021 - 07:49
              +3

              @Nexo: Making broad generalisations about different groups in society so they can feed their smug sense of superiority is about all SlavOz does. You must be new here.

            • surg3on on 22/06/2021 - 11:25
              +5

              @Nexo: SlavOz is a professional troller in the OzB comments section, you'll see him popping up regularly. Its not innocent

      • lew380 on 20/06/2021 - 20:36
        +2

        Your fat shaming fat and lazy parents, fatties gotta down vote!

      • johndoh89 on 21/06/2021 - 00:15

        That's nearly standard for lunch and recess

      • lddv04 on 21/06/2021 - 19:08

        No junk food and only drinks water…..

    • TheGiantTomato on 20/06/2021 - 07:12
      +10

      Unhealthy food takes less time to prepare than healthy food.

      Chopping up some veggies and hummus and chucking them into a container is cheaper than giving a child a prepackaged bag of chips, it just takes longer to prepare each morning.

      • pharkurnell on 20/06/2021 - 14:15
        +2

        you have to buy the ingredients first.. thus couple of bux of greasy spuds is regularly cheaper
        YMMV

        • MrBear on 20/06/2021 - 21:26

          but don't you have to buy the chips too or do they just magically appear in the pantry?

          • Jaysful on 22/06/2021 - 15:14

            @MrBear: Processed food last longer in a pantry and some parents also find it a challenge to get their kids to eat vegie or snacks. When you have limited time to maintain fresh produce, sometimes you have to substitute parts of it for: canned, packaged, cured, frozen, pre-cooked, food.

      • bonezAU on 20/06/2021 - 17:16
        +10

        Getting a 5 year old in pre primary to eat hummas and veggies may be a bit of a challenge… however there's plenty of other healthy options. I couldn't bring myself to put a bag of chips or roll-up in my kids lunch box but there are plenty of parents that do.

        The school highly discourages it but it doesn't stop some parents.

        • bio on 21/06/2021 - 09:07

          My daughter loved hummus and veggies when she was 5 and she still does. They'll love whatever you feed them (obviously you should set an example by eating healthy as well).

          • WhyAmICommenting on 21/06/2021 - 11:45
            +13

            @bio: “They’ll love whatever you feed them”

            Your sample size is too small.

            • bio on 21/06/2021 - 12:19

              @WhyAmICommenting: Well, look at anyone you know, including yourself. We all liked what our parents cooked with maybe a few exceptions when we were kids. It's only after a certain age you start making your own choices and your tastes start differing from your family.

              Hell, it doesn't even make sense for a kid to like something he/she is never given.

              • Miss B on 23/06/2021 - 00:34

                @bio: I didn't like most of what my parents cooked. It was partly that I was a picky eater and partly that my father couldn't cook. Also I didn't eat a lot of what was put in my lunch box and threw it out, which I felt a bit guilty about, but I thought I'd get in trouble if I said anything. I probably would have, I certainly got in trouble if there was anything in there when I took it home.

          • Heracles on 22/06/2021 - 12:35

            @bio: 100%

        • BartholemewH on 21/06/2021 - 14:41
          +1

          If I put roll ups in my kid's lunchbox the school will send a note home. I thought all schools were this way now tbh.

          • bonezAU on 21/06/2021 - 14:55

            @BartholemewH: I would expect the same. Our kids pre-primary teacher sends out a weekly newsletter and for the last few weeks has put a little note in there saying "We've noticed that some children do not have at least 1 fresh fruit option for recess and/or lunch. Please ensure this is provided".

            I'd hate to see what's in some of those lunch boxes if the kids aren't even eating fruit.

      • MrFunSocks on 21/06/2021 - 11:02

        It's also less likely to be eaten than a prepackaged bag of chips.

      • juki on 21/06/2021 - 17:17
        +1

        hummous alone is the price of a family pack of chips, plus I'm not sure bought hummous is as healthy as they make it sound

    • gromit on 20/06/2021 - 16:29
      +10

      It is actually the opposite, convenient crap food is generally more expensive.

    • Stopback on 23/06/2021 - 15:11

      bottle of oil, bag of beans, rice, complete protein and cheap food.

      Shit food is tastier and more convenient to people than healthy food.

  • netjock on 19/06/2021 - 19:40
    +4

    Why is everyone so fat

    You not aware of the magic fat tree that drips fat that goes straight into your mouth. It is like these people and their magic money trees.
    Or maybe people are just using crypto to buy food and can't disclose it as the ATO would find out. Fat trafficking. ( I am joking)

    • SlavOz on 19/06/2021 - 19:44
      -5

      Of course, I know you're joking…wink wink.

    • cewh on 22/06/2021 - 16:31

      Fat Trafficking

      It's tax evasion not trafficking unless you're using the food in usual ways.

  • ihbh on 19/06/2021 - 19:50

    follow a low-carb diet

    So is this a high-protein diet?

    family with 2 kids spends an average of $336 on food and drink per week

    Would be high for our family. Our diet is primarily whole food plant based; although the wife and kids do eat meats and eggs.

    • SlavOz on 19/06/2021 - 21:12
      -3

      So is this a high-protein diet?

      Yep, high fat and protein, minimal carbs. So standard meal for me is a large serving of meat with vegetables. The lack of carbs really struggles to fill you up so the meat content is usually pretty high - eg 2 large steaks or 300g of minced beef in a single meal.

      • bazingaa on 19/06/2021 - 22:15
        +1

        cheese, avocado , yogurt are good for filling

      • ihbh on 20/06/2021 - 08:59
        +2

        I need to follow a low-carb diet

        Why?

        Please do some reading on long term impact of high meat protein diets… for you own good.

        • SlavOz on 20/06/2021 - 13:39
          +20

          Years of inflammation, food intolerances, IBS, gastric pains, acid reflux, indigestion, and a host of other issues suddenly disappeared after going low-carb. Have repeatedly switched back to eating carbs after a few months or even years and my symptoms return very quickly.

          I've kept a food log of everything I've eaten, down to the last minute, to make sure I'm accounting for all other variables. Even accounting for the hours of sleep I get. Along with consultation of various doctors and nutritionists, and my own extensive research, I've found that low carb is what my body needs. Everyone is different though.

          Saturated fats and animal proteins can be bad long term but it's not as clear as some would suggest. Carbs, especially sugar, are certainly no better. The worst thing seems to be mixing high fats with high carbs. This is when you really start to get problems.

          • ihbh on 20/06/2021 - 15:48

            @SlavOz: Do you have Coeliac disease (immune reaction to gluten)?

            There's no doubt sugar is bad for you; when people talk healthy carbs, they mean whole grains, not processed carbs. However, if you're in the very small minority with CD (~1%), then you need to avoid gluten, but you should investigate if applies to all whole grain?

            • mhz on 20/06/2021 - 20:25
              +2

              @ihbh: Regardless of whether or not you are gluten intolerant, grains are unnecessary in the human diet and just filler food.

              • ihbh on 21/06/2021 - 08:35
                +3

                @mhz:

                unnecessary in the human diet and just filler food

                Where did you get this from?

                Whole grains + beans = complete plant protein; quinoa and buckwheat complete in themselves

                Good source of fibre.

                Good source of antioxidants and other nutrients.

                • idonotknowwhy on 21/06/2021 - 13:04
                  -1

                  @ihbh:

                  Good source of fibre.

                  You know how much fibre is necessary for humans?
                  It's 0g / day.

                  • ihbh on 21/06/2021 - 13:08
                    +1

                    @idonotknowwhy: 0 for humans; as much as possible for our microbiome.

                    • idonotknowwhy on 21/06/2021 - 17:41

                      @ihbh: Or the organisms requiring fibre starve (within about 40 hours) and are replaced with those which don't require it

          • idonotknowwhy on 21/06/2021 - 13:08
            +4

            @SlavOz: I've been zero-carb for 5 months, and have had similar issues and more magically go away.

            I suspect there's 1 or 2 specific things, different for each person, which cause these chronic issues, and these elimination diets happen to remove them.

          • [Deactivated] on 04/08/2021 - 14:02

            @SlavOz: Definitely, sugar and other bakery stuff are not good for health. But low carb is hard to sustain. I'll try to avoid carbs as much as possible. But still, I eat pretty regularly, I eat only white rice. But intermittent fasting will help you with all those issues you mentioned.i am doing OMAD from more than 3 years now and I don't remember any of my health issues now.

      • baker bob on 24/06/2021 - 01:10

        None of these low carb diets are meant to be high protein, not even carnivore which is strictly meat. You are meant to replace carbs with fat. Protein remains the same. Re-read wherever you got that information from.

  • kanad on 19/06/2021 - 19:50
    -1

    How much is the KFC spending?
    I seee so many parents feeding fast foods to kids in shopping centre courts all the time.

    • dylanando on 19/06/2021 - 20:23
      +5

      free this month

    • SF3 on 19/06/2021 - 21:52
      +5

      Some people are selectively blind.

      We don’t even have to research, the “evidence” is already in front of us, just look at all those popular (over 100+ votes) food deals on OzB 😆 Domino’s pizza, KFC, McD, etc.

  • Loot N Plunder on 19/06/2021 - 19:59
    +4

    Why is everyone so fat

    Kuchisabishii

  • bozaar on 19/06/2021 - 20:08
    +7

    Wife and I spend average $80 a week on food, that includes cooking for our lunch as well.

    • SlavOz on 19/06/2021 - 21:13
      +4

      80 per person? What do you buy, and how often do you eat?

      • bozaar on 21/06/2021 - 09:09
        +4

        $80 for both.

        I eat 3 main meals and morning and afternoon tea.

        I shop at markets for cheaper prices, all fresh vege and meats.

        • Jackson on 21/06/2021 - 13:21
          +3

          I am in this boat too, don't know how people spend 300 plus, 80 to 120/week is plenty for us. We aren't the biggest people, but that manages a nuclear family. The 120 covers if we choose to eat a larger roast/ribs. A couple of loaves of bread and cereal or toast for breakfast, usually sandwiches for lunch and then dinner is usually a protein and some veg/salad, fruit for snacks. The only way you spend more is buying ready meals which generally cost double to 4 times, or going out to eat. Lunch orders every day. Or going on an Atkins style diet, of course you are going to spend more.

          • SgtBatten on 21/06/2021 - 21:27

            @Jackson: I don't do any ready meals, cook fresh and don't buy lunch. Still easily spend $100+ per person with meal prep. Not a (profanity) clue how people spend so little.

            • Jackson on 21/06/2021 - 22:12

              @SgtBatten: I wouldn't be able to answer, but I could tak a few guesses:

              1. Portions for a single person are a lot more expensive
              2. Living in the city where supermarkets hike their prices (e.g shopping at Thomas Dux, or even colesworths rather than aldi or the local grocer)
              3. Not buying specials, last week I got chicken drumsticks for 2 bucks a kilo, so chicken it was
              4. Same with fruit and veg, always buying what's in season, this week it was pink ladies for 2.50/kg, I prefer granny smith's but everyone else likes red so I just miss out this week, no biggie

              Do any of them sound close? Or maybe that's just all I could think of. Just checked with the better half, she reckons we spend a bit more than 120, but she is the opposite of an ozbargainer, she can't even tell me the price of anything she buys, so on the weeks I don't go we might spend more, but not if she ends up at Aldi cos there's only a single price there

              • SgtBatten on 22/06/2021 - 08:48

                @Jackson: I buy specials if there's a different brand of something I planned to cook. I don't base meals on specials though. Can that really be all it is though. People saying they spend $80 a week for 2 adults. We spend $1000 a month pretty often.

                Family of 3 and not in a capital city.

                I love a bargain but I put no effort into seeking them out. My time has always been worth more to me. But maybe that's why.

                • Jackson on 22/06/2021 - 12:12

                  @SgtBatten: You could well be paying more for produce being outside capital metro areas, the only other thing I can think of is the protein/meat is usually the most expensive part. A roast could easily set you back $20, if you do 2 of those a week that's $40 off the bat, more if you are going for e.g. rack of lamb from butcher

                • secondstory on 27/06/2021 - 02:16

                  @SgtBatten:

                  I love a bargain but I put no effort into seeking them out. My time has always been worth more to me.

                  To be fair, it's the bargains that seek me out, hence saving me time and effort.

    • umoddbro on 20/06/2021 - 15:54
      +6

      Yeh give us a rundown of your meals, unless you're eating rice and tuna everyday not sure how you do it on $80.

      • ldt on 20/06/2021 - 20:41
        +4

        My partner and I have a shopping budget of $80 a week. That doesn’t include a Friday night takeaway but otherwise, we have plenty of food!

        • MrTweek on 23/06/2021 - 15:02

          Isn't that like $2 per person per meal? What the hell do you eat on that budget?

          • ldt on 23/06/2021 - 17:11
            +2

            @MrTweek: I don’t really have a set budget for meals.
            I do keep breakfast cereal, toast and oats at home but rarely eat them.
            Lunch is provided by my work but when it wasn’t I used to cook them at home on the weekend.
            Dinner can be anything I want. I mostly eat chicken but it’s 80% fresh meat and a mix of fresh and frozen veg.
            I rarely struggle with the budget. I’m not sure why people find it so difficult!?

            • coffeeinmyveins on 06/08/2021 - 10:53

              @ldt:

              Lunch is provided by my work but when it wasn’t I used to cook them at home on the weekend.

              I’m not sure why people find it so difficult!?

              Not everyone gets lunch provided by work perhaps? you're literally getting 1/3 of your meals for free and you're asking how people adhere to a budget. lol

              Dinner can be anything I want. I mostly eat chicken but it’s 80% fresh meat and a mix of fresh and frozen veg.

              TBH sounds like your dinners are plain meat and a few veggies from a packet. Sounds depressing and bland, no wonder you can meet that budget. But to each their own.

              There's another thread about this at the moment where people are comparing how much they spend but it's not that simple. I can easily do $100 a week for myself, but I eat healthy and varied/great food. Frozen veggies make me shudder.

              • ldt on 06/08/2021 - 14:43

                @coffeeinmyveins: Did you miss the bit where I wrote "when it wasn't I used to cook them at home on the weekend."?

                Plain meat and a few veggies from a packet? No thanks! I'm just trying to explain that I absolutely don't cheap out, and happily stick to ~$80 a week for 2 people. There are people spending double that here.

      • WilkyBoy on 21/06/2021 - 10:04
        +15

        The secret is scanning everything at the checkout as potatoes, 3kg meat for $5!

  • epkh on 19/06/2021 - 20:11
    +4

    I'm a family of 3 (1 toddler) and we spend around $100 a week on groceries. This includes non-food grocery like toothpaste, wipes etc. so $336 for a family of 4 is crazy to me. It is also important to note that we aren't starving either and that we are all in a healthy weight range (less than 20% body fat).
    We eat a lot of carbs (rice, pasta, cereal, bread) so that might be one reason why our smaller budget can be stretched out.

    • spackbace on 19/06/2021 - 21:09
      +3

      Careful to note this in the stats:

      Meals out & fast food = $92.08

      So a good proportion of the figures accounts for dining out each week, which I wouldn't classify under "grocery spending"

    • SlavOz on 19/06/2021 - 21:16
      -3

      $100 for all 3 people, including toiletries? How?

      • Jugganautx on 19/06/2021 - 22:39
        +7

        Baked beans for breakfast lunch and dinner

        • Yamai on 20/06/2021 - 19:47

          Beans beans the more you eat

          • NatoTomato on 21/06/2021 - 08:02
            +3

            @Yamai: I think it's,
            Beans beans the magical fruit,
            The more you eat,
            The more you toot

            • muttman on 21/06/2021 - 22:37
              +1

              @NatoTomato: .
              The more you eat
              The better you feel
              So eat baked beans for every meal

      • Thom81 on 21/06/2021 - 18:11

        Vegie garden? Flock of sheep in the back yard? Live in another country? Gotta be something going on!

  • jjjaar on 19/06/2021 - 20:21
    +13

    Even if everyone spent the exact same amount of money on food and ate the exact same thing, we would still have varying body types.

      • WhyAmICommenting on 21/06/2021 - 11:54

        This is incorrect - there are three main body types - (very roughly) slim / athletic / stocky. And everyone is a combination of these to greater or lesser degrees.

        • lew380 on 22/06/2021 - 08:49
          +5

          Must be in the bones….their are no "stocky" people in a concentration camp, it's all diet. People store excess fat in different areas, but excess fat should not be normal.

          I think all the obese boomers are mad at me.

  • spackbace on 19/06/2021 - 20:56
    +139

    Ugh, another SlavOz "why is everyone worse than me" shitpost.

    "Using the emergency room as a GP?" (where he attempts to diagnose people just by looking at them)
    "How can anyone possibly complain about Australian welfare?" (whilst not actually being on welfare himself)
    "What's with the ads condemning rudeness to fast food employees?" (whilst admitting he has no idea what they go through)
    "Why Are People So Obsessed with The Royals?" (fyi, not everyone is)
    "Why are people so clueless at two-lane roundabouts? (image)" ('people' = small minority)
    "We Need a New Name for Manual Cars" (no one calls anything that resembles an automatic, a manual, except in his head)
    "Why do so many people think eating out is a waste of money?" (umm because a family can cook cheaper, not that a single guy would know)

    When is it gonna stop? If this isn't trolling, no bloody wonder you're single

      • spackbace on 19/06/2021 - 21:25
        +54

        I'm curious, do you consciously look down on everyone, or does it just happen?

        • GrueHunter on 19/06/2021 - 21:29
          +22

          Just screams insecurity, right?

        • SF3 on 19/06/2021 - 21:55

          Cut him some slack ;), where else to get an audience when single and being a cheapskate sensible person?

          • SF3 on 19/06/2021 - 22:29
            +7

            @SlavOz:

            polarising way of looking at the world man.

            This speaks volumes.

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