Guaranteed Annual Income and Obesity

When I indulge in an Egg McMuffin, I toss half the muffin. In my case, it is better wasted than waisted. What about a student from a food insecure family? They eat to stop the pain of hunger. If hunger remains, they will be consumed by thoughts of food and unable to focus on schoolwork.

In one decade, the price of whole food rose by 40%. The price of processed food? It dropped by 40%.

From A Place at the Table (2012)

Big Food’s mantra is processed food is fine if you have a balanced diet. The 2016 Senate “Obesity in Canada” report states, “low-income Canadians are often restricted to the foods that are available and that they can best afford, which are generally speaking, the least healthy.”

To stop hunger, parents stretch food dollars. Oodles of noodles, hollow cereals, and fibreless juices is an unbalanced diet. In urban food deserts and remote communities, whole food is beyond stretch and/or unavailable.

Processed food is calorie-rich and nutrient-poor making us and our children overweight and ironically, undernourished. Whole food is calorie-poor and nutrient-rich plus it has elements that tell our brain to stop eating.

Would guaranteed annual income (GAI) increase the amount of whole foods low-income families could buy? Especially for expectant mothers who set baby’s taste buds? If you would like to find out, take action. Contact your government representatives. Ask about GAI in leadership races and elections. Most importantly, promote the idea around your kitchen table with children, family, friends, and neighbours.