As The United States of America's current economic climate suggests, there is a huge disparity in wealth between classes. Classism and inequality is at an all time high and the gap is only widening. One important aspect that is affecting this inequality is the nutrition of lifestyle disparity between upper and lower class Americans. A good day starts with the right, nutritious meal that will supply your body with the energy to complete all your daily tasks and stay focused. Nutrition and food are very important and in America right now not everyone can afford a healthy diet that will allow them to progress in society.
Lower class individuals have worse quality diets consisting of much more fast food and “dirty” foods than their upper class counterparts. It is not as much about not having enough money to support a healthier lifestyle, but a tendency to not put their effort towards it. In reality, it takes a lot of effort to support healthy eating and lifestyle: going to the gym multiple times per week and picking the more expensive greens from Trader Joe’s in comparison to the cheaper, less healthy hamburgers from McDonald’s. Furthermore, healthy foods usually have to be made at home and lower income individuals and families have to work to make ends meet 24/7 while upper class citizens have a system in place to have prep time to make their meals or they can pay someone else to make their foods for them. There is a reason that a majority of professional and collegiate athletes have chefs make their meals for them: because they know what is best for them to perform at the highest level. What can be said about professional athletes eating healthy can also translate to other professions, more Americans have to treat their brains like professional athletes treat their bodies. They need to give them the right nutrients and effort to create a healthier lifestyle. It is a cycle that plays on itself: eating healthy and working out leads to a stronger mind, a stronger mind means to better ideas, and better ideas in our capitalistic society leads to making more money.
Many Americans and non profit organizations are taking strides to better their lifestyle and diets, but there are not enough people to help the millions of people that are in poverty and suffering from not eating healthier. People need to make the effort and it takes a lot of effort and mental strength to change lifestyle, however, it is a needed change that will benefit everyone who does it.
Works Cited
Drewnowski, A., & Eichelsdoerfer, P. (2010, November). Can low-income Americans afford a healthy diet? Nutrition today. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2847733/.
