That Shrinking Feeling

Is there a silver lining—that we may finally end up eating less because we can't afford to consume as much as in the past?
Right. In some ways, I'm sort of glad we're going through this downturn. We were in a glut before. We were just pigs at the trough. People say, "Things are getting bad, people are having to buy smaller houses and buy smaller cars." This is the thing we need to stop us. We're gorging on the food, we're gorging on the houses, we're gorging on loans, we're gorging on oil. Maybe only by having high prices and less value will that get us to wake up. There's been overconsumption across the board. The American economy is going on a diet. So should we.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service recommends that households purchase more discounted products, favor private-label products over brand-name ones, pursue volume discounts and settle for "less-expensive products within a product class." Do you agree?
Yes. People should buy based on the best value within the product class. There's a lot of sustainable farming. People join together and buy direct from farmers. You cut out the middleman. That's one way to beat the whole crunch. Farmers' markets, too, are a good way to save and get good, healthy food.

The USDA's "My Pyramid" tells Americans to eat at least 3 ounces of whole grains a day, to consume more orange and dark-green veggies, to focus on fruits, to consume calcium-rich foods, to choose low-fat or lean meats and poultry, and to vary choices with more fish, beans, peas, nuts and seeds. No mention of cheap stuff like white bread. How can cash-strapped Americans try to live by the food pyramid?
I don't think you could say that any government-sponsored diet is the one answer for how everyone should eat. There's a lot of different ways [to eat] and kinds of foods out there that are not necessarily on the government food pyramid. Talk to your doctor about building a diet that's right for you based on your body and your budget needs.

© 2008