Cost Is The Main Barrier To Healthful Diet In The U.S.

The main reason poorer Americans tend not to eat a healthful diet is money, or more precisely, the lack of it, according to a recent study. The vast majority of low-income families – 85 percent – in the U.S. know that eating nutritious foods is important to health and are interested in learning more about buying and preparing healthful meals. But 70 percent said that cost is keeping them from buying such foods. The hungriest Americans are the unemployed, according to the study, and single men under the age of 65. Federal nutrition assistance programs such as WIC and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) help, but they don’t cover the whole cost of feeding a family.