Urging Americans To Eat Healthy And Cheap, USDA Releases New Food Pyramid & Cost Charts

Fresh-caught salmon in Fairbanks. THE COPPER RIVER COUNTRY JOURNAL If You're A 52-Year Old Woman – Living In Anchorage – You Should Ge...

Fresh-caught salmon in Fairbanks.

THE COPPER RIVER COUNTRY JOURNAL

If You're A 52-Year Old Woman – Living In Anchorage – You Should Get By on $231 A Month For Food, Feds Say

But... There Are 'Good Foods' & 'Bad Foods' They Say

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Some of the 'REAL' Foods...

Fresh Produce. Neil Hannan's garden in Kenny Lake...

Russian-style mackerel in Delta Junction IGA. 2011

Anchorage Farmers Market, 2010.

Glennallen IGA, 2021.

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THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAS A THRIFTY FOOD PLAN...

Several months ago, the United States Department of Agriculture released a price list of how much they thought Americans needed to spend for a 'Thrifty Food Plan'. The plan showed, at the very least, that the average family of four needs $1,000 a month to eat.

In Anchorage, the cost was more -- almost $1,300 a month. In Hawaii, it was even higher. (See below.) Anchorage is considerably cheaper than rural and Bush Alaska, and there were no costs listed for monthly costs estimates in places outside of the city in Alaska.

Given that you are spending that amount, what are you supposed to be able to buy?

A list of ideal items for healthy eating, on an illustrated chart, was released by the U.S. government on its Health website. There's a new U.S. government food pyramid on the site, labeled "Eat Real Food." (The chart is shown below.) The type of food that the government wants you to eat to stay healthy is very appealing. The new food chart recommends:

Marbled steak, hamburger, non-processed bulk cheese, chicken, whole milk, salmon, yogurt, eggs, tuna, avocado, olive oil, shrimp, nuts, butter and (perhaps) what looks like cottage cheese.

It also recommends:

Broccoli, frozen or canned vegetables, carrots, tomatoes, apples and pears lettuce, berries, oranges, grapes and bananas, apples, berries, potatoes, oranges, grapes and bananas. Apparently not recommended are whole grains and homemade breads and oatmeal, which are at the bottom.

The list does not show any pasta, spaghetti, rice or ramen; frozen dinners; pizza; ham or pork; Mexican canned items; Italian and Indian-style foods; desserts of any kind; any type of prepackaged food, such as cereals, or crackers or tortillas; coffee or tea; corn; snack foods; candies and chocolates; pickles and condiments – or any of the many forms of fast foods from McDonalds, Taco Bell or other restaurants, along with various canned drinks, fruits or juices.

This is the new chart:

Meanwhile, here's the cost estimate of what it costs a Hawaiian family of 4, an average U.S. family of 4, and an Anchorage family of 4 to eat 'thrifty.'

FOODS THAT ARE NOT ON THE 'REAL' LIST...
The Country Journal, over many years, has made a point of taking photographs of foods on grocery shelves in roadside communities throughout Alaska. Here's some of what we've seen. In all the instances below, these dry, canned, and frozen foods do not seem to be on the U.S. federal government's list.

ANCHORAGE WALMART, 2019