the real cost of Junk Food.... Also HEALTH Bills.

An Open Letter to the Black Community About Nutrition

Brother Tracy Gibson

Have you as a Black Parent, ever wondered where all the household funds are going?  Do you often have the sinking feeling that your children are just there to act as a vacuum cleaner (s) for Five Dollar Bills and One Dollar bills?

This short article is designed to let you know where some of the money you give your children goes and how it is spent.

If you are a typical Low to Middle-income household in the inner city--Black family with either 2.3 children and either one parent, two parents or a guardian watching the children such as a grand parent--The children probably goes to the corner store or the neighborhood store about Two or Three times a week.

The typical things they might buy will include: An 16 OZ Pepsi or soda [$1.50 each]; Hers BBQ Potato Chips [Large Bag for $4.29 each]; A cheese and Turkey Hogie with mayo, lettus, tomato and onions -- [$7.49 each]; Three cream-filled up cakes from Tasty Cake [ one pack or 3 is $1.69]; A small bag of sugar-powdered donuts [$4.78 s bag]; Tasty Cake Pie [One Dollar] on special.

That sounds like a lot of food for one setting, but taken over a week, a month or a year and you get to relate to just how much this food, often called junk food, is costing the average American Black Family.  If you have two or three children you can multiply some of these amounts [I will do that for you.]

An average male or female in the 9th, 10th, or 11th grade has plenty of money for snacks before and especially after school.  I have literally watched at least one youngster with a $50 bill and I have seen plenty of $20 bills; $10 bills and $5 bills.

A typical male or female child might buy a hogie two bags of chips and a soda at least twice a week.  Each trip to the corner store for those three items will cost about $13.28!!  Twice a week, That's $26.56 a Week!!  Over a month That's $106.24 if your child goes and gets those items [A Hogie, a soda and a large bag of chips] twice a week for a month.

Over a year's time that's two hundred and seventy four Dollars and Eighty Eight cents a year!!  That is just for one child over one year.  Money shortages in Poor or even Middle income Black households is at the Apex of the reasons for arguments, conflicts and disagreements between parents, guardians and grandparents and children.  There just never seems to be enough money, especially during the hard times of high unemployment and the flood of foreign-made goods coming into the U.S. economy that we are currently faced with.

Many heads of poor Black Families think if they could just win the Lottery or get that windfall or make a big gain in some other way, I would Really be living the High Life.  Everything would be just fine.

But the control is actually in the parent's and the children's hands each week, or every other week or every month when the money comes in. 

The parent--with a Little knowledge and community or church education--can make some badly-needed changes that can have a significant, lasting and positive impact on Black families and eventually whole Black communities.

If A Parent, Grandparent if guardian sits down with the child or children He or She has responsibility for can take the positive opportunity to take positive action and change the situation.  Parents can put the fattening hogies, chips and sodas down and make other choices.  Such foods as sodas, cakes and hogies are not healthy at all and have a real and present link to diabetes, obesity, heart disease and high blood pressure.  They contain a high level of unhealthy saturated fat, salt, sugar and corn syrup--all foods and chemicals linked to health difficulties linked to increases in a sedentary lifestyle and a lack of positive activity such as exercise.

A grand parent, Mom or Dad can help the child or instruct the child to take sliced cucumbers, celery, radishes and carrots to school in a plastic container.  The child can take a small container of humus or Balsamic Vinegar to school with the fresh vegetables and have a healthy snack instead of all that fat, salt and sugar.

The child can also take a bottle of spring water pre-bought from the super market  or just cool tap water.  This will save more than half that $1,274.88 a year!!

On the flip side, fat is the midsection is usually quite responsive to diet and exercise, and losing weight reverses the health risks [Ebony Magazine January 1990. .

By Brother Tracy...