Putting on "Recession Pounds"?

From Reuters:

Americans may reduce the amount they spend on food in response to a sour economy but some experts fear they may pick up weight in the process.

The specter of "recession pounds" is a concern weighing on health professionals, who point to numerous studies linking obesity and unhealthy eating habits to low incomes.

They fear that as people cut food spending they will cut back on healthy but relatively expensive items such as fresh fish, fruit, vegetables and whole grains, in favor of cheaper options high in sugar and saturated fats.

"People ... are going to economize and as they save money on food they will be eating more empty calories or foods high in sugar, saturated fats and refined grains, which are cheaper," said Adam Drewnowski, the director of the Nutrition Sciences Program at the University of Washington in Seattle.

"Things are going to get worse," he told Reuters in a telephone interview. "Obesity is a toxic result of a failing economic environment."

..."We associate poverty with obesity because energy dense foods are less expensive. More poverty does not have to translate into more obesity but it certainly could," said Dr. Robert Eckel, the former president of the Dallas-based American Heart Association.

Drewnowski said it was possible to eat in an affordable and healthy way, partly by relying on the basic foods which saw America through the Depression of the 1930s.

"The answer lies in affordable but nutrient-rich foods such as ground beef, beans, milk, nuts, cheese, carrots, potatoes, canned tomatoes, soups, and rice," he said, calling it "a diet for a new Depression."

So we're calling this a "new Depression"?

Good grief.

It's possible to consume a diet of foods that are both healthy and affordable. Foods high in sugar and saturated fats aren't exactly cheap.

So many Americans eat way too much and exercise way too little. Those same unhealthy habits were practiced in times of prosperity. People became fatter when the economy was doing well. Now, those know-it-all experts say people may become fatter because the economy is tanking.

I guess the experts have to say something in order to justify their lofty positions as experts, even though so many of their conclusions make them come off like dolts.

Bottom line: A recession is no excuse to put on excess pounds.