Job cuts. Foreclosures. Rising gas prices. The economy hasn't looked this dire in decades and 2009's going to be a tough one. But what does it mean for the
obesity epidemic? Is the world just too horrible for anyone to care about something as trivial as an expanding girth? Or could the downturn actually help us get skinny waists as well as wallets?
There's certainly a lot of reasons to think the recession could be fattening.
More and more of us are becoming poor, and in western societies poor people are chubbier than rich ones. This is partly because fatty, sugary, processed foods are cheaper per calorie than fruits and vegetables.
On top of the cost appeal, evolution has very sensibly hardwired us to find energy-rich foods tasty, so it's no wonder that we gravitate towards French fries and candy in times of strife. Most of us have been brought up to believe that a tasty treat will make us feel better, and junk food demonstrably stimulates happy chemicals in our brains.
Plus it's often easier, quicker and cheaper to wolf down a tub of chocolate cookie dough ice-cream than to indulge in other less calorific pleasures - like drugs and sex.
Exercise could also plummet along with the Dow. After all, kickboxing classes and the hunky personal trainer can start to look pretty expendable when you're struggling to buy groceries and pay the mortgage.
But maybe it doesn't have to be this way. It wasn't always the case that ‘poor' meant ‘fat'. I am reliably informed that it was very hard to find an obese person during the Great Depression, for example.
The fact is, if you can make the time to cook from scratch, healthy unprocessed foods are much cheaper than ready-made meals and brand-name sauces and snacks. So the recession is helping to drive some money-conscious individuals back into their kitchens.
Many people are also cutting back on eating out - thought to be one of the biggest contributors to the obesity problem.
And if you live in New York then you are about to receive extra budgetary inspiration to better health. The state plans to impose an 18% tax on sugary soft drinks, making diet versions a doubly prudent choice.
Physical activity doesn't necessarily have to suffer either.
Bicycle sales are up, as many choose to cycle to work instead of paying for gas or inflated public transportation fares. Gym memberships haven't been hit as hard as you might think. And anyway there's always running round the block - providing you can afford thermal underwear to prevent you freezing to death in the January frost.
A Happy, Healthy, Frugal New Year to everyone.
