(Mission Times Courier, San Diego, CA) - San Diego residents are countering the escalating cost of nutritious food, the time commitment of healthy food preparation, and battling the rising obesity epidemic by choosing home diet delivery through Bistro MD.

It is 10 times more expensive to purchase and prepare lower-energy, nutrient rich foods like lean meats, dairy, and vegetables than energy-dense junk food junk foods. A study by the University of Washington Center for Public Health and Nutrition and published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association outlined these costs.

“San Diego residents know that high-calorie junk foods are affordable but lack nutrition. They are also realists and recognize that preparing healthy foods can be expensive and time consuming,” said Caroline Cederquist M.D., a bariatric physician and the developer of the Bistro MD meal plan. This is why gourmet diet delivery from Bistro MD is number one in the nation and continues to grow in San Diego as method of weight loss and nutritious eating.

Not only is healthy cooking expensive; the average San Diego resident does not have the time to cook. A working resident only has about 5 hours per week to spend on food preparation according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In May of 2010 the USDA released the national standard for a nutritious diet and estimated a cost of $70 a week for an individual to purchase the recommended calories of healthy food to be eaten at home.

However in a follow up study, the Journal of Nutrition determined that the USDA missed a major factor - time. Considering the cost of food without the cost of time distorts the USDA’s estimates because healthy cooking is labor intensive and time is not an unlimited or free resource. In fact, the USDA’s plan requires between 9-16 hours per week for food preparation. For the working San Diego resident who only has 5 hours a week to dedicate to food preparation; this means the possibility of purchasing, preparing and eating nutritious meals at home is an unlikely reality.

The Journal of Nutrition article also revealed that although healthy eating can be costly, the value of your time spent in preparation can be even more than the cost of food (The Thrifty Food Plan Is Not Thrifty When Labor Cost Is Considered, 2010).To determine the value of an hour for a resident of San Diego, we can refer to the formula created by economists at the Warwick University in England. The cost of a single resident’s time is $14.51 an hour based on the average salary of $44,500 and the local cost of living ranked at 1.15 by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Even estimating for 9 hours of food preparation, at the low end of the UDSA’s statistical analysis, this would cost about $130 a week.

“When adding the $70 for the USDA’s weekly cost of healthy food and the $130 expense in preparing the food, it becomes clear how spending as little as $22.85 a day for Bistro MD meals is a real bargain. And that’s assuming you even have the 9 hours a week to shop, plan and prepare your food,” said Caroline Cederquist M.D.

Americans spend less on food than many other developed nations but pay the price in fatigue, nutritional deficiencies, obesity and other diseases. In 2006 the Centers for Disease Control reported that 67% of adults were overweight or obese and a study by John Hopkins University determined that if we keep on our current trend, 75% if all U.S. adults will be overweight in the next five years.

San Diego area residents desiring to lose weight while also eating healthy foods, trust Bistro MD home diet delivery as an investment in their health and as a way to save time and money. Bistro MD meals are Dr. designed, metabolically balanced and chef prepared without additives and fillers. Bistro MD also offers free access to dieticians for support and offers plans for less than $23 a day.

Bistro MD is a leader in gourmet diet food delivery and offers home delivery of meals that are physician designed and chef prepared. Headquartered in Southwest Florida, Bistro MD has been recognized on national television shows such as Dr. Phil and news outlets including The New York Times. The company has become a leader in diet meal delivery by offering quality food with free dietician support to help customers reach their goals. Dr. Cederquist is a bariatric physician and has appeared as a weight-management expert on national shows, as well as the contributing medical editor on NBC Ft. Myers for eight years.

For more information, go to www.bistromd.com or call (1-866-401-DIET)