For years experts have argued that poor households are consuming less nourishing food than the rest of the population. But a survey of some of the lowest earners in Britain shows the nutritional value of what they eat is little different to everyone else. In fact, the same deficiencies in diet were shared by all the population and the findings suggest that poor eating choices are far more widespread than previously suspected - affecting many wealthier families. These included low fruit and vegetable consumption, not eating enough oily fish and eating too much saturated fat and sugar. 'This is a large and significant study and it shows we are all eating just as bad a diet as each other,' said Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University. The poorest families were eating only slightly more sugar and slightly less fruit and vegetables, according to the study of 3,728 respondents in the bottom of the population.

Alison Tedstone, head of nutritional science at the Food Standard Agency, said: 'Overall, people on low incomes have less than ideal diets, but their diets are only slightly worse than those of the rest of the population.' 

The study also showed that low earners are choosing to eat unhealthily. Their food choices were not linked to their income, their access to shops or their cooking skills. The findings appear to contradict assumptions that the poor cannot afford healthier foods or are too far away from shops that sell them. The Low Income Nutrition and Diet Survey showed that like the rest of the population, the poor's daily fruit and vegetable intake on average is below the recommended five portions. Fewer than 10 per cent of respondents hit this target, while around 20 per cent ate less than a portion per day. More than three quarters (76 per cent) of men and 81 per cent of women did less than one 30-minute session of moderate or vigorous exercise per week. Some 45 per cent of men and 40 per cent of women were smokers. This compares with 28 per cent of men and 24 per cent of women in the general population.

多年來，專家們一直認為，貧困家庭攝入的營養食物比其他人群要少。 而英國一項對最低收入人群的調查表明，這些人所攝入食物的營養價值與其他人群沒有太大區別。 實際上，所有人的飲食習慣都存在同樣的缺陷。調查結果表明，“窮人式”的飲食選擇所涉及的人群比之前預計的要廣泛得多，影響著很多較為富裕的家庭。 這種飲食所攝入的水果和蔬菜較少、油性魚的攝入量不足、飽和脂肪和糖分的攝入量過多。 城市大學食品政策教授Tim Lang說：“這是一項十分有意義的大規模調查。調查表明，我們的飲食習慣都很不合理。” 根據對處于社會底層的3728名受訪者的調查，最窮的家庭攝入的糖分僅略多一點，攝入的水果和蔬菜也只是略少一點。 食品標準局營養科學部的主任阿里森·泰德斯通說：“總的來說，收入較低的人吃的較差，但他們的飲食也只比其它人群略差一點。” 調查表明，低收入人群不健康的飲食方式是他們自身造成的。他們的飲食選擇與收入、離商店的遠近及烹飪技巧并沒有必然聯系。 這一結果與窮人們買不起健康食品或離商店太遠的假設相矛盾。 此項低收入人群營養及飲食調查發現，與其他人群一樣，窮人平均每天攝入的水果和蔬菜量低于專家建議的五份。達到這一建議標準的受訪者不到10%，約20%的受訪者每天攝入的果蔬量不到一份。 超過四分之三（76%）的男性和81%的女性每周進行適度或劇烈運動的時間不到30分鐘。 其中，約45%的男性和40%的女性是煙民。 而總人口中的這一比例分別為28%和24%。