As grocery budgets tighten for the average American, people are having to expand their belt buckles to accommodate their burgeoning bellies, as more and more people are opting for cheaper foods, which tend to be less nutritious.

The director of the University of Washington’s Nutrition Sciences Program investigated the correlation between one’s financial circumstances and weight, and came away with results that might go contrary to most people’s idea of conventional wisdom (i.e. less money to buy food = less food to eat).

What he found was that in areas where there was the lowest average income – as determined by zip code – there also tended to be high rates of obesity. So high, in fact, that that the rates of obesity were five times higher in the low income areas than in areas where income was higher. This was observed in the Seattle area, but prior studies investigating this phenomenon came to similar conclusions, including a California-based study that found a 10 percent rise in poverty corresponded to a rise in obesity rates.

ABC News reports that 49 out of 50 states are at the very least “at risk” of falling into a recession. What’s very revealing is that the states that are already in a recession – like Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee – have the highest rates of obesity. Other states, which up until recently had expanding economies, are among the healthiest of states, like Vermont, New Hampshire and Utah.

Speaking to Fox News, Eileen Kennedy, the dean of Tufts University’s school of nutrition, addressed the fundamental issue at play with respect to income earned and obesity: “Cheap sources of calories tend to be high in total fats and sugars.” She’s right. The cheapest things to select on menus at restaurants and buy at grocery stores are the highly refined and processed pastas, dessert cakes, white breads and sodium saturated soups. Meanwhile, organic food shopping has taken a serious hit – with Whole Foods Markets reporting dour sales in 2008.

Yes, organic food selections are more expensive than non-organic selections, but the additional cost is not “cost prohibitive,” as a friend of mine recently suggested. To buy a pound of quinoa, for instance – one of the best superfoods on the market today – it costs $4.50 at my local grocery store. That’s a lot of quinoa for a little price.

I understand this is a rough time for the country and for the average American, but a well-balanced diet of organic fruits and vegetables should not play second fiddle to other financial concerns. If anything, maintaining a well-balanced organic diet is more important now than ever, with medical costs what they are and the onslaught of people losing their jobs and health care coverage.

To stay free and clear of illness and disease, a rich diet of natural food selections should remain a top priority.