Summary In this analysis, we examine the effect of wages on obesity by constructing pseudo‐panels to conduct a dynamic estimation of Grossman's human capital model. The results indicate that wages have an increasing effect on obesity status. After accounting for past health status, the protective effect of wages commonly disseminated in the literature reverses on obesity status. The results may also indicate possible asymmetric consumption behavior between foods/nutrients that improve diet quality versus those that degrade it. Individuals may be more keen to adhere to prophylactic diet strategies that abate consumption of unhealthy food/nutrients rather than measures which increase healthy nutrient consumption. Additionally, wages have an increasing effect on overall total calories consumed. These findings suggest that higher wage earners may focus their diet efforts on reducing consumption of specific nutrients but compensate by overconsuming other types of nutrients increasing overall calorie intake. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.