Are the poor fat?
Options
Replies
-
Here an apple pie is half the price of 6 apples. Fresh food prices are ridiculous as is anything labelled as a healthier alternative.0
-
That would be difficult for .99 and you don't have to think or cook. Fast food and junk foods are calorie dense and cheap and I don't think your example really sheds light on how fresh food is either cheaper or more convenient.
But you would pair it with other food.
Not on a calorie basis........a small portion of broccoli is but a few calorie and a whole head isn't much better.a head of broccoli costs .99 cents, and a mcchicken sandwhich also costs .99 cents.
But that head of broccoli is either going to feed one person for several meals or several people while that sandwich is only going to feed one person for one meal.
So the broccoli is actually cheaper.
I would bet you could get the same calories and better nutrition for the same price as that sandwich.0 -
Ok.. but you have 5 dollars to feed a family of 4 lunch. I can buy 4 sandwiches and a bottle of soda *or* I can get a head of broccoli (which is 99 cents a pound here when on sale.. not per head, and it's usually more per pound) and maybe some chicken drumsticks (breasts would be too expensive) So now I've got a pound of broccoli and a pound drumsticks, maybe 2 since the price is anywhere from 1 buck a pound to 2 bucks a pound for them, to feed a family of 4... and no starch. So that's.. what.. 1-2 drumsticks each and a small amount of broccoli. Not much better, nor did it stretch that far and I guess we're all drinking water. his is assuming I have the ability to cook the chicken and access to tap water.
The only thing I ever drink is water. What's wrong with that?
And maybe you don't eat chicken. Maybe you get a little more creative. I didn't say it had to be chicken just because the sandwich happens to be. There are other options.That would be difficult for .99 and you don't have to think or cook. Fast food and junk foods are calorie dense and cheap and I don't think your example really sheds light on how fresh food is either cheaper or more convenient.
OK, so basically if you're lazy, you have to go with the sandwich. If you're willing to put a little thought and time into it, you get to have something else.
I can live with that, but it doesn't make the argument that fast food is cheaper and you can't eat healthy on a tight budget. It just means people choose not to because they don't want to.0 -
It's more complicated than that , but essentially your right, if someone wanted to eat healthy I see no reason that pretty much any obstacle couldn't be overcome. I'm on your side of the argument btw..:happy:Ok.. but you have 5 dollars to feed a family of 4 lunch. I can buy 4 sandwiches and a bottle of soda *or* I can get a head of broccoli (which is 99 cents a pound here when on sale.. not per head, and it's usually more per pound) and maybe some chicken drumsticks (breasts would be too expensive) So now I've got a pound of broccoli and a pound drumsticks, maybe 2 since the price is anywhere from 1 buck a pound to 2 bucks a pound for them, to feed a family of 4... and no starch. So that's.. what.. 1-2 drumsticks each and a small amount of broccoli. Not much better, nor did it stretch that far and I guess we're all drinking water. his is assuming I have the ability to cook the chicken and access to tap water.
The only thing I ever drink is water. What's wrong with that?
And maybe you don't eat chicken. Maybe you get a little more creative. I didn't say it had to be chicken just because the sandwich happens to be. There are other options.That would be difficult for .99 and you don't have to think or cook. Fast food and junk foods are calorie dense and cheap and I don't think your example really sheds light on how fresh food is either cheaper or more convenient.
OK, so basically if you're lazy, you have to go with the sandwich. If you're willing to put a little thought and time into it, you get to have something else.
I can live with that, but it doesn't make the argument that fast food is cheaper and you can't eat healthy on a tight budget. It just means people choose not to because they don't want to.0 -
It makes sense, a lot of sense.0
-
I used to work for dhs. I was a single mom and after paying the bills, I had very little left. I would have made too much for food stamps, but I wouldn't take something I didn't need anyways. . I used to budget for one turkey every few weeks, I'd cook it and freeze the meat in baggies. It lasted for weeks with careful rationing. We ate eggs, and I always had a big pot of beans and brown rice. I always had oatmeal and basic cereals. I didn't buy expensive out of season fruits and veggies, but I could afford frozen spinach, carrots, onions, broccoli, and things that were in season. Even before I stating working out, I was pretty trim and healthy.
Many of my clients looked at me like I was a freak when I'd suggest they cook some beans in a crock pot, or cut down on expensive steaks.
One time a client was telling me a horror story where something had gone wrong with her food stamps and she "had to eat rice and beans for two weeks!" ... I managed to keep my mouth shut, but it was hard.
People, rich and poor, don't always see that foods can be broken down to simple components of fiber, protein, vitamins, etc. you can buy 10 ramens for the price of one head of broccoli, but there is more nutrition in that one head of broccoli than in the ramen... Unless you are starving and you really need the fat and simple carbs, but that isn't often the case.
People also get caught up in ideas of what dinner should look like and feel like emotionally. Ultimately, It is fuel. Save the fancy meals for celebrations. Bond over something else. If your child won't eat veggies cooked, let them eat raw ones with some guacamole or peanut butter. There is nothing wrong with not having every nutritional component at every single meal.
Not everyone who is poor, or who uses assistance is so entitled (and ignorant about nutrition). I knew one guy to got very little in food stamps for his family, but went so far as to set up cold frames to have fresh baby greens and radishes year round.
I love this one along with all the others. It's really eye opening to hear from all of you. I'm only on page 3! I am devouring every post! Thank you!!0 -
I was just thinking, too, that it could be the environment around you. For me, I grew up in a household where EVERYONE was fat. All of my family members - Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters, cousins, Grandma - literally, EVERYONE. So you learn from what you see. I saw my parents, grandparents, making really unhealthy things, going back for seconds and thirds, etc., etc., so naturally that's what you see every day and you're going to think that it's normal. It's when you get out in the world that you realize... "Oh, hey, uh, maybe this isn't quite right here?"
It's not to put the BLAME on anyone, you know? Even when I eventually knew better (and we all find that out at one point), I still overate, still had bad habits, just didn't care to change. I have no one to blame but MYSELF for the way I am/was. I totally accept that.
But I do think that we learn by observation. If your parents don't know any better, how would they teach you better? And the cycle continues when those kids have kids, etc. That's why I really wish they'd teach nutrition in school - more than just the basic "5 food group" stuff. I can't recall EVER learning about nutrition and what a calorie was (other than a scientific term in physics class, etc.) and how too many calories can do this, that, the other to you, so on and so on. I think today's kids have a much better shot at keeping themselves healthy because there's so much more awareness now of the issue.
Food deserts exacerbate the problem. When you know there's better out there but you just can't seem to get to it, it makes it more frustrating. Some might say, "Take the bus there", and that's fine (I used to do that, actually), but when you're shopping for more than one - dragging all those bags on the bus is near an impossibility. (I used to do that, too!)
They're working on it here in Baltimore. They just opened a brand new market with an emphasis on vegetables and fruit right in the heart of one of the worst neighborhoods in the city - and did people come running for it? You BET they did. The owners are making hand over fist, beaucoup money!
We need more of that. :flowerforyou:
Totally agree with the environment. Been in thin and overweight households and have seen how the cupboards/fridge/freezer is stocked. Big difference.0 -
I can grow ANYTHING.....until i put it in a container. I can murder the healthiest plants in two days in a stupid pot.
I'm not quite that bad, but container gardening is more difficult, at least for me. It's also much more expensive than planting in the ground. The initial setup is very expensive - pots, seeds, dirt. But pots also need fertilized more often because nutrients are depleted more quickly in the contained area.
I have been poor. Not dumpster diving poor, but near poverty level. I was a lot thinner then than I am now that I have money for whatever food I want. I was also younger then, had 2 young children to keep up with, and quite frankly we just could not afford a lot of junk. When one bag of potato chips costs as much as a bag of carrots AND a bag of apples, and you have only that much, only an idiot would buy the chips.
LMAO! Well then it's probably about choice and education I guess.....0 -
Ok.. but you have 5 dollars to feed a family of 4 lunch. I can buy 4 sandwiches and a bottle of soda *or* I can get a head of broccoli (which is 99 cents a pound here when on sale.. not per head, and it's usually more per pound) and maybe some chicken drumsticks (breasts would be too expensive) So now I've got a pound of broccoli and a pound drumsticks, maybe 2 since the price is anywhere from 1 buck a pound to 2 bucks a pound for them, to feed a family of 4... and no starch. So that's.. what.. 1-2 drumsticks each and a small amount of broccoli. Not much better, nor did it stretch that far and I guess we're all drinking water. his is assuming I have the ability to cook the chicken and access to tap water.
The only thing I ever drink is water. What's wrong with that?
And maybe you don't eat chicken. Maybe you get a little more creative. I didn't say it had to be chicken just because the sandwich happens to be. There are other options.That would be difficult for .99 and you don't have to think or cook. Fast food and junk foods are calorie dense and cheap and I don't think your example really sheds light on how fresh food is either cheaper or more convenient.
OK, so basically if you're lazy, you have to go with the sandwich. If you're willing to put a little thought and time into it, you get to have something else.
I can live with that, but it doesn't make the argument that fast food is cheaper and you can't eat healthy on a tight budget. It just means people choose not to because they don't want to.
There is nothing wrong with water. That's pretty much all I drink too.
It's simply not as easy as you are trying to make it seem. I've been there and i'm not lazy nor ignorant.
Never lose sight of your blessing. They can be gone in a blink and then you'll be the one having to decide between the McChicken that will feed both of you or the healthy meal that will feed one of you. And you'll have to listen to someone telling you that you are simply lazy or not trying or choosing to be unhealthy0 -
There is nothing wrong with water. That's pretty much all I drink too.
It's simply not as easy as you are trying to make it seem. I've been there and i'm not lazy nor ignorant.
Never lose sight of your blessing. They can be gone in a blink and then you'll be the one having to decide between the McChicken that will feed both of you or the healthy meal that will feed one of you. And you'll have to listen to someone telling you that you are simply lazy or not trying or
I was a 17-year-old single mother who had to finish high school and get through college while working part-time, minimum wage jobs without any help from my child's father.
I'm pretty sure I know what it's like to be poor.0 -
Food deserts are defined as:
An area where the distance to a supermarket is more than ¼ mile, the median household income is at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level, over 40% of households have no vehicle available, and the average Healthy Food Availability Index score for supermarkets, convenience and corner stores is low (measured using the Nutrition Environment Measurement Survey).
http://www.baltimorecity.gov/Government/AgenciesDepartments/Planning/BaltimoreFoodPolicyInitiative/FoodDeserts.aspx
A quarter mile?
Is the City of Baltimore saying that 1/4 mile is too far for someone to carry groceries?
I live 1.7 miles from my grocery store, and when I don't have the car, I put a backpack on and ride my bike. When I lived in an urban environment, I shoved the groceries in the bottom of the stroller and hoofed it. I had to make more trips, but that resulted in me losing weight, not gaining.
I've lived in poverty in urban areas and in rural areas. I much prefer to be poor in a rural area.
The part of the country where I live now grows a good portion of the produce that feeds the region. As a result, we can eat healthy on a shoestring budget. Fast food is far more expensive for us to consume than fresh. We are also lucky to have several chains of discount or "box" type grocers that are bare bones and offer nutritious foods for far cheaper. Nonetheless, we have one of the country's highest rates of obesity. And I think of my own extended family. A get together meal is loaded with fried foods, biscuits, and gravy. It costs pennies to make biscuits and gravy, and they're among the most calorie-dense foods a person can eat. The problem is education and a sense of caring. A good portion of my family simply doesn't care. There's no other way to put it. Life is crappy enough that indulging in fatty food is a pleasure they don't want to give up.
I don't offer nutrition advice to my family. It is information wasted on people who have no interest in it. I wouldn't doubt it is the same for many of the working poor.
Agreed. I have a step-daughter who is 20. Parents divorced when she was 10 and uninvolved overweight mom (who was NOT poor by the way unless you call $60,000 yrly in support poor) didn't cook and allowed her to eat crap and there's no way she wants to eat differently now. Her taste buds are over-stimulated by all the mac and cheese, frozen pizzas, sugary cereals, etc. She's overweight as well. Not going there anymore.0 -
Not so sure it's the poor who's fat. I look around and it's everybody who's fat. I think it's a struggle for people who don't know much about nutrition and maybe don't have a lot of time to cook. Most of the so-called unhealthy foods are consumed (in my opinion) because they are super convenient and because people have developed a taste for it. It's really not THAT much cheaper. It's just easier and tastes better (I think it tastes like crap, but I know tons of people who just LOVE junk food and fast food.)
^^
YES! It's a combination of factors and for each person and family it's different. Loving the comments on this topic, some super inspirational while others.....amusing?
Yes! And I see no drama yet which is good. I'm learning a lot too!0 -
In a poor families food habits are handed down through generations. I resent any statement that was said that poor people are lazy and under educated. I grew up in the ghetto. I came from an overweight family. My grandmother and mother worked two jobs trying to make ends meet like cleaning other people's homes and babysitting other people's children and leaving theirs own at home. They scrubbed toilets and floors to feed us. Yes, we were fat but we were happy. One thing you fail to realize. In a truly poor family the only thing that mother has to give her child is love and she shows that by feeding them. They have nothing else to give. Now, if you call that lazy then you are the one under educated and over privileged.
I would argue that your mother and grandmother also showed their love for you by working hard so that you had what you needed. It also sounds like they taught you to think for yourself. I believe they would have spent more time with you and the other children if they could have, and it sounds like you think so too. I think they showed their love in many ways. I wish all children were so blessed in that particular area. I'm not trying to discount what you said. I just want to point out that even the very poor have a lot to give and to applaud your mother and grandmother for giving what they could.
So.. From all of the stats people posted, It does appear that being poor correlates with being overweight, but I'm not sure that it causes it. I also don't believe that the poor are more ignorant. I think that the majority of people are pretty ignorant about nutrition. The wealthy can just afford to choose the over priced items at the store marketed as "healthy" Instead of the stuff marked "budget". Think healthy choice over budget gourmet, or kashi pizza over tonys. I also think that when people don't have to work as much ( when it is an option) that person is more likely to do some research and put more effort into meals. Even one nutrition dedicated adult in a family can make a difference for generations. For my family if was my health obsessed grandma. She was bringing everyone bowls of almonds to munch on way before it was trendy and was always reading up on nutrition.
Basically, unhealthy processed food is cheaper than healthy processed food. If someone wants to eat processed food (yummy and quick) they are going to spend some cash or they will pay with their &@$.0 -
Not in 3rd world countries.
There are fat rich people. There are skinny rich people. There are fat poor people. There are skinny poor people.
What's the one common thing that dictates whether they are fat or skinny?
HOW MANY CALORIES THEY CONSUME.
end/thread
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
I think that if you are poor in america and prone to weight gain, you will likely become heavy. Filling, cheap food can be bought in bulk, but it is often very high in fat and calories. I see a lot of lower income families/new immigrants who struggle with their weight. If a person has a high metabolism, they won't be fat, but I think they are still likely to eat unhealthy food if they have little money. Obviously, vegetables can be bought for not too much money, but poor people who work multiple jobs or take care of kids don't really have much time for cooking, I feel.0
-
I think that if you are poor in america and prone to weight gain, you will likely become heavy. Filling, cheap food can be bought in bulk, but it is often very high in fat and calories. I see a lot of lower income families/new immigrants who struggle with their weight. If a person has a high metabolism, they won't be fat, but I think they are still likely to eat unhealthy food if they have little money. Obviously, vegetables can be bought for not too much money, but poor people who work multiple jobs or take care of kids don't really have much time for cooking, I feel.
Easy solution. Eat the same unhealthy food, just eat 25-50% less of it.
Oh and hey, they save money that way too.0 -
I also grew up with a twin and a young single mother, on welfare, food stamps, subsidized daycare, free lunch, housing, toys for tots (that was in the early days, she did go through school and work three jobs). Anyway, we often could not afford food, and the store would allow us to get bread and milk and pay for it later. We were all very thin. My mother actually weighed 80 pounds in those days (when we were two months old, that was how thin she got).0
-
It makes a lot of sense. KFC and McDonald's are cheap - you can have a meal to yourself for maybe £5 or less. They're quick, filling (full of fats and carbs but that's not the point) require no effort (apart from getting your butt down there, or maybe your car if you're lucky to live near a drive thru) and don't cost much. Whereas fresh vegetables and salads will not be as filling and would cost quite a bit more to feed maybe a family of four.0
-
It makes a lot of sense. KFC and McDonald's are cheap - you can have a meal to yourself for maybe £5 or less. They're quick, filling (full of fats and carbs but that's not the point) require no effort (apart from getting your butt down there, or maybe your car if you're lucky to live near a drive thru) and don't cost much. Whereas fresh vegetables and salads will not be as filling and would cost quite a bit more to feed maybe a family of four.
Eating 2000 calories of McDonalds won't make you any fatter than 2000 calories of healthy foods. Less healthy? Maybe.
The problem isn't the food. The problem is gluttony.0 -
I am termed as poor, I have just had to start claiming jobseekers allowance, I get (when they see fit to pay me) £71.70 per week, out of that I have to put £15 electric and £15 gas on my meters, pay £6 for tv licence and £6 council tax, that is £42 gone, then I have to keep £7.50 back to go to paying phone and internet so I can apply for and look for work, £49.50 gone, that leaves me £22.50 to buy food and provide money to attend the job centre, any courses they put me on and provide adequate clothing for interviews. Considering it costs £1.80 one way to get to the job centre, so yes I am poor, I am looking for work, I buy food from the reduced section as that is all I can afford, I do not eat out, I have to shop in cheap places and when you look at the ingredients the ham that costs £1 has high fructose corn syrup in it and a multitude of other additives, unfortunately living in Blackpool only gives access to food that is cheap and unhealthy on the money I have, fresh fruit and veg is priced out of my range and as for outdoor fed meat, lol the closest I will get is the chicken pumped up with chemicals and water cos its cheap0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392.1K Introduce Yourself
- 43.6K Getting Started
- 259.9K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.4K Fitness and Exercise
- 403 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 982 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.4K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions