What do you think of the obesity epidemic in the U.S.?

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  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    Holy two year old thread, Batman.
  • 2snakeswoman
    2snakeswoman Posts: 655 Member
    I think this is one of the few areas where I'm right up there with the majority. For me, it seems that every occasion is the right occasion for food. Celebrating? Eat lots of yummy food. Sad? Eat to console myself. Mad? Eat to stop myself from biting someone's head off. and so forth
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited April 2015
    mmnv79 wrote: »
    Silly question but unfortunately I haven't had the chance to visit US except for Texas and New Mexico.

    Are veggies and fruit expensive in the US?

    The US is a huge country with many different agricultural regions, there are tons of different fruits and veggies with different supply options, and "expensive" is a relative thing, so this question is basically impossible to answer.

    That said, my understanding is that food costs in the US--including fruits and veggies--are relatively low as a percentage of median income compared with many other countries (on average). But people in the US also expect this to be the way it is, so may perceive changes in cost to be a big deal still or care about the relative cost differential between veggies and something else.

    Where I live, though, my perception is that fruits and veggies in the mainstream supermarket options are not particularly expensive, no. Obviously it would be cheaper to focus your diet on something like dried beans than fruits and veggies, however.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    Yes produce and meat is far more expensive than any fast food option or junk food option on the shelves. (in the us)
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    us farmers are competing heavily with lousy thoughtless corporations. so...,
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    urloved33 wrote: »
    Yes produce and meat is far more expensive than any fast food option or junk food option on the shelves. (in the us)

    Not in my experience.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    edited April 2015
    where do you live
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Chicago. North side. You?
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    urloved33 wrote: »
    Yes produce and meat is far more expensive than any fast food option or junk food option on the shelves. (in the us)

    Not in my experience.

    Mine either.

    Is this thread full on tinfoil hat? I really don't want to go back through it.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I only read the posts from this year and actively chose to ignore anything about the Fed, so may not be the one to ask. ;-)
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    ok so a weeks fruit only purchase. one piece of fruit a day/ one banana, one apple, and three strawberries for five days is 7 dollars+ a large bag of chips is 1.97 and it will last for five days of snacks. do the math.
  • vmlabute
    vmlabute Posts: 311 Member
    It upsets me because of the children. The parents are leading them down the path of inactivity, bad eating habits, obesity, heart disease and other health issues that comes along with being overweight. Children have no control because the parents make decisions for them until they can cognitively start making decisions for themselves, by then it's too late. The child is in size 16 cloths by the time middle school rolls around, thinking that 3 cans of soda and cheetos are sufficient lunch and developing type 2 Diabetes. And they are no longer making Phy Ed a requirement, it is an "elective".

    We as adults, parents, and teachers should be teaching and helping these young, beautiful souls of good eating habits and how important physical activity really is. I feel terrible for the children who suffers within their bodies because of people's laziness.
  • liekewheeless
    liekewheeless Posts: 416 Member
    I feel it's largely because of the way everything here (USA) is set up. Unless you are lucky and live in a place that promotes physical activity you have an uphill battle.

    I would love to walk or ride my bicycle to work but that's just not an option (safety is the #1 problem). Sidewalks don't go anywhere (if you can find one).

    Healthy food is expensive, unhealthy food is cheap. (yes, I know, you can eat healthy on the cheap, but it's harder)
    Portion sizes are out of control. I don't think most people even know what a normal serving is.

    It still comes down to personal responsibility, but when the road to obesity is so much easier than the road to a healthy lifestyle.... what do think will happen?
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    urloved33 wrote: »
    ok so a weeks fruit only purchase. one piece of fruit a day/ one banana, one apple, and three strawberries for five days is 7 dollars+ a large bag of chips is 1.97 and it will last for five days of snacks. do the math.

    And if you take the strawberries out and replace them with something cheaper?
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Holy thread resurrection.

    So we are comparing apples to apples, @urloved33, how much does it cost to buy eight potatoes? (This would equate to consuming one eight ounce bag of potato chips every day). It scares me to see low-income posters claim that they cannot "afford" to eat healthy. Cooking from source is nearly always cheaper than pre-packaged. Frozen vegetables are cheaper than fresh and just as nutrient rich. There's dried beans and lentils of all kinds. So where do they get this idea that healthy eating is the exclusive domain of the rich? Whole Foods?

    There's lots of opinion. I am not so interested in opinion as in finding the root cause(s). Otherwise a whole bunch of people (policy makers included) will be wasting their time chasing rabbit trails. I think it is a mistake to lump the entire US in to this epidemic. Obesity is regional.
    obesity_by_county_large.png

    What is happening in these regions that is different than the rest of the country? One factor does stand out; stress (i.e. higher proportion of lower income families). This is a map of the GINI index (income inequality). In many ways the US is on top of the world. But for such a wealthy nation, the income disparity is alarming.
    Gini_Index_US_Counties_2010.jpg

    I am Canadian but we are by no way spared from this epidemic.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited April 2015
    Just skimming and dipping in (will go back out). So most people agree on the causes (excepting the weird blip about vaccines).

    So: how do people feel about policy solutions? Things like making spaces more walkable, maybe limiting portion sizes at restaurants, ensuring kids have healthy options at school, cities limiting the number of fast food restaurants in a given area and encouraging the presence of at least one grocery store per x, supporting (even funding) community gardens/CSAs, requiring that manufacturers meet a certain macro/micro threshold...

    food pricing, too
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    4 decent-size sides of broccoli=59 cents at my grocery store right now (if you don't insist on organic). Add the same amount of cabbage and it's 88 cents for a huge side. I think it's weird to compare that with chips, as the broccoli has nutrients and the chips have essentially none, but a 14 oz bag of Ruffles is $3.50, even without the extra tax I'd get on it.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Comparing with potatoes is a good idea. Even without a sale (which I could almost certainly find), a 3 lb bag of red potatoes is cheaper than the 14 oz bag of chips from the same source (and again not paying attention to the extra tax on the chips).
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited April 2015
    tomatoey wrote: »
    So: how do people feel about policy solutions? Things like making spaces more walkable...

    That's happening, big time, in many cities.

    ...maybe limiting portion sizes at restaurants...

    Can't happen. Consumers won't stand for it.

    ...ensuring kids have healthy options at school...

    Can't get parents to agree on what constitutes "healthy options".

    ...cities limiting the number of fast food restaurants in a given area and encouraging the presence of at least one grocery store per x...

    Zoning can prevent people from building X, but it can't force business to build Y.

    ...supporting (even funding) community gardens/CSAs...

    There are already more CSAs than customers to support them.

    ...requiring that manufacturers meet a certain macro/micro threshold...

    Unconstitutional.

    ...food pricing, too

    Good luck getting re-elected.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    4 decent-size sides of broccoli=59 cents at my grocery store right now (if you don't insist on organic). Add the same amount of cabbage and it's 88 cents for a huge side. I think it's weird to compare that with chips, as the broccoli has nutrients and the chips have essentially none, but a 14 oz bag of Ruffles is $3.50, even without the extra tax I'd get on it.

    hmm, yeah. i think leisure time is a thing, too, people need time to cook.

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