Obesity and poverty...
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Deleted cuz I don't want to cause drama0
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Some of us count the shoes we wear as our vehicle. Just sayin'.I was reading through the thread about who is to blame for obese children. The unanimous consensus is that it's the parents' fault. While I agree to a certain extent, I think people are forgetting a few key pieces of info. Let's take a look at Mississippi. It's the #1 poorest state in the nation. It's also the #1 most obese state in the nation. It's also the #1 most hunger stricken state in the nation. How could that be? How can people be starving AND obese!? It doesn't make sense. Or does it?
If you go to the grocery and buy enough fresh, whole food to feed a family of four for a week, you'll likely spend no less than $200. Good, fresh, real food is terribly expensive. Crap food is not! A cheeseburger, fries, and coke at McDonalds cost $3. A salad at McDonalds cost $6. Fresh produce and meat is expensive compared to ramen noodles and Vienna sausages. It's next to impossible for people living in poverty to eat healthy food!
I don't know how to fix that, but I know that something needs to change if we're going to solve the obesity epidemic in this country!
I'm not sure where you live but you cannot get a cheeseburger, fries and a coke for $3 at our McDonald's. And even if you could... a $3 meal x 4 people x 3 meals per day x 7 days per week comes out to $252 per week....and that doesn't even touch the other junk snacks in between like the bag of chips or the cookies or the extra soda!
I spend $200 per week on ALL my groceries including cleaning products, paper products, personal hygiene products and vitamins/supplements and my kids are lean and healthy. I spend much less since I got on a cleaner diet with my family than when we ate crap all the time!
Most families below the poverty have less than $300 to spend on food A MONTH. I have heard of people screwing over the system and getting way more than that, but they are the minority. The rest of us scrabble from month to month, when food prices go up, our amounts don't. You're not being realistic. You spend less than you did. But you probably also have a nice house, a good car, and a decent supermarket nearby. You're comparing apples and oranges.
For the record I drive a 1997 Toyota with 210,000 miles on it and my husband drives a 2000 Ford with close to 200,000 miles on it as well. I don't get my nails done I don't shop for clothing unless mine are falling apart, i havent been on a vacation since my honeymoon in 2000 and we live with my mother so before you assume and judge someone, ask what their lifestyle is like.0 -
Some of us count the shoes we wear as our vehicle. Just sayin'.
Most families below the poverty have less than $300 to spend on food A MONTH. I have heard of people screwing over the system and getting way more than that, but they are the minority. The rest of us scrabble from month to month, when food prices go up, our amounts don't. You're not being realistic. You spend less than you did. But you probably also have a nice house, a good car, and a decent supermarket nearby. You're comparing apples and oranges.
For the record I drive a 1997 Toyota with 210,000 miles on it and my husband drives a 2000 Ford with close to 200,000 miles on it as well. I don't get my nails done I don't shop for clothing unless mine are falling apart, i havent been on a vacation since my honeymoon in 2000 and we live with my mother so before you assume and judge someone, ask what their lifestyle is like.
This. I couldn't afford a car if I could drive. You really have no idea. I have never been on vacation. Ever. I get $200 a month to feed two people on different special diets. I take the bus everywhere. The only reason I have internet access is because I got a good deal on it and my son needs access for school. There are no room for extras. I buy new clothes when I can no longer wear the ones I have. I have no clothing that is not newer than 6 years old. And those are handme downs from my mother.
You are not living in poverty. You are the one judging people. So don't get affronted when I tell you that you are comparing apples and oranges.0 -
Deleted cuz I don't want to cause drama0
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I grew up in upper middle class as a hispanic kid in a white community. I have multiple views in regards to why there is so much obesity.
BTW Obesity is not truly based off of bodyweight. It is based off of fat %. With men it is 30%+.
I am overweight by BMI standards which is an out of date way to measure.
I was a chubby kid who didnt know much about nutrition, neither did my parents.
I am biracial so I see both hispanic and asians and the food they eat.
Many people that come to this country from other places that walk alot tend to eat high calorie fattening foods.
Colombians are a prime example. They eat alot of fat animal fat, cheeses etc. While there is nothing wrong with that, it is extremely calorie dense for someone to be eating that and not having physical activity.
In colombia they tend to walk quite a bit and use public transportation. They also average a cholesterol of 245 and have lower heart disease than we do here.
Culture is one factor.
Yes Money is a factor.
There are plenty of fat people with money that are overweight. They hire personal trainers and nutritionists to create their diet and they also have money to access a variety of food so they wont get burnt out on eating the same food all the time. Fruits can be very expensive. especially berries. blackberries, blueberries, etc.
Good meat quality is expensive as well. Top sirloin is a very lean cut and is affordable in texas for 4 dollars a pound. In other parts it can be very expensive.
Knowledge. Not many people know about how calories work and the function of energy within the body.
95% of people here on this site, do not look at studies or see research articles, just like the other "uneducated" they still follow off of old practices. Most of you cannot interpret proper studies and I have met countless people with college degrees even in the medical field who are overweight and obese.
Some people who were traumatized with being overweight while they were younger such as myself and the my view upon it are reasons why people lose weight and know how to.
If i dont like something about my life I will try to change it.
Physical education honestly needs to change. This is a big problem on treating it as recess rather than furthering their education. Laws of thermodynamics are not limited to objects but living things as well and for some reason schools do not seem to teach that.
There are too many old practices with bad conclusions circulating the internet and these forums.
Some of them used wrong methods to measure function. such as the infamous protein and kidney study that based impaired renal function off GFR. Where any medical professional knows the way to measure kidney function is creatinine. This is one tiny example.
Hypocaloric diets that have high fat(Even saturated) do not have the same high cholesterol that fat and carbs are associated with . With or without exercise
hypocaloric diet applies the same way with sugar and diabetes.
Another one is dieting eating "Bodybuilding foods" due to the fact they lost weight easily on it. When food is modified the fullness it creates calorie for calorie gets diminished the more it is altered.
The things people practice are repeated just cause of what they heard. They refuse to listen to new research. Funny thing is most of the things that they practice originally formed off a research that was set up poorly or did not have proper instruments.
Did many of you know about saturated fat not being directly associated with heart disease?
did many of you know about that with sugar?
no
so it isnt just poverty. it is everybody and there are multiple factors about why people become obese. Hypothyroidism is that in some cases but you cannot blame it on hypothyroidism while you drink 1000 calories from soda alone while you know you are suffering from hypothyroidism.0 -
When I worked as a cashier, it bothered me that so many people with food stamps would buy pop, sugary cereal, and quick fix meals (frozen dinners, premade and flavored foods, lunch meats in bulk), and a lot of junk, such as chips, cookies, candy, but bought little whole, healthy foods. (Did you know that food stamps will pay for a $50 cake at Walmart?) Good eating habits begin at home. It is possible to eat healthy on $100 a week for a family of four. My children would rather have fresh fruit or veggies than chips or other junk. They enjoy cheeses, but not on everything. It seems that convenience plays more of a role than nutrition when I look at what many people eat. If people only realized that it does not take that much work nor time to make tasty, nutritious meals. Having been in the south for the last fifteen years, I can verify that everything is either slathered in gravy or fried. They have deep fried pickles and snickers bars! One last note: the first birthday party my children attended, the parents told me that lunch would be provided. When we walked in, there were two long tables containing a birthday cake, five different kinds of cookies, every type of chip imaginable, bowls of candy, ice cream, a cooler filled with pop, and a huge (sports style) container of sweet tea. When I asked about it, I was told that these are the foods that children liked, and this is how they celebrated birthdays. Once again, nutrition begins at home. Indulge, but do not over indulge.0
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Thank you for your factual information and poignant reminders. It's all too easy to see thru the lens of our own biases.
I appreciate your perspectives and reminders.0 -
Hi MFP's,
I am a candidate for a Master of Public Health with a specialty in epidemiology (epidemics,pandemics, chronic and infectious disease) and I have a background coordinating an NGO that dealt exclusively with food insecurity and improving the health and social outcomes of food insecure individuals. Poverty plays a significant role in both childhood and adult obesity.
This issues of food insecurity, food deserts (areas where fresh healthful food is inaccessible or otherwise unavailable) and obesity are intertwined in such a way that individuals without access may have to depend on boxed meals, fast food or other non-perishable options to ensure they are able to sufficiently feed themselves and their families until they can next access food. This is especially true for those who live in food deserts (which are typically populated by the poorest factions of the population). To make matters worse those who depend on food banks will often receive food that is filled with sodium, fat and preservatives and is often very calorie dense. Many food banks do not deal with fresh produce or perishable items and only collect or buy and distribute non-perishable goods. Often food banks could not maintain a stock of perishable foods even if they could collect those items because of the need for refrigeration of some products and because of the perishable nature of fruits and vegetables they may not be able to buy them in bulk or from farmers where they would more reasonably priced. On a regular basis food banks have to delegate funds, would they rather purchase X amount of canned soup or pasta and sauce or some significantly lesser amount of fresh vegetables, being able to feed more people will more likely win out over fresh more varied foods
Another underlying issue is that high fat high sugar foods, along with being inexpensive are also highly palatable and well advertised. As a result children will be more likely to want and ask for items like chips(crisps), boxed macaroni and cheese, Oreo's and other cookies, and sugary cereals like Fruit Loops, Cap't Crunch etc. that are loaded with refined sugar, refined flours, fat and overall are not very nutritious but are addictive. Parents and caregivers play a large role in childhood obesity because they provide and prepare food for young children and as a result they can choose whether or not to buy these items. However, parents may also feel that in giving their children these high fat, high sugar items that they are asking for they are making up for other areas where they may feel their children are being deprived (i.e. not being able to play in organized sports because of cost, not being able to spend much time with their children because of their busy work schedules, not being able to afford new toys, clothes etc.) This is not to say that that type of behavior is correct or that this is the case for all overweight children or parents living in poverty.
Put simply, we live in an environment where cheaper, easier more palatable food is less expensive than healthier alternatives, not to completely shift blame but we need to consider the roles played by the food industry and governments in the cost of food especially fresh food and the provision of (IMO) inadequate social assistance for those living in poverty. This is not to say that I necessarily think we should pour more tax dollars into welfare systems but perhaps subsidize the cost of fresh or fresh frozen healthful foods to make them more appealing and making regularly eating fresh unprocessed food financially feasible for the population as a whole. Though food deserts would need to be examined in order to improve livelihoods in those areas but overall if this were the case, perhaps we would not be facing such a widespread overweight and obesity epidemic in the west (the global north).
Many people living in poverty, even overweight and obese individuals are malnourished. I like to assume that all parents inevitably want the best for their children but simply may not be able to provide the foods that they need to have a healthy varied diet. So we can all assign "blame" as we see fit but as we look at the more holistic picture we may recognize that it is not as cut and dry as we may have thought. I really appreciate whoever posted this topic, its great that we have started the conversation about overweight and obesity and its contributing factors. Many of you have made really great and nuanced points that will contribute to a better understanding of the issue for all of us who read the forums. Keep up the great work MFP's!
Brit
Love this!0 -
Eating healthier is actually cheaper. Think how much something like carrots cost for example. They are like a dollar a bag. The reason people by processed and fast food is simple, convenience and taste. You are paying for the convenience of not having to put work into making the meal. People have decided they are willing to pay more so they have less prep time. There is a premium on convenience that many people think is worth paying for. That is really all you are paying for at McDonalds, etc. We could make our own hamburger but McDonald's can do it in 1 minute. Same thing with other packaged/prepared meals.0
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I recently went to a talk about food security. Basically, it talked about the ability of people living at or below the poverty level, and their ability to feed themselves and their families. Basically what it came down to is this: if a single mother with two kids is on income assistance, she receives $1124 a month.
Now by my calculations:
Monthly income: $1124
Rent: $ 700
Basic telephone/cable: $ 65
Electricity: $ 40
Bus passes $ 122
So that leaves Mom with $197 a month to feed herself and her two kids. That's $49.25 a week, or $7.04 a day.
Where I live, 4 liters of milk costs $7.49. A 2 liter of pop is $1.49. A loaf of bread costs $2.29. A box of Kraft dinner is $1.09.
In this lecture, they talked about the "basic food basket" which is the food that one would need to buy to follow Canada's food guide for healthy eating. The cost in our community to meet those basic requirements was over $80/week for this hypothetical mother and her two kids.
If a parent is trying to feed herself and her kids on less than $50 a week, of course they are going to eat a lot of boxed meals.
Another issue addressed was the fact that in the cycle of poverty, a lot of times parents just don't know or have the skills to prepare healthful meals, so even though you might be able to cook a healthy stew for $15 that would feed them for three days, Mom might not have the skills or the tools available.
So my point, after this rather long post, is that I do agree, poverty certainly plays a role.
Why isn't this mom getting a job, instead?
It's amazing that everyone thinks its just so easy.
Maybe she is disabled.
Maybe she has a child that is disabled and cannot afford full time care.
Maybe she is unemployed temporarily.
Maybe her husband just died and she was a stay at home mom.
Maybe her husband left her.
Maybe her husband was abusive and she decided to leave him.
Maybe this amount includes her full time job and income assistance?
What the hell difference does it make?
I think you are my new hero! What the hell difference does it make?0 -
When will people understand that processed and "unclean" foods don't cause weight gain, an excess of calories does. In 98% of the posts in this thread and on the whole forum all I see are these claims about clean eating. Living on cheap fast foods DOESN'T cause obesity, however, eating 4000 calories when you need 2000 to maintain your weight WILL.
With all do respect, and please understand I am not snarking you in any way, but why do people keep saying this on MFP? A calorie, is a calorie is a calorie and the like?
I've only been on here a few days and it repeats itself like a very bad mantra. Unclean food won't make you get weight, yes, I understand the arithmetic here, but its presented as though everybody are immortals on this board and as if coronary disease, hypertension and diabetes are non factors of eating unclean. Maybe its premature of me to make this assessment but I'm starting to feel if I dive deeper in the MFP archives, I'm going to see more of this. This is not just a fallacy, its dangerous. Please don't take offense because I mean none to you.0 -
Eating healthier is actually cheaper. Think how much something like carrots cost for example. They are like a dollar a bag. The reason people by processed and fast food is simple, convenience and taste. You are paying for the convenience of not having to put work into making the meal. People have decided they are willing to pay more so they have less prep time. There is a premium on convenience that many people think is worth paying for. That is really all you are paying for at McDonalds, etc. We could make our own hamburger but McDonald's can do it in 1 minute. Same thing with other packaged/prepared meals.
Yes, I agree. I am not impoverished but I might as well be living here in New York City. I can cook my own breakfast lunch and dinner here for $10 a day. But I can only get one MacDonald's value meal for $7. And if there is some kind of savings here, then I'm missing it terribly.0 -
Bump0
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not necessarily. Fruits are fairly pricey depending on what you buy. Honeycrisp apples are 2+ dollars a pound.Eating healthier is actually cheaper. Think how much something like carrots cost for example. They are like a dollar a bag. The reason people by processed and fast food is simple, convenience and taste. You are paying for the convenience of not having to put work into making the meal. People have decided they are willing to pay more so they have less prep time. There is a premium on convenience that many people think is worth paying for. That is really all you are paying for at McDonalds, etc. We could make our own hamburger but McDonald's can do it in 1 minute. Same thing with other packaged/prepared meals.
berries, range free grass fed meat are other expensive sources of food0 -
coronary disease, hypertension and diabetes are non factors of eating unclean.
those only happen with hypercaloric diets.
transfat is different. which is a partial(not fully) hydrogenated oil0 -
When will people understand that processed and "unclean" foods don't cause weight gain, an excess of calories does. In 98% of the posts in this thread and on the whole forum all I see are these claims about clean eating. Living on cheap fast foods DOESN'T cause obesity, however, eating 4000 calories when you need 2000 to maintain your weight WILL.
With all do respect, and please understand I am not snarking you in any way, but why do people keep saying this on MFP? A calorie, is a calorie is a calorie and the like?
I've only been on here a few days and it repeats itself like a very bad mantra. Unclean food won't make you get weight, yes, I understand the arithmetic here, but its presented as though everybody are immortals on this board and as if coronary disease, hypertension and diabetes are non factors of eating unclean. Maybe its premature of me to make this assessment but I'm starting to feel if I dive deeper in the MFP archives, I'm going to see more of this. This is not just a fallacy, its dangerous. Please don't take offense because I mean none to you.
A calorie IS a calorie, however that doesn't mean that you still dont need to hit your daily macro/micro/fiber/omega goals. Also the MAJORITY of people don't have coronary disease, diabetes, ect. Obviously no one is going to list off every disease known to man and the specific needs for these diseases. General information like this is for the majority not the minority.0 -
so does this mean this board advocate "unclean eating" then?0
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Heart disease kills 600,000 people in the United States per year. I'm not sure where all this calculating in majority of people, micro/macro/fiber thing comes in. It wasn't a loaded question. I do not understand what you are trying to say?0
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If you're the sole breadwinner in a single-parent house dealing with poverty, and work 17 hours a day in order to provide for your family, is it still "laziness" to buy less healthy foods that don't take 15 minutes and more to prepare, rather than the potatoes and hamburgers (sorely lacking in any vegetables or fruits, incidentally) suggested here?If you spent $3 on a cheeseburger, fries and a coke at McDonald's you have gotten yourself a kid's meal which would have more calories, less nutrition than one of there $6 salads. I think what it boils down to is laziness. Yes it is easier to swing through a drive through, but if you buy a pound of hamburger meat ($3.50), some buns (usually can find on sale for $1 for 8), a sack of potatoes ($3) you can cook all of it yourself and have left over food for what it would cost to feed a family of four at McDonald's.
That depends. How long does it take you to get through the McDonald's drive thru?
I know it's not easy on everyone, and for some people, like the single parent who works that much, it is hard. I was just talking about cost efficiency, not time or even the food pyramid for that matter. Hopefully, said parent would have care-givers for their children who give a crap and can help instill healthy habits.0 -
I will give a perspective from someone on foodstamps.
I agree with 100% about money is the reason for obesity, along with education. If you don't know better you can't do better.
But honestly. I have a family of 3, and for an entire month I get $85 dollars. I get WIC as well, and they give me ten dollars in fresh fruit. I recently bought a bag of grapes (and I had to take some out, like, half the bag) and 3 plums. For $10. It's very VERY tough to get by on what we have and a lot of the time, I can't choose the healthiest choices because I simply cannot afford it.0 -
I will give a perspective from someone on foodstamps.
I agree with 100% about money is the reason for obesity, along with education. If you don't know better you can't do better.
But honestly. I have a family of 3, and for an entire month I get $85 dollars. I get WIC as well, and they give me ten dollars in fresh fruit. I recently bought a bag of grapes (and I had to take some out, like, half the bag) and 3 plums. For $10. It's very VERY tough to get by on what we have and a lot of the time, I can't choose the healthiest choices because I simply cannot afford it.
This also goes back to choices. If you buy the fruit in season it's cheaper. Bananas are dirt cheap right now. The average medium banana is 4.2 ounces. The most expensive store I shop at has them .59 a lb. For 1o.oo you could have gotten about 60 bananas..... Strawberries are coming into season and at least 4 stores in my area have them BOGO free with cost of 3.00-3.50.... that's 6 large containers of strawberries with change from your 1o.oo.
Grapes aren't in season yet... .neither are plums... you're going to pay premium for those and your ten bucks isn't going to go very far.0 -
It's nice to see this topic on here.
I think it's great people are sharing & hearing of the experience of being on foodstamps/using WIC. Bananas, fyi, are always imported if anyone's trying to reduce their carbon footprint too.0 -
you are right. it does.Heart disease kills 600,000 people in the United States per year. I'm not sure where all this calculating in majority of people, micro/macro/fiber thing comes in. It wasn't a loaded question. I do not understand what you are trying to say?
heart disease is a major killer. In most cases it is preventable. I do know Congestive heart failure can be severely hereditary and people who exercise and live a healthy lifestyle can still get it. It is very sad, it isnt like diabetes which is preventable(not type 1)
Each macronutrient has its own specific function within the human body. even the subcategories do.
Proteins
-amino acids
carbs
-sucrose
-lactose
-glucose
-etc
fats
-saturated,
-mono unsat
-poly unsat
-trans fat(there is nothing good that comes from this)
-Medium chained triglycerides(this has less calories than the normal fat)
Each of the fats have their own individual function and it is special. Your body can synthesize certain amino acids but others must be obtained through diet. which are the essential amino acids.
Losing weight is broken up into 2 main factors.
water weight loss(electrolyte water weight and glycogen water weight)
mass loss(fat free and non fat free)
what creates a difference
macronutrient intake.
Exercise
fuel availability(how much fat do you have vs muscle?)
Fat has a function in the body and it is actually more important than muscle in terms of physiological use
Fast food is calorie dense. Yes you can get fat off of it. just like you can get fat off eating too many apples.
They all contain the same amount of energy with the exception of MCT. 20g of fat from a mcdonalds burger wont differ from 20g of fat from an avocado in terms of energy.
They both will give you 180 calories worth of energy.
People have said that saturated fat is the cause of heart disease and increased cholesterol.
There is also alot of talk about how high cholesterol will kill you. In america we are one of the few countries who have to worry about it.
look up the french paradox, talks about high cholesterol in countries with very low risk of heart disease
france-205 avg
colombia-245 avg
They have done countless studies in that past 20+ years that for some reason the media does not talk about. What I am about to say is the same concept as carbs to diabetes as well.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2874827/
the dash diet went low in fat and it improved the lipid panel and insulin sensitivity. low saturated fat etc
Therefore low fat prevent heart disease and diabetes
but wait! they left something out. the people were in a hypocaloric state
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2974193/
here is one example for instance. it says a hypocaloric carbohydrate restricted diet results in a better lipid panel, despite them taking saturated fat
Why are they getting better lipid panel off while taking saturated fat? Doesnt that cause heart disease?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2949959/
this is one talking about low fat vs low carb
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2780863/
low fat vs low carb in decreasing insulin resistance. Why is that happening? Doesnt high carbs increase insulin resistance which causes fat?
fat is associated with heart disease
carbs are associated with diabetes
but the media forgets to add that they are susceptible if they are in a hypercaloric state.
Being hypercaloric means you are gaining weight. taking in more energy than required. this is hard on your whole body. Fat is not a bad thing. fat is there to cushion your organs and prevent damage. Excess can also cause strain on your joints, heart, etc.
You have to look at the true underlying cause. People that come up with these conclusions are not looking at all the factors and influences of the study but associating it with one single thing.
While association can play a role, that does not mean it is the cause. It shows a possibility, but they already ruled that out.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2763382/
This is a study in regards to dieting with a variety of macronutrient composition and weight loss. first time i have seen this one.
Calorie is a calorie
There are other factors when it comes into macronutrient thermal effect and what it takes to process it but I am not going to get into that. I can type so much crap in regards to nutrition I have learned. Maybe it is about time I do so when I am off of nursing school for the summer.0 -
**This is off topic of obesity & poverty, but I had to respond. **
Uhhh, show me where the government is paying for birth control?
I pay for private insurance, so just in case of an emergency I'm covered - but in practical terms, I have a $10 copay on my birth control.
In nearly half of all states, when a woman paid for her own private health insurance, her plan Refused to cover her birth control medication until the Affordable Care Act changes. BTW, Viagra is covered on every single plan. So let's talk about "keeping your legs closed," mentality, accept your body's role in society and deal with it. That seems to be the mentality of many politicians who take Viagra but feel birth control is expendable.
Thanks to changes in insurance legislation, all plans must cover birth control. Because 98% of the population uses a method of birth control, and we thank our lucky stars we don't live in a nation of JimBob & Michelle Duggars, it's considered prevalent enough that there will soon be no copay on birth control. But the government isn't paying for it. I still will pay for my private insurance, but I simply won't have a copay.I see alot talk about those who are receiving food stamps and other types of government assistance. But what about those families who do not qualify for any state assistance but do not make enough money to thrive on. I don't think the issue is just as simple as to stop having babies especially when some politicians are determined to restrict access to birth control. I think there are larger issues at play.
Im going off topic. No politician is trying to limit access to birth control. they just don't think the Federal Gov't should subsidize peoples sex habits. Condoms are sold in drug stores and there is a variety of other forms of BC women can take.
again I agee. It's not the governments responsibility to make sure you don't get knocked up its yours. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY PEOPLE. if you don't want babies don't have unprotected sex.
This is targeted towards single women of course. First, none of those methods are 100% guaranteed to not produce a baby. Let's not even get into the crazy side effects many of these birth control methods have on women. Second, I find it highly unlikely that married folks are going to be using protection (isn't that a benefit of being married) so I feel that point is mute under these circumstances. My point is that the issue goes deeper than to just stop reproducing children. he issue is way more complex than that.
Of course they aren't 100% accurate. But the pill is 99%. Condoms don't have any side effects. and as for married couples not using BC, what do you think we stop having sex. Or do we just have unlimited children. I've been married for 25 years and until my husbands surgery a few years ago I was on the pill. And I have friends (married) who only use condoms. Your argument isn't valid.
Maybe my argument is not valid to you and your situation but that does not apply to everyone. I have two kids, both of them are birth control babies (two different forms of BC I might add). I almost had third (also while on birth control) but the damn thing implanted in my Fallopian tube and just about killed me. Finally, after my having my second I had my tubes tied. and I had to CONVINCE the doctor to perform the procedure because I'm "young". That is alot to go through to just stop having babies. So my point is valid.
I reiterate my original statement, I don't think the issue is just as simple as to stop having babies especially when some politicians are determined to restrict access to birth control. I think there are larger issues at play.
again I say politicians are NOT trying to limit access to birth control. They just don't think the gov't should pay for it. And I agree. It is not the governments responsibility to make sure we don't conceive. That lies within us.0 -
if anyone has Netflix, there are great documentaries about the food industry. There's a book called sugar, fat, salt that shows how the fast food industry turns diners in to addicts thanks to what they put in the food. Might be interesting!0
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Something interesting from the CDC
Among men, obesity prevalence is generally similar at all income levels, however, among non-Hispanic black and Mexican-American men those with higher income are more likely to be obese than those with low income.
Higher income women are less likely to be obese than low income women, but most obese women are not low income.
There is no significant trend between obesity and education among men. Among women, however, there is a trend, those with college degrees are less likely to be obese compared with less educated women.
Between 1988–1994 and 2007–2008 the prevalence of obesity increased in adults at all income and education levels.
In 2007–2008 more than one-third of United States adults were obese (1). Obese individuals are at increased risk of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and certain cancers, among other conditions (2). Some studies have shown a relationship between obesity prevalence and socioeconomic status measured as educational level or income (3,4). This data brief presents the most recent national data on obesity in United States adults and its association with poverty income ratio (PIR) and education level. Results are presented by sex and race and ethnicity.
There is a correlation between poverty and obesity, but that doesn't mean that the percents are really all that much higher. I can tell this just from my experience of living in many different places within my city. There might be more poor people that are overweight, but there are also a lot of people that have an adequate income that are also overweight. I do think though that there is a bigger difference the higher you go up on the overweight scale. A few pounds overweight is probably pretty even over income levels. Morbid obesity seems to high low income people almost exclusively, I could be wrong about that. But, I have never met a person who was middle class or higher that was morbidly obese.0 -
I haven't posted in a long time but here goes.
I am currently going to school to become a registered dietician. Have taken many courses regarding nutrition, food science (btw something doctors have little requirement or knowledge), psychology, etc, etc. BUT...
MY BIGGEST EDUCATION has came from my current job as a supervisor at a large chain grocery store. NO not Wal-Mart=/
There are MULTIPLE reasons for the epidemic of obesity in America and yes it is an epidemic.
I'm not going to address all of them (require too much) but I'll address first hand what I see everyday.
FOOD=BUSINESS!!!
OBESITY=BUSINESS!!!
YOU ARE A BUSINESS to food corporations, supermarkets, medical corporations, etc.
LOOK at how a grocery store is set up. Produce, meat, dairy is set up around the store where as most packaged and processed food is in the very center. They (corporations) want you to have to walk and see and be tempted by everything to reach a goal. You buying more food. We have goals for you to walk out with certain amounts of food and certain brands and track it every week, every day, and hour to see what we sell. 98% items tracked are processed. We don't care about peppers and grapes and bananas. We care about Nabisco, Pepsi, and Frito-Lay. Why? Well they give us bonuses, they help fund bills and politicians protecting them (look into GMO bills. In CA Coke/Pepsi spent $50 million blocking GMO bills), and we ANSWER to them. We don't meet goals guess who's coming down on us. Not your local dairy farmer or peach grower.
AND I'm going to greatly disagree with the assistance opinions on here. I grew up partly on welfare as well as a lot of people so I am not discriminating here. Grocery stores in my area run 60-70% on welfare recipients. Sad but true. We further build more stores primarily around lower to middle class incomes due to the revenues. It's guaranteed monthly income. The quantity of food we sell during the first of the month is not only unbelievable but disgusting. Our average basket exceeds $250 during welfare recipient times. I have regular customers that spend $600 during a shopping trip and maybe contain one or two vegetables if lucky. I have people that put back eggs and milk they cannot afford before their soda and chips. Parents that think that frozen waffles and pop tarts are a healthy breakfast and complain that their children hate fruits and vegetables. (I'm sorry who is the PARENT AGAIN??) I've heard the comment "Man this is a workout" so many times by obese people lifting food onto the belt I could scream. I've heard far too many people complain about hating to grocery shop...I'm sorry you get free assistance by our great nation and are so lucky unlike others to have such opportunity. Ok I'll quit my *****ing now. I could go on and on about the elderly needing more assistance than people that just breed.
Lastly I think obesity in America until lately has culture relation as well. The people I see that buy the most produce, meats, and healthy items are of Hispanic, Latin, and Indian decent. Their dishes require staples such as rice, beans, and meat but they also require produce and spices. These people also have the lowest rates of cancer, heart related issues, etc. Here we want instant gratification (yes I'm guilty as well). We have fast food on every corner to gain your business as well.
BTW I am not immune. I have gained over 25 pounds over past 5 years working at the grocery store where weight has NEVER been an issue in the past. I fell prey. But I don't want to preach and not practice to patients.0 -
This makes sense for the US and Canada and other countries, but....
I live part of the year in the Dominican Republic. I rarely see over weight, fat, obese people there. The usual monthly income is around 200-300 dollars or less! But people aren't starving, they are a healthy weight.
Not to mention that Dominican people spend a huge part of their monthly income on things like their hair, cell phones and other things.
How do they do it?
Well...rice and beans is cheap and healthy. Veggies actually only cost a little bit less or the same as here in Canada in the summer time, but they eat them regularly. A chicken there is about three dollars. But when you look at the cost of living, that is still more than the 6 dollars I spend on a chicken here ( all things adjusted)
They very rarely crap or processed food. Those things are imported and very expensive.
Not to mention that most of my Dominican friends are a lot less active than we are....they all hate to walk anywhere and I have never seen one exercise on purpose.
The point is...you can be poor and eat properly, it is cheaper to eat properly if you eat the basics and stay away from processed food.
I have learned a lot from the Dominican people on how to live healthy, that is for sure.
You can be poor and not be fat. A bag of rice is a few dollars, a bag of beans is a few dollars...a chicken is a few dollars, basics that you actually cook into meals that are healthy, can be pretty cheap.
bump0 -
Among men, obesity prevalence is generally similar at all income levels
...
There is no significant trend between obesity and education among men.
I can well imagine that this may come as a surprise to many.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/964323-salt-sugar-fat-how-the-food-giants-hooked-us?page=3#posts-147232310 -
Rice, eggs, frozen veggies, beans, frozen chicken, apples, lettuce and bananas are all pretty inexpensive. And people could garden. Seeds are dirt cheap. If you have a backyard, you *could* grow some veggies.
My community received a grant to provide nutrition and cooking education to food-stamp recipients. They offered classes that focused on how to budget your food stamps, how to cook whole meals, and where to shop for the best deals. Attendance and participation were so poor that we didn't receive funding for a second year. Some people don't want to learn to change - which is true of any economic status. There are plenty of fat rich people too - they don't want to give up the drive-through or high calorie foods either.
I have a small issue with growing things... those who are on assistance generally don't own their own homes, I don't know what it is like in the US (I'm in Oz) but here you can't make major alterations to the garden without permission. On top of that small difficulty if you have a black thumb (Like me!) then getting ANYTHING to grow is a challenge.0
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