Obesity and poverty...
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Whether you believe it or not one of the biggest predictors of obesity is income level because junk food is so cheap and if you look at low income neighborhoods (family may not have car, harder to get to grocery store) you see corner stores that don't sell very nutritious foods.
This is a really interesting 5 minute video that talks a bit about obesity and poverty through following a lower income family. In the movie the family goes to a grocery store and broccolli is $1.29/lb. The dilemma is that's not enough to feed a family (it's not a main course) but they can go buy a cheeseburger for $0.99.
http://www.pbs.org/pov/foodinc/video_dollar.php0 -
As someone who actually came from a poverty-stricken background, allow me to shed a little light on a lot of people's situation. I'm not going to give my opinion on the topic itself, just some information for other people to consider before they do. If you haven't been horribly poor you really do not have any idea of how to guess what you'd do in the situation.
1) Sometimes your family has no way to get to a grocery store often, so you shop at what's nearby, usually at convenience stores. Most convenience stores do not sell fruits and vegetables, only non-perishable items. Sometimes the nearest grocery store sucks, and you can't afford any better.
1.5) When you have little money, you want your food to feed many mouths and/or last a long time. With most perishables being at a week or so, the incentive to buy is very low.
2) Sometimes there is literally no yard or even a patio/balcony. You are apartment 15F in a 20-story building full of people just like you. No one is doing any gardening.
2.5) No grocery store owner in is right mind wants to open a grocery store in your neighborhood because he doesn't want to be robbed, or have people steal his merchandise.
3) Your live with your mother who works 2 jobs.
4) Your dad pays no child support and doesn't pick you up to have dinner or go to the park for a run.
5) When your mom wants to make you smile, she buys you candy and "treats". The neighbors give you candy and treats, too, because you and your friends are good kids, and candy is cheap.
6) You're not taught nutrition in school. You go to a school that sucks because it gets almost no funding because the students do poorly on their tests, and your teacher spends half the day disciplining other students. He or she spends one third of the school year preparing you for standardized tests that most students will fail.
6.5) Schools themselves are serving students things that are not healthful. Pizza (recently deemed a vegetable in the US, by the way) tater tots, and brown meat served with instant potatoes isn't setting the best example.
7) People in poverty usually have very little education. Don't assume they should know they need to eat healthier.
8) They are raised to keep hunger away (just as our public school food system continues to model), not to be nutritionally balanced. Think of comfort foods, and remember why they bring comfort. They're filling and swimming in salt and butter or grease, and they make you feel good.
9) Your brain associates hunger with stress. Your mom can't afford to buy a better car, a couch that has all 4 legs and no rips in it, a coffee maker to replace her old one, but she will be damned if she can't feed you and you have to feel what she felt when she was a hungry little kid living just like you do now.
Wonderful insights, thank you.0 -
Whether you believe it or not one of the biggest predictors of obesity is income level because junk food is so cheap
What junk food is cheap?0 -
As someone who actually came from a poverty-stricken background, allow me to shed a little light on a lot of people's situation. I'm not going to give my opinion on the topic itself, just some information for other people to consider before they do. If you haven't been horribly poor you really do not have any idea of how to guess what you'd do in the situation.
1) Sometimes your family has no way to get to a grocery store often, so you shop at what's nearby, usually at convenience stores. Most convenience stores do not sell fruits and vegetables, only non-perishable items. Sometimes the nearest grocery store sucks, and you can't afford any better.
1.5) When you have little money, you want your food to feed many mouths and/or last a long time. With most perishables being at a week or so, the incentive to buy is very low.
2) Sometimes there is literally no yard or even a patio/balcony. You are apartment 15F in a 20-story building full of people just like you. No one is doing any gardening.
2.5) No grocery store owner in is right mind wants to open a grocery store in your neighborhood because he doesn't want to be robbed, or have people steal his merchandise.
3) Your live with your mother who works 2 jobs.
4) Your dad pays no child support and doesn't pick you up to have dinner or go to the park for a run.
5) When your mom wants to make you smile, she buys you candy and "treats". The neighbors give you candy and treats, too, because you and your friends are good kids, and candy is cheap.
6) You're not taught nutrition in school. You go to a school that sucks because it gets almost no funding because the students do poorly on their tests, and your teacher spends half the day disciplining other students. He or she spends one third of the school year preparing you for standardized tests that most students will fail.
6.5) Schools themselves are serving students things that are not healthful. Pizza (recently deemed a vegetable in the US, by the way) tater tots, and brown meat served with instant potatoes isn't setting the best example.
7) People in poverty usually have very little education. Don't assume they should know they need to eat healthier.
8) They are raised to keep hunger away (just as our public school food system continues to model), not to be nutritionally balanced. Think of comfort foods, and remember why they bring comfort. They're filling and swimming in salt and butter or grease, and they make you feel good.
9) Your brain associates hunger with stress. Your mom can't afford to buy a better car, a couch that has all 4 legs and no rips in it, a coffee maker to replace her old one, but she will be damned if she can't feed you and you have to feel what she felt when she was a hungry little kid living just like you do now.
Exactly!0 -
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!
A bag of lentils is under a dollar that with a couple carrots and celery and onion is a delicious meal for cheaper than a burger and fries and waaaayyy healthier...
Yeeeeah, but try getting kids to eat it. Mine are VERY picky.
Just add a little cheese and roll it in a tortilla shell. Most kids will eat a bean burrito.0 -
Amen to the poster who pointed out that correlation is not causation.
There is a correlation between poverty and scholastic achievement, crime rate, drug use, intelligence, income potential later in life, and many other characteristics.
By saying poverty causes obesity, you then can reach absurd statements like "drug use causes obesity."0 -
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 $6. Fresh produce and meat is expensive compared to ramen noodles and Vienna sausages. It's next to impossible for people living in poverty to eat healthy food!
I don't know how to fix that, but I know that something needs to change if we're going to solve the obesity epidemic in this country!
TBH I think that the argument that crap food cost less is total bull. let's take your example. You say fresh food for a family of 4 is 200 dollars a week. And a meal at McDonalds is 3$. 3 $ per meal for one person a day is 9 dollars. For a family of 4 that's 36$ a day. 36 dollars every day spend eating out for breakfast lunch and dinner comes out to 252$ week for a family of 4. 200 dollars for fresh food.... 252 for crap food. I'm not trying to take what your saying so literally, but it is proven time and time again that it does NOT cost more money to eat healthy. and if you're smart about it, it could actually cost less. The people that bother to try are the ones who realize that.0 -
I have a friend who is on all kinds of assistance. She gets WAY more money from the government for food each month than I spend. All she buys are prepared foods. Frozen pizzas, burritos, corn dogs, chips, TV dinners, etc. These things cost a ton and are terrible for you but she gets plenty of assistance money to pay for them. I spend less than half of what she spends. I'm buying ingredients to make meals, not pre-made meals. I think, sometimes, people who are "poor" take the easy way out.
Hubby, on the other hand, grew up really poor. But his mom grew a garden every year, bottled whatever they didn't eat fresh, his dad hunted, they ate the "old fashioned" way. More families need to be doing this rather than relying on the government to give them money for food. Just my opinion.0 -
As someone who actually came from a poverty-stricken background, allow me to shed a little light on a lot of people's situation. I'm not going to give my opinion on the topic itself, just some information for other people to consider before they do. If you haven't been horribly poor you really do not have any idea of how to guess what you'd do in the situation.
Um, there are some good points here but also some nonsense.
I see no points of nonsense in the first posters argument. In fact, it's very articulate and an empathetic mind could really see the struggle of those who cant afford "healthy food.
The issue of poverty and obesity will only be solved with radical education and changing the whole institution of food distribution and marketing.
In fact, by taking an empathetic approach sometimes one can get more done and change the mindset of another. It's easier to educate when you understand that the reason "Maria" is only feeding fries and chicken nuggets to her kids is because she works there and gets to take the left over home the next step is finding out where we can make other changes and sometimes it literally takes a whole village so "Maria" can get fresh fruit on her table.0 -
Starving kids become less picky. Just sayin'Yeeeeah, but try getting kids to eat it. Mine are VERY picky.
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
i used to agree with this until my husband and I decided we needed to do something about our weight gain and sedentary lifestyle. We have a son who is almost eight and he is a healthy weight and very active but is very fussy and doesn't eat enough fruit and vegetables.
So I was a little concerned about how much our grocery bill would go up when we started to" eat right " but I am happy to report that we are spending less!!! We are on a very tight budget and I keep close track of what i spend.
Over the last four months I have made many changes to what I purchase. I no longer buy boxed or bags of snacks. Now we eat hard boiled eggs or apples or an ounce of almonds when hungry for a snack. I buy the usual amount of milk. which for the three of us is three gallons a week because we drink only milk or water. I buy chicken and tuna and turkey and we have beef once a week.
I don't buy much in the frozen department anymore, that was a big expense on the bill. Frozen/convenience food are expensive and we don't drink soda, My produce for the week costs about twenty dollars.
I believe what has happened is that all the junk food was not satisfying and there was a need to buy more of it. A bag of chips is three bucks plus. A five pound bag of apples is four dollars and it lasts me the week. That's the difference.
It's true fresh fruit and meat and dairy can be costly no matter where you live ( and we are in NYC everything is expensive here) but in the long run you will buy less and I'm telling you it works out better(cheaper that is)0 -
As someone who actually came from a poverty-stricken background, allow me to shed a little light on a lot of people's situation. I'm not going to give my opinion on the topic itself, just some information for other people to consider before they do. If you haven't been horribly poor you really do not have any idea of how to guess what you'd do in the situation.
Um, there are some good points here but also some nonsense.
I see no points of nonsense in the first posters argument. In fact, it's very articulate and an empathetic mind could really see the struggle of those who cant afford "healthy food.
The issue of poverty and obesity will only be solved with radical education and changing the whole institution of food distribution and marketing.
In fact, by taking an empathetic approach sometimes one can get more done and change the mindset of another. It's easier to educate when you understand that the reason "Maria" is only feeding fries and chicken nuggets to her kids is because she works there and gets to take the left over home the next step is finding out where we can make other changes and sometimes it literally takes a whole village so "Maria" can get fresh fruit on her table.
Empathy is one thing. Blame and a lack of personal responsibility is another.
Thinking radical change to food industry is the only thing that can solve the poverty / obesity problem is a big part of the problem. It's so easy to point the finger at big brother or big business.
Where would mom work that fries and chicken nuggets were her only options? Is she required to feed Maria so many of these fries and nuggets that Maria becomes obese? Whom are you trying to educate and what are you trying to teach them?0 -
It IS POSSIBLE to eat well with a small budget. I can't stand when people say they can't afford to eat well.. I eat pretty good on a very small budget. If you go to the right places fresh veggies are cheaper then junk.0
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Forgive me for saying this,but I don't even go to a grocery store for the first few days of the month because it's just too heart breaking to see the over-weight & "under-privileged" loading up their grocery carts with bologna, sugary treats, soda, chips, pudding, junk & other "food" for their families.
Just as many people complain when those on assistance buy things like meat or milk from animals raised w/o antibiotics and hormones, wild caught fish over farm raised, organic produce or other higher priced healthy options.
Oh, puhleezeee... people see what they want to see! Do you how many educated and wealthier families buy that crap too? And did you stalk this family to see if they were paying with food stamps? Judgey Mcjudgey. I grew up with a single mom that made $24,000 a year and we has many nights where we were hungry. My mom didn't feed us junk food because we couldn't afford it, but in America there's a total lack of education regarding what is healthy! GMOs, processed foods, pesticide laden produce. People living below the poverty line are not shopping at Whole Foods and they would be judged if they were too.
The problem is American has a corporate controlled food supply. Eat the crap so you get cancer so that we can treat you with drugs.
You are literally insane and I wish I could admit you to a psych ward for your paranoia.
Well, there would have to be a heck of a lot more psych wards bc it's called food advocacy. Have you ever seen factory farming? Have you ever wondered why substances that are banned in other countries (potassium bromate, GMO's, phalphates etc) are allowed into our food supply. Go ahead and keep those blinders on sista'. My kiddos aren't eating that crap bc I prefer for them not to have cancer. I actually feel sorry for you.0 -
I buy fruits and vegies because they are so much cheaper than anything else. Look at the cost per pound!0
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Well, there would have to be a heck of a lot more psych wards bc it's called food advocacy. Have you ever seen factory farming? Have you ever wondered why substances that are banned in other countries (potassium bromate, GMO's, phalphates etc) are allowed into our food supply. Go ahead and keep those blinders on sista'. My kiddos aren't eating that crap bc I prefer for them not to have cancer. I actually feel sorry for you.
This really has nothing to do with the topic of this thread.0 -
kids are picky becuase we let them be picky. I cook meals that are healthy. My rule is the kids at least have to try it, take a couple bites. I will not make another meal. If there is something that they really really don't like I won't make them eat it. However if they say they don't like it without giving it a good try first .. too bad. You are going hungry tonight then.
If we stop giving kids the heavily salted , sugared, full of crap food they will eventually get a taste for healthy , natural food.
I SO agree! I hate that excuse, "my kids are picky." About 2 years ago we switched to organic and gmo free (which means no processed junk) and I heard from my kids over and over again, "we don't like this!" I sat them down and explained WHY we were eating this way. I did not want them to eat foods that were bad for them bc I love them. They also watched Food Inc. And I kept trying. My kids now drink kale smoothies, an assortment of veggies, tofu, fish and even...wheatgrass! No one had more picky kids then mine. Once they are off the processed junk they will actually come to like the taste of natural foods!0 -
While some are banned because of health concerns, others like GMO's are banned because it would offer "cheaper and attainable" food. Many dictative governments don't want that.Well, there would have to be a heck of a lot more psych wards bc it's called food advocacy. Have you ever seen factory farming? Have you ever wondered why substances that are banned in other countries (potassium bromate, GMO's, phalphates etc) are allowed into our food supply. Go ahead and keep those blinders on sista'. My kiddos aren't eating that crap bc I prefer for them not to have cancer. I actually feel sorry for you.
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I tend to disagree with the OP. I buy fresh produce and fresh meats for a family of 3 and spend under 200 dollars a week easy.
People tend to overlook the fact that not only is it cheaper when you buy the ingredients and make wholesome foods per meal, but it's often better for you.
Honestly, fresh veggies are cheaper than junk food as it is (have you seen the cost of chips, sodas, and frozen junk food lately? My goodness!) Around where I live a bag of Doritos costs around 4$ (almost 5.)
Meat can get a little high, but you can always purchase different protein sources and make a stir fry once and awhile. Additionally, people tend to forget that a serving of meat isn't as big as they think it is.
Also, I get that people are busy and not everyone has time to cook. However, you could always find a day that you're not busy to cook your food for the week and store it in Tupperware for a fast and easy dinner without that huge price tag.
Where there is a will there is a way; I just don't buy these excuses.
I'd have to agree. Reading the pages and pages of discussion, you'd think this topic would be the most divisive and inflammatory topic on the boards, but everyone is civil and generally voicing the same thought.
In talking about growing your own or using your SNAP benefits to purchase healthier foods, and budget the money given out on the first of the month, I don't think I could agree more. Eating unhealthy is a choice, a concious choice to reward your wants, and allow what you *want* to override what you *need*. The main question that keeps coming up unanswered is what about people in the inner INNER city, the ones who live in "food deserts"
Well, a lot of the reported "food deserts" were shown to be blown out of proportion. When other reporters writing the story looked at the same areas, in fact there were places close by that you could purchase fresh produce. There are only a handful of honest to god "food deserts" in america's cities.
The problem I have is.. and this I *know* I'm going to be roasted for, but I don't care. Around here, you learn from experience not to go to wal-mart on the first and second of the month. Regardless of the day of the week. These stores prepare for it like Christmas, they have almost all 30 checkout lanes open, and the stores are PACKED with low income people cashing in their food stamps.
The boxed meals are picked clean on the shelves, as are the canned beans, chip aisle, soda aisle, the cereal aisle holy crap, it's like what you see when a hurricane is headed for the gulf coast. The meat aisle has no meat, except for the fattiest grinds of ground beef. Frozen meals and treats pack hundreds of carts. I'll admit to being a d!ck, I've gone just to see what's really going on. It's the same story in EVERY cart, hundreds and hundreds of people with the same things in their carts.
You know what is untouched? The freezer section is FULL of the steamfresh bags of vegetables, all you have to do is nuke those, and you have delicious steamed vegetables, I love them in the dead of winter after what I've canned and frozen is used up. The produce aisles are UN fricking TOUCHED, fully stocked and ready. Fruits? Fully loaded. Dried beans, ready to cook rice, flour, most of the sugar... untouched.
I know that this isn't an anomaly, something that only happens in the 3 wal-marts here in Springfield. This is the norm. I'm kind of pissed when I see stuff like that, I'm not going to lie. I'm a single dad, we live off of a little bit more money than the poverty line, and it's lean at times, but we put in effort to do everything in our capability to reduce costs, whether it's ditching the $100 cable bill every month in favor of sticking to the shows on hulu, to growing our own vegetables, I want to help out, I'm perfectly capable.
What pisses me off is that I am one of the lucky few who gets to pay taxes, and I'm proud to (ok, not really, but if I have to, then I'll see the positive in it). I help pay for foodstamps, so.. it becomes a little bit of my business when I see such obvious waste. *flame alert* The really sinister part is out of hundreds, only a scarce handful of people dress poorly. The latest $200+ shoes are on the feet of more people than I care to count, and if they aren't brand new, they're nearly new, last month's fad. The labels of their clothing proudly displayed across their shirts and pants for all to see, Smartphones and iPhones are in the hands of most of the people that shop on the first of the month.
How is this acceptable? WTF! Stop it, put in some effort, and act like you give a damn! HELP OUT!
Is it wretched of me to point that out or say something about it?0 -
Just gotta say, I've seen real poverty overseas. They don't get government help or food stamps. You rarely find obese people in poverty outside of the US.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0
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