Are the poor fat?
Options
Replies
-
Ill weigh in. We live below the national poverty level. I can buy a economy pack (100) honeybuns for the same price as three d'anjou pears. I can buy 25 tacos for the price of one uncooked, unseasoned pork tenderloin.
However- i live in a rural area. We saved and scrounged and went hungry to make an investment. We bought chickens and heirloom seeds. Now, i get 38 eggs a day (at $0.02/per egg) and up to 400lbs of produce a season (ex. Zuchinni ends up being under $0.01). It was a $300 investment and takes about 10 hours out of my day. We plan on hatching eggs to raise meat birds (they'll end up about $0.03/lb) and are going to invest in milk goats or a dairy cow.
$300 wouldnt have bought my family a months worth of healthy food in a store.
Eta- we ended up saving enough for the gun im holding in my pic-a hunting rifle. Another investment to bag meat for the cost of a bullet
I just want to say I think you are pretty amazing (and your family too!). I wish everyone could do this that needed better access to healthier food. I believe there are great barriers to this for many people. I wish the government would spend there time and money fixing that issue as opposed to worrying about regulating the fast food industry.
I do remember being a poor college kid, trying to diet and crying because a meal I had just slaved over and spent all my money on was ruined (stupid cooking mistake on my part when I didn't know any better). It was devastating and I think I may have thrown in the towel after that. Now, that's just one small incident in my otherwise fairly privileged life, but it made an impact on me.0 -
This is going to go awesome, so I'm going to sit over here and watch...
0 -
I work at our downtown clinic sometimes and what is the nearest place to by groceries? The liquor store. The next closest? A Salvadorian bakery with a few Salvadorean imported items. I have worked in this area for 3 years now and have yet to find a supermarket. There is one store with fresh fruit out front, but it's several blocks from the clinic. Another, the fruit I bought there was so old, I couldn't finish the apple because it was brown and mealy. I had to chuck it. Some people may be lucky enough to live were the wealthy and the poor live in close proximity, but in large urban areas like Los Angeles, there are so many food deserts its appalling
Also, don't forget the poor that live in places without access to cooking facilities (motels, SRO's). I've worked with more than just a few families that literally either had no refrigeration or only a dorm-sized fridge with nearly no freezer space. So no bulk buying for them! Also, since trying to change my lifestyle, I literally have to pack my lunch when I work in this neighborhood because the only healthy, AFFORDABLE take-out food to be had is blocks away at a Subway.
I think many people who are privileged in their socioeconomic status have no idea how the poor live in America. Its correct, it's no where near as dire as in developing countries, but I think the discussion here is about how the poor eat in America. Acknowledge your privilege and be careful how you judge.0 -
It is true that health is directly related to a person's wealth. Studies from over ten years ago have shown a direct relationship between the two and even more current, reliable sources state the same thing.
Here is one article that discusses it: http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct01/wealthhealth.aspx
There are a lot of different factors that go into a person's lifestyle choices. The important thing is to do what you can, try to use your resources, keep informed, and with an understanding of the disparities at hand make an even bigger commitment to living a healthy lifestyle.0 -
There is a socio-demographic factor that can come into play if only because families on limited or tight budgets are able to get more food for their money if they buy cheaper, unhealthy, prepackaged foods. On the other hand, I've known a lot of people who lived along who, on limited budgets, just eat less and are thin and poor. At the same time, a lot of families where the kids control the kitchens and demand a different meal for each child often has a lot more fattening, pre-packaged foods because it is easier to make different meals that way. But not all families who eat one meal are thinner because it all comes down to the knowledge or abilities or finances of the one cooking. It is way over simplified to say the poor are fat.0
-
I can not speak to being poor in s rural area where you can grow food.. but I can speak to being poor in the inner city of Los Angeles. I know that many people I knew econimically were poor when looking at the amount of taxable income they would earn. However, they would aquire income under the table from other sources (drugs, selling food stamps, stealing, ect...). There always seemed to be be money for booze and drugs and a sound system for their car. As far as eating went they wouldnt buy grceries typically.. that fell to the parents and grandparents... who would not buy food with health in mind. They would eat as they always have and cook as they always have... they did have chickens and small gardens, but also went to the grocery store... When the kids got old and moved out (if they ever did)... they would always prioritze alcohol into the budget... health food was never a big deal... until they had health problems like diabetes or heart attacks... however the lack of education led them to buy the wrong foods.. but to say that being poor directly causes obesity is totally false. Its lifestyle... I was poor in college and right after. So poor I didnt have lights in my house and had to only put $15 in gas per week in my car to get to work and back. I was still able to eat healthy by shopping at the dollar store and buying protein in bulk at costco.. then mixing it with water... It wasn't perfect but it was better than eating junk...0
-
I think many people who are privileged in their socioeconomic status have no idea how the poor live in America.
Even that is relative to WHERE someone lives. I can tell you for absolute certainty that there are poor people who live very close to the same grocery stores where wealthy people shop (because it's the only place in town). Yet the same issues persist.
But I still think it isn't about how much money one has so much as how much knowledge and understanding.0 -
Poor people can be all shapes and sizes.0
-
Let's see ... I can get 4 lbs of boneless/skinless chicken for $8 at the supermarket. For another $4 I can get a container of seasoned breadcrumbs and an 8-pack of whole wheat rolls. For $1.50 each I can have 8 sizeable, high-protein, low-fat chicken sandwiches (roughly 420 calories, 55g of protein, 7g fat, 30g carbs). Now the Spicy Chicken Sandwich at McDonald's apparently costs $1 in most of the country (I had to Google that) and gives me 380 calories, 15g protein, 17g fat, and 41g carbs (along with nearly half a day's worth of sodium). So for an extra 50 cents I can have nearly 4x the protein, less than half the fat, 3/4 of the carbs, and more net calories which all adds up to a meal that is going to leave me satiated for longer and thereby inclined to eat less. Tell me again how eating healthy has to be more expensive ... Bulls**t.
Stop buying into the low fat, reduced sugar, less this, less that marketing gimmicks that actually require you to pay more for less (often smaller portions) and simply make better dietary choices.
I second this! I wait for chicken breasts to go on sale (about once a month) and stock up. I bought a used freezer ($50) to store all of that meat and any containers of homemade spaghetti sauce, and homemade beans in. I buy my quinoa in bulk on amazon and it's much cheaper per oz then buying it in the grocery store, same with zero sodium chicken and beef bouillons. I also shop at a local vegetable market for most of my fruits and vegetables, which costs nearly half less then buying it at the grocery store. My grocery bill really didn't change and since I rarely eat out, I actually spend less to eat healthy then I did to eat unhealthy. So, personally my opinion is that the excuse of being poor keeps you from eating healthy is just that, an excuse.0 -
I make less than $20, 000 a year. Grew up in a trailer where often times we didn't have running water or electricity because of inability to pay bills. I've even been homeless for short periods of time. The only reason I share this with you is that you know that I know what it's like to be in at the lower end of the income spectrum here in the states. Right now I feel pretty well off making that much annually.
The point is, I can still make smart food choices. One thing that me and my family growing up noticed is that eating out costs WAY more than cooking ourselves. When I first started trying to eat healthy I had to pay more becuase I didn't have basics like olive oil or spices and what not. Now I don't have to spend too much. I can get all my produce for the week for about $20 bucks and then buy chicken/beef for an additional $15 bucks. I'd say that's pretty affordable. Now it does take a bit of extra time to actually cook it but it's worth it in the end. I actually ended up saving quite a bit of money just from cooking at home rather than going and grabbing junk at the store and "cheap" fast food.
That's just my own experience. Maybe I am lucky that I live in an area where I have access to produce but I do have to take about a 5 hour round trip bus ride for 20-30 minutes of shopping. Just saying. We can always find excuses for something... or we can just suck it up and do what we have to do. When I make poor choices in food it's because I am making poor choices, not because there are not better options.
(I should also mention that I do all this cooking and everything while also working two full times jobs.)0 -
Key findings
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005–2008
-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.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db50.htm
Among men, obesity prevalence is generally similar at all income levels, with a tendency to be slightly higher at higher income levels.Among women, obesity prevalence increases as income decreases.
Among men, there is no significant trend between education level and obesity prevalence. Among women, obesity prevalence increases as education decreases.0 -
Let's see ... I can get 4 lbs of boneless/skinless chicken for $8 at the supermarket. For another $4 I can get a container of seasoned breadcrumbs and an 8-pack of whole wheat rolls. For $1.50 each I can have 8 sizeable, high-protein, low-fat chicken sandwiches (roughly 420 calories, 55g of protein, 7g fat, 30g carbs). Now the Spicy Chicken Sandwich at McDonald's apparently costs $1 in most of the country (I had to Google that) and gives me 380 calories, 15g protein, 17g fat, and 41g carbs (along with nearly half a day's worth of sodium). So for an extra 50 cents I can have nearly 4x the protein, less than half the fat, 3/4 of the carbs, and more net calories which all adds up to a meal that is going to leave me satiated for longer and thereby inclined to eat less. Tell me again how eating healthy has to be more expensive ... Bulls**t.
Stop buying into the low fat, reduced sugar, less this, less that marketing gimmicks that actually require you to pay more for less (often smaller portions) and simply make better dietary choices.
I second this! I wait for chicken breasts to go on sale (about once a month) and stock up. I bought a used freezer ($50) to store all of that meat and any containers of homemade spaghetti sauce, and homemade beans in. I buy my quinoa in bulk on amazon and it's much cheaper per oz then buying it in the grocery store, same with zero sodium chicken and beef bouillons. I also shop at a local vegetable market for most of my fruits and vegetables, which costs nearly half less then buying it at the grocery store. My grocery bill really didn't change and since I rarely eat out, I actually spend less to eat healthy then I did to eat unhealthy. So, personally my opinion is that the excuse of being poor keeps you from eating healthy is just that, an excuse.
1. you bought a freezer, that you clearly have a place big enough to store
2. you order quinoa online, you have a computer, you are online and have credit
3. you shop at the local vegetable market and it costs half than the grocery store? where do you live?
4. there a no accessible vegetable markets in the inner city, there are often weekly farmers markets 2 and 1/2 months out of the year (I live in the North East, US) and they are definitely more expensive
As said before, not everyone has the same access.0 -
We went through a spell after college where my family of 3 lived off LESS then 18k a year. Now when you have less than $5 left to feed your family for a cpl days to you A buy a head of lettuce n perhaps chicken breast and have 1 meal or spend 99cents per pack of 8 hotdogs and a bag of potatoes. What do you when you want to keep your family fed n sated. Its not always easy times actually get tough when there is no work, no money coming in. And yes there were times we were taking cans back to get money for that pack of hotdogs. Let me tell ya a diet of hotdogs n hamburger helper doenst bode well on the body lol
It has been awhile...but I know about those hot dogs! I was always elated when they had them buy one get one free.
$2 for a package of hotdogs...$1 for buns...meant I got at least 4 meals for less that a $1 each.
I also loved when potatoes were on sale...10lb for less that $2...they went a long way...bake em...mash em...fry em...grill em...0 -
It's hard to generalize a huge country like the USA, let alone compared to other countries.
But my 2cents, being "poor" can mean many things. Living in poverty to me means living in desperation, even here in the US, even a family that receives public assitance, chances are the education level is low and therefore eating habits are not the best either. I grew up in a "poor" area, South Texas. Yet my family is educated and eventually we learned how to eat better as adults, but as kids, my parents were struggling while they went back to college, worked and raised 3 kids, we were on public assistance for a few years and very short on cash. We grew so fat eating $1 Whoppers, believe me, I know.
But anyways, Americans work a lot, leaving little time for cooking. I think this is a big reason the fast food industry is so successful. And their restaurants are everywhere, very accessible that it becomes the norm in many areas. I had to teach myself all about eating better and cooking, my parents had no time for it.
Growing up in "poor" areas, I can tell you, if you're living with violence, lack of good schooling, lack of grocery stores especially in urban areas, drug abuse, general poverty, cooking and eating healthy will be the last thing you can make a priority.
Because of this, many people then fall sick and are a huge liability on the healthcare system.
I've lived in some real hoods (South Texas, Philly, New York), I know better now to shop for things on sale, seasonal fruits and veggies. For example a bag of dried beans and a dozen eggs goes a long way if I'm feeling short on cash. I comparison shop and look up recipes. However, I'm college educated, hold a decent job, and have no kids yet, so I know that places me at a vantage point.
I truly feel bad for disadvantaged families, life is really difficult, and it's getting worse for the middle and lower classes in the USA. The Fed Gov't is still slashing the food stamp program even when there is so much hunger in America. Anyways, rant over.0 -
I think often the working poor--I mean the people who have jobs but are in debt, carry credit card debt, and have trouble meeting the mortgage some months--turn to the frozen prepared foods and fast foods in an effort to NOT feel poor. I once lived with a family like this. They sometimes couldn't make the mortgage; there were two breadwinners but so much credit card debt from past poor financial decisions that they weren't putting anything away in the bank. And yet there was always, somehow, money for frozen fried shrimp, Chinese takeout, pizzas, Subway (not the healthy salads, either), McDonalds. Because they worked so hard they "deserved" a treat. They were also too tired to cook, so they believed this was the most efficient way of feeding themselves.
The entire family was overweight, close to obesity. I eventually started buying my own groceries and making myself healthy meals out of self-preservation. But I understood where they were coming from. I worked two jobs and was going to grad school, and I was exhausted and run down, and sometimes it just felt great to sit down with a meal I hadn't had to put together.0 -
I just came across this post on a thread, "Why is eating healthy so darn expensive?"
"This is why poor people are usually the fat ones. Takes discipline to cut down on unimportant living expenses and buy healthy food, which is much more expensive (MUCH, MUCH MORE - if the farmers weren't subsidized) to grow, produce. Also, the cost if you are determined to eat healthy (and exercise) is a very good reason to grow your own. Even if you only have a patio, I grew tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., in pots on my sundeck."
I agree in a lot of ways.
Thoughts?
Well the cheaper the food the worse it is for you. At least that's how it is when you shop at the grocery store. There are SO many REFINED products the shelves. Even the orange juice that says "pure" on the label, is refined and injected with preservatives. So if you're poor you really don't have an option if you're shopping at places like Giant or Weis Markets. Healthy, organic foods at those huge corporation stores are way over priced. If you want to purchase organic fruits and veggies, you have to go to farmers markets (which don't accept food stamps or even credit cards most of the time.) It seems that MANY people don't know that. Not just the lower class. Actually I JUST learned to purchase fruits and veggie from farmers markets.
When you have limited means, you must think outside of the box. You must be self sufficient. Growing foods ^mentioned^, shopping at farmers markets, strict budgeting. A lot of the lower income communities seem to be filled with people that weren't educated about those things. (Not referring to ALL people in lower class communities...I myself would be considered lower class.) Actually, I don't think MOST people were informed about how negatively you can be affected by the refined foods that are on the grocery store shelves. Or how to budget or shop for the best foods.
We were ALL shown that general food pyramid when we were in grade school and I think that's where the education on nutrition stopped and CONTINUES to stop for the most part.
There is sooo much to learn about how to eat! So much we SHOULD have been taught in school. Luckily, there is tons of access to information now-a-days. Information you can attain IF you have a computer, (if you're poor, you're definitely not government issued a computer with internet access.) Or IF you can get yourself to a library. Which can be achieved.
But, basically, you can't rely on the government and/or corporations to lay out everything for you, which is another thing people IN GENERAL do. 'The government will supply us with education'....um not all we need to know. 'The government will supply us with food'....not healthy food. And those that are poor fall back on the government and corporations the hardest and it provides them with the cheapest, most unhealthy s*** you can purchase at the grocery store.
So, I've learned that in order to outsmart the establishment, especially if you have limited means, you MUST look in the nooks and crannies for the best things. You HAVE to educate YOURSELF. If you don't have a computer, you have to figure out how to get to the library, you have to talk to people. You HAVE to find access to information.
Also, another reason a lot of poor people are overweight (off topic from the last reason) is because of emotional depression and anxiety. I think it's very typical for people to eat when they're stressed or scared or overwhelmed. So imagine being poor and scared with 3 kids and home in a dangerous neighborhood. So why not buy that bag of whatever that's PACKED with flavor enhancers and MSG, to make myself feel better for just a moment? It's only a dollar.0 -
there are often weekly farmers markets 2 and 1/2 months out of the year (I live in the North East, US) and they are definitely more expensive
Grew up in New York state (Chemung County and then near Buffalo) and now I live in Florida. It was cheaper to buy local produce in New York (where I lived) than in Florida (where I live).
Where YOU live may be more expensive, but you do no live in the entirety of the Northeast.0 -
I live in the midwest and the farmers markets are potluck for savings. Some fresh produce is a better price, some is the same as the grocery store, a lot is WAY more expensive. A pie that is about 8$ at the store would be sold fresh at the farmers market for 20 - 25$. Green onions are usually about 79 cents a bunch at the store but sold for 1$ at the farmers market. Fresh bread from the various bakers were all anywhere from twice the price of the store to three times the price because it was 'artisan'. Only a few produce vender's actually beat the grocery store prices for savings.
So it really has to do a lot with the demographics to which the local farmer's markets are trying to appeal. Ours seem to be trying to get the attention of the West Omaha people who have big houses and seem to have a lot more money to buy higher priced, fancy or fresh products or the downtown people who can afford the high end condo's.0 -
I was poor growing up (like as in dumpster diving poor), and my dad and I were thin, while my mom and sisters were overweight.
Now my family has a very tight budget (one income family, plus working on paying off debt), and we have a grocery budget of $90 a week, for the five of us (this includes non-food items like tp and also stuff to pack school lunches-plus one of my kid's is lactose intolerant so she needs different foods, like almond milk)). We do not get any type of assistance for food (or anything else). We're all thin, healthy and we eat a pretty well balanced diet, (we do eat out several times a week, and that's budgeted separately, but if we added that to our grocery budget it would bump it up to around $130 a week).
Also-I tried the whole container garden thing and it cost a lot of money to set up, and then nothing grew (we got a grand total of three strawberries and one tomato from it
). Definitely cheaper to just go to the store and buy veggies/fruit on sale, or buy frozen.
I can grow ANYTHING.....until i put it in a container. I can murder the healthiest plants in two days in a stupid pot.
My daughter was devastated when the strawberry plants died a slow and painful death :laugh: We actually have a large back yard, but our ground is hard clay so dirt has to be brought in (my neighbor did go ahead and plant a large garden and the cost to get it started was crazy, due to the dirt). I bought dirt for the pots, fertilized them, watered them but nothing, nada. Pretty sure some of it got eaten by critters though-we had the pots sitting on our deck and we actually had a deer looking in our slider once last summer-dang thief :grumble: :laugh:0 -
I'd imagine that time constraints would come into play for some people as well. I have no kids, one job and a car, so I have the freedom to go to a few different grocery stores, often more than once a week, to make sure I have fresh food available. Take away my car, give me another job or more hours, or add more responsibilities I have to handle after work, and I wouldn't have as much time or energy to devote to food shopping. It's just another factor to consider.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 393 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 934 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions