NEWSFLASH: McDonald’s existed back when I was a kid

I'm so relieved all the personal responsibility folks don't live in abject poverty. The voices of those in extreme poverty aren't here and you know why? Because they don't have computers!!!!

when I was at university, I had about five pounds a week to feed myself. It wasn't that long ago either (late 90s). Just because I have money now it doesn't mean I have no idea what it's like to try to live off very little.

I wasn't fat then. Actually I was pretty lean, seeing as the jobs I had to pay my way through university (ice steward at the local ice rink, delivering the mail) kept me thin. Plus having barely enough to eat... no danger of overeating because I couldn't afford to. On the rare occasions I went to McDonalds (couldn't afford it usually) I ordered 2 fillet o fish (the cheapest burger) because 2 of them was the same price as 1 burger + meal deal, but had twice as much protein and was more filling.

If poor people in the USA can only eat McDonalds, then that's a serious problem with the infrastructure in American society. It's bizarre that McDonalds is the most affordable option, or that people who don't have cars can't get to supermarkets to buy fresh produce. In the UK, there are cheap supermarkets like Lidl and Aldi that have small branches in residential areas, and they sell discounted fruit and veg and most people have at least one cheap supermarket in walking distance of their house. Plus there are buses, and while some places have better bus services than others, pretty much every city/town runs a daytime bus service to the centre of town. Maybe you have to live in London to have a night bus service, but most places you can get to the shopping centre during the daytime.

And most of the time I lived in the UK, I used to walk to the town centre to save money on bus fare (1-3 miles, depending on where I was living at the time). And when I was really poor at university, I bought fruit and veg from the local greengrocer (cheaper and easier than taking the bus to Tesco (a supermarket) and carrying all the shopping bags back from the bus stop). I got some staples from Kwik Save (a very cheap supermarket) and a few other places to take advantage of cheaper options. I walked to most places, only Tesco was a bus trip.

Also, there are ways for poor people to access computers in the UK... public libraries have free wifi and computers that can be used by anyone with a library card (which is free to residents in the area that the library is in).

Also, if McDonalds is only one of 2 meals a day that are being eaten by poor kids, then that's not going to make them obese... 2 meals a day isn't going to make any kid obese, especially if they have to walk everywhere because their parents don't have a car. So I don't really get how McDonalds is responsible for making poor people fat.... if the issue is accessability to a wider range of food choices, then there needs to be affordable public transport and some way to encourage cheaper supermarkets to have smaller outlets that serve residential communities. You can't blame McDonalds for the lack of public transports or affordable fresh food within walking distance of residential areas where poor people live.

Exactly. Being poor is not an excuse to be obese. Should actually detract from obesity since you don't have the money to buy food.

You're right about poverty and obesity don't necessarily need to go together; however, your logic may be flawed. Have you ever been to a food pantry? Companies, people, etc give away all the CRAP. There is very few fruits and veggies and lean proteins. Everything is in a can and is accompanied by cheap snacks, white bread, hot dogs, etc. It is crap. However, one time while at homeless shelter, there was expired canned escargot. Is that a lean meat? It is exotic, I suppose.

If it's ten miles to the nearest grocery store and there's no public transport to get there, then that's crazy!! I don't understand how America has got itself into this mess really, because the cheap supermarkets in the UK are thriving businesses, not charities. Public transport in the UK is run by private business, although I think some of the less popular routes are subsidised to ensure that as many people as possible can access public transport. Really, THIS is the problem that needs to be addressed. Blaming McDonalds for it is crazy... expecting McDonalds, a private company, to address a serious social problem in the USA by making their menus more nutritionally balanced, is ridiculous.

I don't know where you live, but there aren't always options in walking distance. I live in Iowa. Rural poor. I don't make excuses for overdoing it at McD's - i freaking HATE McD's - not on principle - on taste. I'd rather have some roasted brussels sprouts than french fries any day. gimme some chipotle - i can get down with that (and they are owned by McD's). I guess I just get frustrated that people want to say people blame fast food for being fat. Well, maybe some people. But in a lot of cases, it's about accessibility. Again, I don't know where you live, but it sounds like a pretty middle class area. Good for you. Not everyone has your options.

What do I do?! Well, since you ask, I'm the internal champion for a program that my company is very active in called Move for Hunger. We take unused pantry items from customers when they are moving and we deliver it to the local food banks and pantries. We love the program AND it ties is exceptionally well with our business model. That's a win-win for me.

Yes, a win-win for others as well.

You're right about poverty and obesity don't necessarily need to go together; however, your logic may be flawed. Have you ever been to a food pantry? Companies, people, etc give away all the CRAP. There is very few fruits and veggies and lean proteins. Everything is in a can and is accompanied by cheap snacks, white bread, hot dogs, etc. It is crap. However, one time while at homeless shelter, there was expired canned escargot. Is that a lean meat? It is exotic, I suppose.

Why is this topic under motivation and support?

To motivate folks to take responsibility for themselves. Maybe I could have put it under a different subject but just wasn't sure where else to post it. Sorry if I wasn't clear on that.

If it's ten miles to the nearest grocery store and there's no public transport to get there, then that's crazy!! I don't understand how America has got itself into this mess really, because the cheap supermarkets in the UK are thriving businesses, not charities. Public transport in the UK is run by private business, although I think some of the less popular routes are subsidised to ensure that as many people as possible can access public transport. Really, THIS is the problem that needs to be addressed. Blaming McDonalds for it is crazy... expecting McDonalds, a private company, to address a serious social problem in the USA by making their menus more nutritionally balanced, is ridiculous.

Again, you're getting the wrong impression. Most urban locations have ample access to public transportation, if you can't walk to a store, and the vast majority of people here own a vehicle. I'm by no means in a large city but I work in a high rise downtown and I can see a small downtown grocer out my office window right now. Likewise, although I live in a rural location (where everyone owns at least one vehicle), I could walk to a grocery store and shopping center if I wanted to walk all of 2 miles. It's worth noting you also have a choice in where you choose to live. If you're in a more rural location and don't own a car, there are vacancies in other neighborhoods. Other than some people chiming in on this forum, you never hear about this problem in most locations in the US. You're right though that blaming McDonalds for this problem, to the extent it exists, is crazy.

I don't know where you live, but there aren't always options in walking distance. I live in Iowa. Rural poor. I don't make excuses for overdoing it at McD's - i freaking HATE McD's - not on principle - on taste. I'd rather have some roasted brussels sprouts than french fries any day. gimme some chipotle - i can get down with that (and they are owned by McD's). I guess I just get frustrated that people want to say people blame fast food for being fat. Well, maybe some people. But in a lot of cases, it's about accessibility. Again, I don't know where you live, but it sounds like a pretty middle class area. Good for you. Not everyone has your options.

What rural locations are you in where people don't own a vehicle or have access to a friend with a vehicle? In your rural community where you don't have access to a vehicle, how is McDonald's cheaper and closer than canned or frozen vegetables, rice, beans, and so on? I'm not buying it. Beans, rice, a bit of homemade chow chow if you're lucky, and perhaps a small bit of meat for flavoring is one of the cheapest meals you can make. That was a staple in my grandparents' household because they lived in an isolated rural community with at best access to a country store, and they had to get by a lot of the time with a garden and dried/canned goods. Likewise, these meals can be made from canned/dried ingredients that keep for months if not years. Where are these people that can't make it to a grocery store at least once every few months, can't prepare low cost meals like this for themselves, but they can walk next door to a McDonald's to over-consume cheeseburgers or buy a bunch of gas station food (which are both more expensive options)?

Again, in a discussion about malnourishment, accessibility can play a large role. But in terms of obesity, I'm not buying that anyone's lack of access caused them to overeat hotdogs and McDonald's.

I'm so relieved all the personal responsibility folks don't live in abject poverty. The voices of those in extreme poverty aren't here and you know why? Because they don't have computers!!!! When I ate fast food, it was a choice. I gained weight and it was totally my choice. However, I also had/have the resources to make better choices. It's not just about education - it's about taking a hungry kid and making them feel full - and McD's and other fast food giants who provide calorie laden foods at a cheap price point take advantage (not necessarily intentionally) of that fact. there are kids who might get two meals a day during the school year and if my kid is hungry, i'm not so concerned with nutrition as quieting a hungry belly so my kid can sleep. i have worked for years with these families...it isn't always about 'choice' and 'responsibility.' what i am talking about has nothing to do with people on MFP who have time and resources to devote to health. i'm talking about people who we work with to grow community gardens and teach them to prepare fresh food because they don't know how because they have never had it and live in food deserts of the 'inner city' without access to produce besides the overripe bananas at the gas station, but can find as much fast food as your heart desires within a quarter mile of home, but the grocery is over 5 miles away and they have no car. the issue is bigger than just 'you choose or you don't choose.' maybe you, but not everyone.

Please stop. Advocating personal responsibility and worrying about food availability are not mutually exclusive. Plenty of people here who support consumers taking responsibility to educate themselves, reading the nutrition information that is available in stores and has been well before Super Size Me, and make choices about what to put in their bodies when it comes to fast food also do things like volunteer in and donate to food pantries, help run community gardens, and are active voices in helping people who live in food deserts or have food insecurity.

I do not deny personal responsibility, but your responsibility is limited by your choices.

The lack of choice *isn't McDonalds fault though*!! or 7-11 or any other food outlet

if this really is what's going on in poor communities in the USA then the USA needs to start providing affordable public transport and encouraging cheaper supermarkets to open branches in poor residential areas.

It seems, going by the posts here, that the USA has a problem with accessibility to fresh food options, i.e. cheap fruit, veg, meat, etc. The UK has this, because there are cheap supermarkets within walking distance of pretty much any residential areal (there are probably exceptions, but they'd be rare exceptions), and most places have at least a semi-decent public transport system, as in you can get to anywhere around the town/city during the day at least.

Seems to me that's the problem, not McDonalds. Asking McDonalds to make their menus more healthy is an utterly crazy way to address this problem...

AGAIN, so right on.

If the problem is a lack of accessible food, or means to get to accessible food, then it seems silly to me that we focus on one company (out of so many!). All this energy would be better spent developing plans for affordable grocery within walking distance of most communities, reliable PT systems, safe parks to play in and making time for recess and gym again in schools.

Completely agree. I conceded McD's is a scapegoat. But the bottom line is accessibility. What are YOU doing to make it accessible? I am a master gardener and volunteer for 5 inner city community gardens and consult on a school gardening project. But until everyone has access to healthy food, it means at this moment in time, their option is fast food. which means they aren't getting healthy food. And who supplies it? Who profits from it? It's a problem that is bigger than the fast food industry, but as i noted several pages back, they profit from an infrastructure that fails our kids.

What do I do?! Well, since you ask, I'm the internal champion for a program that my company is very active in called Move for Hunger. We take unused pantry items from customers when they are moving and we deliver it to the local food banks and pantries. We love the program AND it ties is exceptionally well with our business model. That's a win-win for me.

That's wonderful. But food banks don't address making people self sufficient and actually creating personal responsibility. Give the man a fish versus teach a man to fish. Again, not to diminish what you do, but for all the talk about responsibility, you aren't creating access, you're organizing a hand out. It doesn't address the root of the problem which is what the problem is with the way our charity system is set up. It doesn't provide a means not to rely on the system.

I'm so relieved all the personal responsibility folks don't live in abject poverty. The voices of those in extreme poverty aren't here and you know why? Because they don't have computers!!!! When I ate fast food, it was a choice. I gained weight and it was totally my choice. However, I also had/have the resources to make better choices. It's not just about education - it's about taking a hungry kid and making them feel full - and McD's and other fast food giants who provide calorie laden foods at a cheap price point take advantage (not necessarily intentionally) of that fact. there are kids who might get two meals a day during the school year and if my kid is hungry, i'm not so concerned with nutrition as quieting a hungry belly so my kid can sleep. i have worked for years with these families...it isn't always about 'choice' and 'responsibility.' what i am talking about has nothing to do with people on MFP who have time and resources to devote to health. i'm talking about people who we work with to grow community gardens and teach them to prepare fresh food because they don't know how because they have never had it and live in food deserts of the 'inner city' without access to produce besides the overripe bananas at the gas station, but can find as much fast food as your heart desires within a quarter mile of home, but the grocery is over 5 miles away and they have no car. the issue is bigger than just 'you choose or you don't choose.' maybe you, but not everyone.

Please stop. Advocating personal responsibility and worrying about food availability are not mutually exclusive. Plenty of people here who support consumers taking responsibility to educate themselves, reading the nutrition information that is available in stores and has been well before Super Size Me, and make choices about what to put in their bodies when it comes to fast food also do things like volunteer in and donate to food pantries, help run community gardens, and are active voices in helping people who live in food deserts or have food insecurity.

I do not deny personal responsibility, but your responsibility is limited by your choices.