Posted on 08/19/2020 7:16:09 AM PDT by Kaslin
In a recent OpEd from The Guardian, author Larry Elliot opines on the frequency of obesity among low-income households in the U.K., and points out that the problem “in the U.S. mirrors that of the U.K.” Elliot goes on to proclaim, that, “there will be less obesity when people can afford to eat better.”
The premise is that poor folks are victims of one injustice or another; in Elliot’s case, he claims they are unable to afford healthy food. This notion has been floating around for several years now, particularly as it relates to children, and is one that is frequently parroted by the left in America.
In November, 2019 the CDC published a report, with little fanfare, that stated incidents of childhood obesity among low-income households in the U.S. had decreased. Being confused by this news is understandable. The idea of childhood obesity in low-income households being a problem worthy of CDC involvement is counter-intuitive to anyone with logical intuitiveness. How can obesity among the poor be such a problem? People who are truly poor would have a hard time providing enough food for their children, not the other way around, right? After all, we have leftists like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) proclaiming that America’s economy is “grotesquely unfair.”
The issue got added attention after a 2008 study showed that childhood obesity in Massachusetts was a serious problem, with 30% of all children in the state being obese. Furthermore, a higher frequency (33.5%) had been reported in low-income households. Let those numbers sink in -- more than one third of children in low-income households were obese, higher than the statewide average.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Sugar and carbs. Cheap and easy. Cereal and mac and cheese. McDonalds. Soda.
The “poorest” American or UK citizen has more available calories compared many other countries.
““there will be less obesity when people can afford to eat better.””
BS. It is laziness. I know because at times I am lazy and take shortcuts.
Back when I worked at a grocery store i noticed people buying with food stamps bought relatively high calorie, low nutrition value food. They almost never bought vegetables, fruit or salad. My mother said one reason they were poor is they made poor decisions. This inability to make good decisions affected every aspect of their lives.
The solution is a working husband who supports his family, allowing the wife to remain at home and take her time to cook nutritional meals from raw, and less expensive, ingredients. Working women do not have the time nor the energy to cook properly, so they take short-cuts.
Some to lazy to cook...rice and beans and veggies...instead of canned or frozen microwave meals.
Rice and Pasta and bread are some of the cheapest foods.
All Carbs.
Overeating is a symptom of depression, period.
They eat a poor diet because fat and high carb foods are cheap.
Welfare women are home all day, and apparently never learned to cook.
The problem is what low income people eat. Their diets often consist of fast food and junk food. I met a guy who was a route driver for a snack foods company. His route included the Rosebud Indian reservatIon in South Dakota. He said the largest deliveries were always at gas stations and convenience stores on the reservation and were the biggest accounts for his company. Needless to say diabetes and childhood obesity are rampant on the reservations.
It’s not curious.
Go to Walmart on EBT Deposit Day and look at what’s in peoples’ carts.
There’s your answer.
“Overeating is a symptom of depression, period”
I think you gave the real reason. Buying and cooking “easy” food is not as taxing on emotions. They are stress buying and eating. They may not have the means to store fresher food.
Research the liberals don’t want you to know about: The school feeding programs for the poor kids cause a huge increase in obesity. The kids get breakfast and lunch and sometimes food to take home for dinner.
Your mom was right, General. They’re sick and obese for the same reason they’re poor and illiterate. They’re opposite sides of the same coin. You could provide poor neighborhoods with FREE veggies and fruit, and they’d only complain and clamour for mac-n-cheese and breaded chicken nuggets. (And don’t forget to offer a choice of sugary dipping sauces.)
Anybody who can't afford a refrigerator shouldn't be popping out babies. They should be working two jobs.
Fast foods are cheap and a good option for a parent too lazy to cook. The lazy part gets me the most. If you don’t work there should be plenty of time to cook. I say parent because most minority kids only have one in the home.
The cheapest stuff, with the exception of fruits and veggies, is the most filled with crap calories.
Sure you *CAN* eat cheap and healthy, but it requires skill, knowledge, and time to do so! Back when we had full-time homemakers and ‘Home Economics’ it was pretty feasible to feed family meals consisting of lots of good veggies and whole grains, for a reasonable price. It can still be done.
But if you lack time, skill AND money, the stuff that goes in your body is likely to contain a lot more crap carbs and fat than is good for you.
That is going to happen when you burn your grocery stores with your mayor's approval.
However most of these cases are preferring McDonalds and KFC over buying healthy food and cooking it themselves.
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