People are fat because they're poor

[aida2003]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

You do like to stir the pot, don't you?

As with your other threads, this one is just as ridiculous and overly broad.

That's what I thought myself. He just loves controversial topics. Sounds like the ones standing in the Hyde Park in the UK: talking and no solutions.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by jodi

No one taught them how to cook at home.

I think education is a much bigger factor than people realize. As I said, I work in a very poor community. I counsel patients on diet on a daily basis. That counseling generally begins with me interviewing them about their current eating habits. You'd be amazed at some of the things people tell me.

I was speaking with one woman who told me her diet consisted largely of deep fried food. She fried almost everything. I explained that deep frying added a lot of extra fat and calories and that she should try to really cut back on frying. Her response was, "I don't know any other way to cook." And she wasn't being sarcastic. She truly had no knowledge of how to broil fish or bake a chicken breast or steam some veggies. To her, cooking meant preparing the food and dropping it in a vat of hot oil. It wasn't because she was poor. It was because she was uneducated. It doesn't cost any more to bake the chicken. In fact, it is probably cheaper since you don't need to buy oil by the gallon.

What we need is to reintroduce Home Ec class to our schools, particularly in poor neighborhoods but really in all schools. Teach kids basic cooking skills. Teach nutrition. Take field trips to a supermarket to learn how to shop.

[simpleyme]

so we are fat because we are stupid? LOL

I bet regional cooking styles might make whole areas fatter

I once went and saw a nutritionist and she was a very large women ,it seems that most of the nurse are heavy as well that I personaly encounter

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by simpleyme

so we are fat because we are stupid? LOL

No, I certainly didn't mean to say quite that either. But education is certainly a factor. If you don't know how to shop for healthy food and you don't know how to prepare healthy meals, it isn't going to happen.

[FrugalFish]

Originally Posted by Scanner

If a person is on Food Stamps, as a taxpayor, I expect that to go towards healthy food for the recipient and their dependents.

Oh Scanner, you are going to get me ranting. Where I am, there are fairly tight restrictions on what food stamps can be used for, BUT the folks on food stamps get name brand items, and a lot of them! There I am, hard working, hard budgeting, buying store brand veggies, cheese, lesser cuts of meat, etc. While I see folks on food stamps getting pretty decent cuts of meat and otherwise all name brands. It's a rare day when I actually see someone with food stamps buying produce, rice, dried beans, etc. Of course those on food stamps have a much higher grocery budget than I do, so there's not much motivation for them to tighten the belt- maybe the state is making poor people fat by giving them too much money in food stamps? Here, a family of 3 in receives just over $450 per month in food stamps; I need to pull off about $250 for a family of 3 (it may be $300 or more soon with higher grocery prices). Wow what I could do with an extra 200/month in grocery money! - I could get fat or throw a really great party every month.

There is a thread of truth to the statement about obesity and being poor. Most of it is a lack of education about nutrition. (Heck, I've been dirt poor and eaten a very healthy veggie and grain heavy diet for only about $15/ week- but that was a few years ago). However, there's another social aspect in here that someone already pointed out- poor people feel undeserving and things like fast food, or name brand snack foods make them feel a little more connected to what they perceive as the upper crust. My husband was taught this in a sociology class- they can't have the Rolex, but they can have logos that cost $5 like Doritos for example. Problem is that they are nickle and diming themselves and will never get ahead with that mentality. I remember living in a very poor neighborhood where the laundry facilities were in the garages; everyone had a box of Tide sitting next to the washer (except us). It's a tiny little status symbol. Unfortunately food is an affordable status symbol, and it's also addictive and fattening. Have I gotten off topic yet?

[LuxLiving]

No frugalfish not off topic- I run into FAT & SKINNY people I know all the time at the grocery who are on food stamps. I look at their baskets and compare them to mine. It downright peeves me to no end, because of trying to live below our means I have a scant amount of those little generic yellow boxes and bags way in the near empty cavernous bottom of our basket and they're throwing snackpack puddings on top steaks and name brand chips and colas, etc. which is threatening to topple out the top of their carts.

You know you are a real frugalista when you even buy generic rice and brown beans! YES, we have the $$'s that we COULD buy those name brand products, yet, I can't say that I can AFFORD them. Not and PAY TAXES and buy health insurance coverage and life insurance and make sure that my house doesn't become a blight on the neighborhood, nor our cars fall to pieces on the roadway home and we won't be standing in line to receive a handout UNNECESSARILY nor asking for help to buy my grandkids school-clothes, etc.

If I did buy those things at the grocery I might be fatter or skinnier but I doubt that I'd be any richer! But, still, a snack-pack pudding for my kids ocassionally might have been nice.

[SnoopyCool]

I used to cashier at a grocery store (a few, actually) in my college days and I would get peeved, too, when the food stamp people came in and bought all their fabulous groceries. One time, a lady tried to purchase cat food with food stamps and when she found out that she couldn't, she turned around and bought cans of tuna for the cat.

Over time, I've realized there is no prize in that life what-so-ever. It doesn't make me mad anymore because I don't want any of that. I'll continue to be free and depend on myself and my husband for our needs and not the nanny government. Excluding those that may truly need that help, I don't want any association with those that abuse the system because they are deserving of what they perceive everyone else having without trying to work for it (again, I exclude those who have truly fallen on hard times).

[Thrif-t]

I've been reading a lot about High Fructose Corn Syrup and how it is in everything because its a cheap alternative to sugar for the food companies. And one of the bad things about it is it doesn't tell your brain that you are full so you keep eating. I'm on a mission to cut that out of our diets. So if people are eating all this crap food that has HFCS in it then maybe they can't help overeating if they never feel full and have cravings. Of course this is just one of the reasons studies are suggesting.

[BPASWA]

Originally Posted by maat55

trex

Explain all those skinny people Africa.

I think americans are getting fat because they sit at a computer and argue about why people are fat.

I have to agree with you on that.

[cicy33]

I think that people need to stop blaming everything else and take responsibility for themselves! I am not skinny, I am not hugely fat, but I am overweight and I am middle to lower class. I could whine and say that all the hours I work and all the extra work I do at home just does not leave me the energy to cook but that is crap and I know it. I just need to cook better more often, work out more and then I would lose weight! I know this but it is not easy. I hate beans so that is out for me, but my husband loves them so I make them for him. But I love grilled chicken and do eat a fair amount of it. and steamed veggies but I need to do better. There are so many reasons that people are fat. Everything from chemical imbalances to lack of desire to cost. And yes, contrary to some people's opinions eating better does cost more. How many healthy boring items can one person eat! I love fresh fruit, but a bag of apples is $5 here. and so are oranges. There are about 12 or so per bag. I have four step kids that live here on the weekends, guess how long that lasts! I cannot wait until my garden can go in. That will save so much.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by cicy33

contrary to some people's opinions eating better does cost more.

There is some truth to this but it isn't 100% accurate.

You can buy a pack of chicken breasts, store brand, bulk pack, on sale for whatever they cost. What happens when you get them home can make a big difference in how fattening the meal is. If you leave the skin on, batter them and deep fry them, that's one thing. If you remove the skin, season them and bake/broil/grill them, that's another. Either way, the chicken cost the same amount but the first way, it has way more fat and calories than the second way.

[Scanner]

DisneySteve,

I do forget we both live in the Garden State - and produce around here is relatively cheap. NJ, which has a bad reputation for so much, has some of the best produce - blueberries, strawberries, tomatoes, peaches, corn, everything really. I can often get two containers of blueberries for $3.00 when they are in season.

But. . .that being said. . .meat (other than luncheon) ain't cheap here. I remember when I lived in St. Louis, I could pick up a ham quarter for $5.00. . .used to make ham and cabbage a lot out there.

Minimum for a ham (other than a ham steak) is $12.00 here.

But yes, again. . .I totally disagree. Eating healthy doesn't have to break you. It's not more expensive. I really think it's a wash.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Scanner

meat (other than luncheon) ain't cheap here.

I don't really know because we really don't buy meat in our house. We primarily eat a vegetarian diet.

[rob62521]

Originally Posted by DebbieL

I'm going to have to agree (somewhat) with the original poster. I find eating healthy FAR more expensive than eating crap.

I think that while poverty is obviously not the SOLE cause of obesity, it is a contributing factor in our society where the cheapest foods are crap, and we have communities of people who are being raised on it and don't really know any different. Lack of education also goes along with poverty (frequently).

And I agree with you as well! Very few people I know actually fix things from scratch...they buy processed foods, go to restaurants, etc. They aren't lazy. And I truly resent the poster who said people who are fat are lazy. What a broad generalization. I'm overweight and I'm not lazy. I cook from scratch and fresh fruits and vegetables are a big part of my diet. And they are far more expensive than the cheap carbs.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by rob62521

Very few people I know actually fix things from scratch...they buy processed foods, go to restaurants, etc.

I cook from scratch and fresh fruits and vegetables are a big part of my diet. And they are far more expensive than the cheap carbs.

Not cooking from scratch is a huge problem. Restaurant food and processed foods are packed with calories, sugar, fat, corn syrup, etc. Home cooked foods are so much healthier.

As for cost, I think it balances out to some extent because the healthy stuff is so much more filling and satisfying that you don't have to eat nearly as much of it. I could (if I wanted to for some odd reason) sit down and eat a dozen donuts and still be hungry for a full meal. But give me a modest serving of some grilled veggies over whole grain pasta and I'm stuffed for the night.

[Caoineag]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

Not cooking from scratch is a huge problem. Restaurant food and processed foods are packed with calories, sugar, fat, corn syrup, etc. Home cooked foods are so much healthier.

As for cost, I think it balances out to some extent because the healthy stuff is so much more filling and satisfying that you don't have to eat nearly as much of it. I could (if I wanted to for some odd reason) sit down and eat a dozen donuts and still be hungry for a full meal. But give me a modest serving of some grilled veggies over whole grain pasta and I'm stuffed for the night.

Hmmm..my body actually seems to recognize the caloric value of food. I have to eat a lot more healthy stuff to equal that one fried chicken sandwich I would eat from a restaurant. My DH's body however seems to ignore the caloric impact of beverages of any kind so he helps himself a lot by drinking water the majority of the time. I definitely think everyone's body is different.

That said, I have found that cooking from scratch (something no one in my family knew how to do by the way) does save money over buying processed food. Produce has become a lot cheaper for me by shopping at one particular store versus the most convenient one (think 75% less expensive). Access to education and resources I think is a huge contributing factor. But I knew lots of poor people who were skinny and lots that were morbidly obese.

I think there are a lot of factors that contribute to obesity but I do think malnourishment can be vastly improved with better education.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

If nobody cooks from scratch, who is buying all the raw ingredients at the stores? Every store sells them and I certainly see people buying them.

The Aldi's stores I go to ---one of which is in a extremely poor neighborhood, the other in a neighborhood with probably only $30,000/year household income-- are full of people, many of whom I would guess are poor and using foodstamps (which have been debit cards for years, now BTW), and who are buying raw ingredients. I see carts filled with flour, milk, eggs, rice, beans, pasta, potatoes, whole chickens, onions, bread, oranges, bananas, carrots, cabbages, broccoli, lettuce, peppers, apples, pears, kiwis, grapes, canned goods (does that qualify for raw ingredients?), pasta (qualify?), cheeses, yogurt. I see other things, too, including really bad stuff, but Aldi's sells tons of basics in these stores.

Foodstamps also can be used to buy seeds for food plants and Aldi's sells these in spring.

My poor neighbor has been asking me over and over to please drive her to the park where the police stables are to get some manure for her vegetable garden. (Haven't been able to work out the day & car use yet.) She eats very inexpensively and deliciously and grows enough to share with me. I give her things from my garden; she gives me things from hers. She does eat a lot of carbs, especially rice, lentils, carrots, and homemade bread, but I believe that is how she ate even before she was poor. Oh, she does use a lot of oil in some dishes, a liquid oil of some sort, not sure what. She eats a little meat, but not at every meal and usually only bits of it in a dish, I would say easily less than 2 ounces per serving, probably less. Yeah, she is fat, but not lazy at all, and I would say well nourished, just over-caloried. I don't think she knows anything about nutrition, but I think she does well anyway.

So enough of my pointing out that 1) not all poor people eat crap yet indulge in luxury foods with foodstamps, and 2) some people still do cook from scratch. "You" aren't the only one.

[Caoineag]

Originally Posted by Joan.of.the.Arch

...So enough of my pointing out that 1) not all poor people eat crap yet indulge in luxury foods with foodstamps, and 2) some people still do cook from scratch. "You" aren't the only one.

I agree that most people on food stamps don't indulge in luxury foods but this is one of those topics that splits a room down the middle. I have been in rooms where the topic comes up and I assure you, it always turns into a feisty argument.

As to "You" not being the only one cooking from scratch, in my world, I knew and still know no one who cooked even most things from scratch (and my family was one of the poorer families aka working poor I know so that is a wide range of incomes that weren't cooking from scratch). That isn't saying no one in the US knows how but it does mean I had a lot to learn when I started cooking from scratch. I wish I knew someone else who cooked from scratch, I would love to raid their recipes.

Personally, I felt like an idiot the day I realized that one could make tortillas at home because it had never occurred to me that you could (it wouldn't and didn't occur to anyone else I knew either). I have had to reexamine a lot of foods to figure out what can and can not be made at home. My family when I was growing up bought tons of mixes for cornbread muffins, cakes, brownies, etc. We made food at home but nothing was ever really from scratch. We even bought batter mix because we didn't know how to make it. Frankly, I think the internet is heaven sent for allowing me to learn how to do all of these things.

[cicy33]

I personally could not cook from scratch. there are not enough hours in the day. I am not talking about eating healthy but like the above poster is talking. they actually cook from scratch. I know that when I say I cook from scratch I am actually talking about mixing mixes and putting ingredients together versus using a ready made box item of the whole meal. I have to agree there is probably not too many people who actually cook from scratch, as in make their own bread, tortillas, mixes etc from actual spices. I know there are people who make bread but I mean the people who never buy ready made bread. I would also think it is not the cheapest. When I go shopping to make cookies the seasonings, cinnamon, vanilla, almond extract, etc. they are not cheap. But I do however, have great sense of respect for ones that do it. By the time I get home from work I only have 4 hours till bedtime, I would like to do something other than cook.