[The_Rambler]

Originally Posted by GloryB

It isn't a race issue. It is because Mississippi and Alabama have the BEST food in America. Period. If I lived there, I would be a cow by now. A VERY HAPPY cow.

I agree about the food, when I lived up north I'd go to places that people recommended as being "amazing" and the food was always CRAP!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by GloryB

It isn't a race issue. It is because Mississippi and Alabama have the BEST food in America. Period. If I lived there, I would be a cow by now. A VERY HAPPY cow.

I don't know too much about the rest of Alabama but Huntsville (probably because it isn't too big of a town) does not have a whole lot of culinary diversity.

Lots of meat+3 (which basically all taste the same), lots of BBQ (which basically all taste the same), a couple sushi joints, a couple Thai, a couple of good Mexican (but not a lot of "hole in the wall" - my preference), an Indian, a Korean but that's about it. I can't find a kabob place.

Not a lot of foreigners to bring their cuisine with them.

[bluebeard]

Originally Posted by southernnaturelover

Because of genetics. Look at Asians for example, I seldom see a fat Asian person, despite the fact that their diets contain lots of fat.

Genetics has a play in it, but it not just because of that. Asian diets do not contain lots of fat. If you're using Chinese American restaurants as your reference, you are way off-base. Traditional Asian diets have a lot of veggies, little meat, mostly vegetable fat, etc...
Asians in Asia have completely different lifestyles. Skinny Asians in the US tend to be much heavier. Of course, many Asians in the US are skinnier as well, but they may retain many of the food tastes, social pressures, etc... and tend to live in higher educated/income areas.
Also, Asian-americans tend to get worse health problems being the same "obeseness".

[fromdust]

Originally Posted by Charles

and

"Poorer people also tend to be more obese, and Alabama is a relatively poor state. In Alabama, the obesity rate for people who make less than $15,000 a year is 31 percent; for those earning more than $75,000 a year it falls to 21 percent.
Also, the less educated are more likely to be obese, and Alabamians tend to receive less education than residents elsewhere in the nation. The obesity rate in Alabama is 26 percent for adults with a high school education and 18 percent for college graduates."

from

Huntsville Times: Why are people in Alabama so fat?

when i think of poor i think malnourished twigs in third world countries. only in america are the poor obese.

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by bluebeard

If you're using Chinese American restaurants as your reference, you are way off-base.

Sure I can use it as a reference, everytime I go into one of these restaurants I see the owners/operators eating that greasy stuff and all of them seem to be thin.

[Jay F]

The racial aspect plays a huge (no pun intended) role. I saw the national statistics for this survey and the obesity rate is far higher among African Americans than other groups. Although obesity is on the rise in every race and every state.

[Jay F]

OK, I just looked up the exact stats at the CDC web site. The African-American obesity rate is about 12 points higher than whites both nationally and in Alabama. Obesity is 4 points higher in Alabama than the national average for both groups.

Obesity rate-2008

U.S whites 25.4% U.S blacks 37.4%

Alabama whites 29.5% Alabama blacks 41.1%

You can see this and other state health statistics at

apps.nccd.cdc.gov/brfss

[mimpdaddy]

If race is a factor, well how in the h#ll do you explain West Virginia being on that list.

[Jay F]

Originally Posted by mimpdaddy

If race is a factor, well how in the h#ll do you explain West Virginia being on that list.

Because race isn't the only factor. Low income and education are as well.

[bluebeard]

Originally Posted by southernnaturelover

Sure I can use it as a reference, everytime I go into one of these restaurants I see the owners/operators eating that greasy stuff and all of them seem to be thin.

If anecdotes regarding race=based genes were the only factor in play, then Idaho, Vermont, and West Virginia would be virtually identical.