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I found this to be pretty shocking so I decided to go on a recon mission to see for myself. Took the 2 year old with me to Whole Foods in Woodland Hills to pick up some Udo's oil and my favorite cabernet, didnt see a single fat/obese person in the entire store. We hung around for quite a while. Later, we decided to head to a Ralphs to pick up some oatmeal and sure enough, we saw quite a bit more obese people. Why is this?
I dont think that fit/thin people make more money than obese people so that they can afford the high prices of Whole Foods. Plus, I saw just as many people with kids at WF as at Ralphs so it cant be related to prices of feeding an entire family. Im thinking that maybe people who are fit/thin are better educated than the obese when it comes to eating/dietary habits so they choose to go to Whole Foods for better quality. Maybe? I know the meat section at Whole Foods have beef/meat from free range, non-hormone ingested corn fed beef while at Ralphs, they probably get their meat from a cow equivalent of a "puppy mill". I just thought this study was a bit weird.
There has long been a correlation between poverty and obesity. The people who are shopping at Whole Foods aren't going to be the poor ones. At Albertson's, Kroger, Safeway, etc., you'll see more poor people, mostly buying cheap and sale foods.
I notice that I see fewer overweight people at Sprouts. That doesn't fit the assumption, because Sprouts has some of the best prices on produce in our area. It's my go-to for fresh foods.
Here's an article on the subject in Slate, and a relevant quote:
Quote:
Those in greatest need, furthermore, tend to be both poor and fat. We know, for instance, that the lower your income, the more likely you are to inhabit an "obesogenic" environment. Food options in poor neighborhoods are severely limited: It's a lot easier to find quarter waters and pork rinds on the corner than fresh fruit and vegetables. Low-income workers may also have less time to cook their own meals, less money to join sports clubs, and less opportunity to exercise outdoors.
but seriously, economy is no excuse for eating crap.
I live in Europe where taxes on food are way higher(do you even have taxes on food in the US?)
and so the food prices are higher...
As a student I live on about 1000$ a month.
My rent costs me nearly 400$, leaving 600 for food, clothes, books, etc etc
>90% of my food is wholefoods. Chicken, brownrice, potaotes, meat, fresh veggies, etc
I rarely put more than 300$ on food/month
Last time I checked the US GNP was at around $45000/capita so the average american would have about what 2500$/month after taxes?
The average american is overweight (68% are either overweight or obese) and at least many of these cannot blame their private economies for their health, unless they've been doing some serious miss-prioritizing...
And really, what do you prioritize over your health?
I just think that in general, people who would typically shop at Whole Foods or Sprouts are likely to be more health conscious than those who don't. These chains are, right or wrong, not perceived as "mainstream" as some of the others. Therefore, those who choose to go there are probably shopping more "intentionally" than those who don't. Again, these are generalities. Not always.
I just think that in general, people who would typically shop at Whole Foods or Sprouts are likely to be more health conscious than those who don't. These chains are, right or wrong, not perceived as "mainstream" as some of the others. Therefore, those who choose to go there are probably shopping more "intentionally" than those who don't. Again, these are generalities. Not always.
This is how I feel as well. I just think they ARE more health conscious and lead more active lifestyle than those who shop primarily at other supermarkets. The study indicated this as well.
There was also a section of the study that indicated the physical locations of the stores were NOT a factor. Even me, when I did my recon mission yesterday I went both stores that are in the same neighborhood. Actually about 1/4-1/2 mile away on the same street.
I've never been to a Safeway or Albertson's so I'm not sure what kind of healthy options they have available.
Down here we have Kroger (never shop there), Lowe's foods (rarely shop there), Food Lion (ick!), Harris Teeter (where I do a lot of my shopping), Whole Foods and Trader Joes and Fresh Market and of course the Farmer's Market.
I will only shop at certain Harris Teeter stores as well...the bigger stores have a better selection of organic and items that are hard-to-find in mainstream grocery stores like quinoa and flax meal/seed. They also have free-range, hormone free chicken and organic yogurts which I will buy there as well.
For other "specialty" items or meats I go to whole foods or Trader Joe...sometimes even Fresh Market.
I will say, look at the advertising for Walmart....it drives me CRAZY to watch their ads. The breakfast ones really irritate me ..."feed your whole family for less" with pictures of sugar cereal, donuts and juice all served at the same meal. WTH...where is the protein??? Where are the eggs or a piece of fruit, maybe even whole grain bread?? I can feed my family of 6 for a lot less purchasing a carton of eggs, spinach, tomato, reduced fat feta and making a yummy egg scramble.
Now, I'm overweight (not obese). The rest of my family is fit and healthy. I eat healthy, know what a serving size is and I exercise. I have low thyroid function and we are in the process of fixing that issue. Makes me wonder though, what people think of me in the stores when I grocery shop
I must have been one of those 4% they counted in Whole Foods
but seriously, economy is no excuse for eating crap.
I live in Europe where taxes on food are way higher(do you even have taxes on food in the US?)
and so the food prices are higher...
As a student I live on about 1000$ a month.
My rent costs me nearly 400$, leaving 600 for food, clothes, books, etc etc
>90% of my food is wholefoods. Chicken, brownrice, potaotes, meat, fresh veggies, etc
I rarely put more than 300$ on food/month
Last time I checked the US GNP was at around $45000/capita so the average american would have about what 2500$/month after taxes?
The average american is overweight (68% are either overweight or obese) and at least many of these cannot blame their private economies for their health, unless they've been doing some serious miss-prioritizing...
And really, what do you prioritize over your health?
Firstly, living in Europe as you do, you have some different circumstances. The social safety net in European countries is much stronger than in the US. This gives you more freedom to spend your money on better foods. Also, the food culture is much different here. Small stores in urban areas sell primarily junk and convenience foods, and very few healthy alternatives. Neighborhoods in the US are laid out in such a way that you have to have a car to be able to get to the better stores in most areas. Daily marketing is made much more difficult this way.
Secondly, average income is a poor predictor. If you average my income and Bill Gates' (founder of Microsoft) income, we'd average out to both be billionaires. There are significant numbers of people who are making under $12 an hour, which is much less than the "average" of $45k.
I totally agree that many people in the US do not prioritize their food purchases to maximize their health. Some of that is habit; they were raised on convenience foods. But I am shocked at how many people I know who cannot cook a simple meal unless most of it comes out of a box. There are commercials for fast food outlets that poke fun at guys who never learned to cook, inferring that they would starve if it were not for fast food.
I do a majority of my shopping at Sprouts (I know it's not a national chain) and I HATE Whole Foods. Last time I went there, I was on my way to a family dinner and it was the only grocery store around...I spent $5 on three tomatoes. Never again!
I have the money to shop well, but I still choose discount healthfood stores like Sprouts.
Occasionally I'll go to Kroger (even worse than Alberton's) to get my regular stuff. Sprouts is for produce and meat.
One thing that comes to mind is when I lived where there was an Albertsons they always had ways of encouraging bulk buying on junk. They constantly had 10 for $10 specials on things like the little envelopes of muffin mix or 2 for $5 on cartons of ice cream. I always found I ended up spending more and buying more junk foods when I did shop there versus Safeway. We didn't have a Whole Foods, but we had New Frontiers natural foods. I felt like a fish out of water there because other customers were generally the rich and extremely well educated phD's or ex-hippy types. Plus most were vegetarian so you got dirty looks even purchasing free range beef. It was twice as expensive as other places so I only purchased things there I could find no where else. However I did know a number of people who shopped there in order to create a sort of impression on others. It was important to be spotted there or be able to say you only shopped there.
I guess next the food Nazi's will want to ban Albertson's from "fat" neighborhoods, right? You know, like they've done with fast food joints in south Los Angeles?
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I just think that in general, people who would typically shop at Whole Foods or Sprouts are likely to be more health conscious than those who don't. These chains are, right or wrong, not perceived as "mainstream" as some of the others. Therefore, those who choose to go there are probably shopping more "intentionally" than those who don't. Again, these are generalities. Not always.
