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Is the USDA "the left"? Here's what the USDA says about food deserts. I guess Tyster had a different idea of what a food desert is. This USDA also has a map.
Food deserts are defined as parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas. This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers.
This has become a big problem because while food deserts are often short on whole food providers, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, instead, they are heavy on local quickie marts that provide a wealth of processed, sugar, and fat laden foods that are known contributors to our nation’s obesity epidemic
LOL! Their definition of a 'food desert' is "no car and no grocery store within a mile".
Oh the humanity!
I live in one of the mountain states. The closest grocery store to me is 18 miles away. Yet that map DOESN'T say I live in a 'food desert'. Last year, before I moved, I lived almost 40 miles away from a grocery store.
The map and the 'study' assumes that people without a car and a grocery store can't get healthy food. It's idiotic.
Ironically, another poster points out that the states with the highest rates of obesity tend to be southern red states... the very same states the 'study' claims have the most 'food deserts'. Further, having lived in the South, I can tell you that most people in the South, even the poorest, can easily grow fresh vegetables in a garden. Been there, done that.
This is a misleading stat. Obese is defined as having a BMI over 30.
Aaron Judge is 31.8.
Towards the end of his career Mohammed Ali was 29.5
Mike Tyson 35.2
George Foreman 31.6
None of these guys were "obese" but they would fall into the stats.
Many professional athlete's fall into the "obese" categories but few people are in better condition than they are.
BMI is such a fail as a health measure. Too simplistic and doesn’t account for muscle, bone, or really anything. People can be unhealthy despite the “perfect” BMI, and ones classified as overweight or obese can be healthy. Lowering the threshold (was it in the 90s? I forget) also helped create the seemingly alarming stats we have today. They need to figure out some way to better gauge health and then we can see what is really going on BMI is wrong: Millions of healthy Americans labeled obese - Futurity
LOL! Their definition of a 'food desert' is "no car and no grocery store within a mile".
Oh the humanity!
I live in one of the mountain states. The closest grocery store to me is 18 miles away. Yet that map DOESN'T say I live in a 'food desert'. Last year, before I moved, I lived almost 40 miles away from a grocery store.
The map and the 'study' assumes that people without a car and a grocery store can't get healthy food. It's idiotic.
Ironically, another poster points out that the states with the highest rates of obesity tend to be southern red states... the very same states the 'study' claims have the most 'food deserts'. Further, having lived in the South, I can tell you that most people in the South, even the poorest, can easily grow fresh vegetables in a garden. Been there, done that.
Leftist FAIL.
Just because people CAN grow vegetables in a garden doesn't mean everyone does? The "food desert" theory doesn't mean it's impossible for people to grow their own food and butcher their own meat. It means there are no supermarkets within a mile (as in easily accessible wholesome food). I don't consider waiting months to grow vegetables easily accessible.
Also, if you'd read the footnotes, you'd know the criteria of food desert is defined based on 33% of the population of the census tract being outside a 10 mile zone of a supermarket (for you, if you are in a rural area). If you're the only one living out in the boonies and most of the population is in close proximity to the supermarket, that is why your area would not be considered a food desert.
Righty FAIL (actually I know righties are smarter than this... but hard not to meet arrogance with arrogance).
I would be fine with that. Actually, many companies with wellness programs now do some version if this. They'll give you discounts on your premium if you meet certain health benchmarks, including a low BMI and/or waist size.
Here in Phoenix in the so called food deserts there are grocery stores with-in close proximity with tons of fresh produce.
Maryvale for example for 9 full-service grocery stores with very cheap produce. Alhambra has a very high poverty has about the same amount of grocery stores.
In Arizona and California, the produce is super-cheap at many supermarkets.
For example, here in Phoenix the specials include at grocery stores in the poorest neighborhoods: 10 pounds of potatoes $1.29, bananas 33 cents a pound, 25 cent cucumbers, 33 cent a pound onions, 33 cent a pound carrots, 33 cent a pound pineapple, 33 cent celery, 4 pounds of cantolope for 99 cents, 2 pounds of sweet potatoes for 99 cents.
Some food desert they have in Maryvale in Phoenix. Pretty much every low-income neighborhood I have seen in Arizona or California has lots and lots of grocery stores.
Tons of cheap supermarkets in the high poverty concentration areas in Phoenix.
I was in one the poorest section of Santa Ana, CA for instance and seemed like grocery stores were everywhere, yet the fast-food restaurants had a dozen cars in the parking lot for expensive high-profit combo meals of big burgers, big orders of fries, sugary sodas.
The issue is that they like expensive steak, expensive bakery items and cakes and processed chips, sodas and cookies.
I lived in a high poverty section of Mesa and I was lonely in the produce department. But the bakers had a huge line for expensive specialty cakes. I notice lots of people getting huge steaks all the time.
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