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Only Iowa and Ohio are not in the South. The South has the highest concentration of obese people in the country. Something makes me thing it may have something to do with their food!
I have never eaten 95% of the food on that list nor have I ever seen it on a menu. And yet I've lived in the South for 30+ years. So strange.
You are just one person describing your own personal situation.
The article in my OP was based on a large scale study of people who live in Southern states.
And the recent Gallup poll simply reinforces the findings of the other study.
Quote:
Clearly there are regional differences within the South just like every other region in the country. I would venture a guess that if the same study were done on other regions in the country where the researchers looked at the least healthy food they could find in that area, the results would be the same.
Yes, many in the South need to do a better job of healthy eating. So do many in the North and the East and the West. I would say this study told us something we already knew.... AMERICANS eat too much sugar, salt and fat and it's making us a fatter nation. Anyone who didn't already know this has either been living under a rock or has never been in a Walmart.
Yes, there are unhealthy foods served in other states as well, but apparently the largest percentage of unhealthy people in America live in the South.
And the typical Southern food diet is likely the main reason for their health problems.
You are just one person describing your own personal situation.
The article in my OP was based on a large scale study of people who live in Southern states.
And the recent Gallup poll simply reinforces the findings of the other study.
Yes, there are unhealthy foods served in other states as well, but apparently the largest percentage of unhealthy people in America live in the South.
And the typical Southern food diet is likely the main reason for their health problems.
I was thinking about this when I was at the grocery store last night. I happened to be behind a rather hefty fellow as I shopped. What did he put in his cart?
Sugary Cereal
Bottles of Sodas
Lunch meats (Hot dogs and Ham)
White Bread
Chips
Boxes of Mac and Cheese
Hamburger
Ice Cream
And for his health - A bag of apples
I could have been in any grocery store in the US and seen the same sort of poor choices. While there may be some Southerners who eat the foods on your list.... although I am clueless where they purchase such things, many obese people just eat the junk listed above. None of those items are Southern, just American.
I'd love to read the actual study (not a news story) to see where the participants lived, what their level of education was and their socio-economic status. I would venture that just like every other part of the country, obesity in the South is closely aligned with these benchmarks as well as diet.
A little more detail on the actual study from the Researcher:
"Judd's team looked at diet habits and stroke incidence in black and white adult participants in the REasons for Geographical And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, an ongoing population-based study of more than 30,000 people aged 45 or older in 48 U.S. states.
Judd's team used mathematical models to analyze multiple aspects of data on REGARDS study participants. They found that stroke risk was higher wherever people ate the highest amounts of Southern foods, regardless of their geographic location.
Southern style foods were popular everywhere. "This diet pattern was eaten across the country," Judd says. For example, she says, people in California ate lots of fried foods and although their "sugar-sweetened beverage might not be the sweet tea" that people in the South drank, "they are still drinking a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages." She explains that it's "the overwhelming quantity of sugar that we have in our modern American Diet," rather than the specific beverage containing the sugar, that adds to stroke risk.
The study reported that stroke risk was:
41% higher in those who ate Southern foods about 6 times a week compared to those who ate Southern foods about once a month
63% higher in blacks who ate Southern foods than comparable whites
29% lower in those who ate fruits, vegetables, legumes (such as beans, peas, lentils), and whole grains about 5 times a week compared to those who ate the least of these foods (about 3 times a week)
On the plus side, the research also showed that a diet high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins such as skinless baked (not fried) chicken "was associated with a pretty big reduction in stroke, almost 20 percent," Judd says. "To me, it's exciting that there are actually foods that seem to be helpful as well."
Another bit of good news for those who don't want to forego favorite foods forever was the finding that showed "you don't have to eliminate it altogether," Judd says, "just cut back." People at low stroke risk still ate their favorite Southern foods but limited the indulgence to once or twice a month. For those who currently consume these foods several times a week, she recommends cutting back gradually, starting with once or twice a week, until you're comfortable with once or twice a month, or less."
I was thinking about this when I was at the grocery store last night. I happened to be behind a rather hefty fellow as I shopped. What did he put in his cart?
Sugary Cereal
Bottles of Sodas
Lunch meats (Hot dogs and Ham)
White Bread
Chips
Boxes of Mac and Cheese
Hamburger
Ice Cream
And for his health - A bag of apples
I could have been in any grocery store in the US and seen the same sort of poor choices. While there may be some Southerners who eat the foods on your list.... although I am clueless where they purchase such things, many obese people just eat the junk listed above. None of those items are Southern, just American.
I'd love to read the actual study (not a news story) to see where the participants lived, what their level of education was and their socio-economic status. I would venture that just like every other part of the country, obesity in the South is closely aligned with these benchmarks as well as diet.
You might live in a neighborhood where Southern foods aren't in demand, which could be the reason why you rarely see them?
And like you mentioned, there are other factors as well such as socio-economic status that may cause people to make certain food choices over others. It is cheaper for people to purchase organ meat over prime cuts of meat, which could be the main reason for them eating it.
But as you can see from the information you posted from Dr. Judd, it is Southern food itself that is the cause the health issues.
And since Southern food is consumed more in the South than anywhere else in the country, it is likely the main reason that Southern states have the highest percentage of health issues in the country.
In Kentucky, southern foods are served in many, many places - in the wealthier areas and in the poor areas, although we see many more obese people in the poorer, less educated areas where those homemade passed down recipe-dishes are most popular.
I eat a plant based diet and have Celiac disease and live in Kentucky....in the Louisville area it is easy to find gluten-free menus and staff that are familiar with gluten free food, vegan/vegetarian healthy food, etc. In the hinter lands of Kentucky most restaurants have no idea what gluten-free means and they laugh if you ask them if they have any vegetarian dishes. We find that if restaurants serve salad, it is usually pale iceberg lettuce and a hard tomato with lots of ranch dressing. Most dishes are pork or beef based and breaded and fried (lots of fried fish too) and served with bread of some kind....the vegetables of choice are southern-style green beans (this means they are often cooked with some kind of pork and cooked many hours until they are just about devoid of any vitamins and are more gray than green). Fresh fruit is seldom on the menu. Sugary desserts are pervasive and real coke and sweet tea are the drinks of choice. The small town rural areas is where I notice a preponderance of obese people. I think the obesity rate in our area is probably about the same as it was in our near-the-beach town in Southern California.
Most Kentuckians I know are not obese - in fact they are often fairly thin - exercise regularly, eat mostly healthy, etc.
I can't believe I'm even responding to this idiotic, class-baiting thread, but I thought I'd offer the following: I live between Division Street and North Avenue in the Bucktown/Wicker Park area of Chicago and have observed the "brunch crowds" (occasionally as a member) on weekend mornings in the restaurants. The trend now is "Southern food" for brunch -- fried chicken, she-crab soup, dirty rice with ground andouille and liver, etc. The majority of people who eat at these restaurants are thin and beautiful, so either they're trying hard to become fat and ugly and just haven't succeeded yet, or there's something else going on here.
You might live in a neighborhood where Southern foods aren't in demand, which could be the reason why you rarely see them?
And like you mentioned, there are other factors as well such as socio-economic status that may cause people to make certain food choices over others. It is cheaper for people to purchase organ meat over prime cuts of meat, which could be the main reason for them eating it.
But as you can see from the information you posted from Dr. Judd, it is Southern food itself that is the cause the health issues.
And since Southern food is consumed more in the South than anywhere else in the country, it is likely the main reason that Southern states have the highest percentage of health issues in the country.
Yep, according to Dr. Judd it's a possible cause of increased strokes in all of the 48 states where the study was conducted. Interesting that California was mentioned as a state that eats a lot of fried food and drinks a lot of sugary soda. In addition, he/she mentions that the Southern diet is popular all across the US. Yes, I know, people are fatter in the Southern states, but they are not any healthier if they eat those foods in California than they are in Alabama.
Bottom line - People need to limit the amount of fat, salt and sugar they consume regardless of the exact foods they choose and where they live.
I can't believe I'm even responding to this idiotic, class-baiting thread, but I thought I'd offer the following: I live between Division Street and North Avenue in the Bucktown/Wicker Park area of Chicago and have observed the "brunch crowds" (occasionally as a member) on weekend mornings in the restaurants. The trend now is "Southern food" for brunch -- fried chicken, she-crab soup, dirty rice with ground andouille and liver, etc. The majority of people who eat at these restaurants are thin and beautiful, so either they're trying hard to become fat and ugly and just haven't succeeded yet, or there's something else going on here.
What's going on is the same thing that goes on in the South. Most people don't eat like that EVERY day. They eat like that occasionally. You can't assume that you're observing peoples regular diet when they eat out at a restaurant. I might have dessert when eating out, something I don't do at home. You're seeing a single point in time and not the whole picture.
And as the study said, Southern food is popular all over the country so I'm not at all surprised that you see folks eating those foods in Chicago or any other part of the nation.
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