Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Geeeezus, people! I lost my job and I still eat healthy and go to the gym. Even if I couldn't afford the gym, there's no reason I wouldn't be able to work out at home or run a few miles at the local high school track. We also have YMCA's in our area that offer residents a place to work out (they have a fully equipped gym) for just $10.00 per year! Sorry, I don't buy poverty as an excuse for being out of shape.
The difference is education.Poverty and lack quality education go hand in.You know what foods to eat and where to get them.But what if you live in the worst part of the city where the only grocery staores are mom and pop variety that sell pork rinds 2 for a dollar and low quality beef that has a higher than normal fat content?Or you can't find soy milk?The fresh vegetables look terrible and have bruises on them.I not from the "hood" but I have friends and cousins that do.Let me tell you that it is easy to sit back from the outside and think you could survive in the same fashion with out living in thoise peoples shoes.Obviously they are people.So there has to be something that causes rates of hypertension,Diabetees and other ailment associated with poor nutrition.It may not just be one thing but poverty is a great start.It causes a domino effect.Im not talking about someone like you who lost a job but perhaps was probably exposed to what good nutrition is either by parents,school or just being able to venture out of the place you grew up among other people who lived a healthy lifestyle.
Like people who were abused grow up many times to be abusers unless they get help.It's the same with food.A lot of these bad eating habits and lack of exercise is generational.It's learned behavior.
Read the links I posted if you want real information and not people's opinions. Or if you don't agree that there is a link between poverty and obesity that is not the result of "laziness", then POST LINKS of real journal articles and papers that prove your point.
I hesitate to jump into this conversation...but even poor Americans have access to lots of food. I think the problem is lack of nutrition. Healthy, whole foods aren't necessarily expensive, but they may not be available to those who need them the most. Convenience and fast foods are calorie-laden, filling, & cheap. It seems there's a Taco Bell or McD's on every corner. And those "foods" taste good! I know better than even to start eating McD's french fries. If I did, I wouldn't stop.
As an aside, I often visit a major frugal living site, and it's interesting to note that the most popular forums are for stockpiling & weight loss. Stockpiling is the key to cutting grocery expenses, and many of the women who frequent the site are experts at getting deals. But, it's difficult and/or time-consuming to stock-pile fresh, whole foods. For the most part, the women are filling their basements and storage areas with dirt-cheap, shelf-stable, convenience foods. So, it doesn't surprise me that many of those same women are seeking on-line support to drop the pounds. Hey, I understand, because it's hard for me to resist the BOGO tortilla chip deal, too. And, once they're in the house, it's nearly impossible for me to prevent our family from wiping out a month's supply in two days.
Although I suspect nutrition is a major factor, I really don't know for sure why obesity and poverty are linked, or why people who have access to the best foods and health care also have trouble maintaining a healthy weight. Everyone in this conversation has made interesting contributions to the discussion. To continue the conversation, I'll throw out this link to lessisenough, in which a woman attempts to eat a nutritionally-balanced diet for less than a dollar a day, one day at a time, for an entire month. It's a fascinating and surprisingly educational read. The question is, could anyone, much less someone without her level of education & time (she's a free-lance writer), sustain her plan long-term, and does it presume resources that people in poverty simply do not have?
Last edited by formercalifornian; 05-08-2009 at 11:11 AM..
Again, the USA has made fast/junk food culture and car-dependency cool for DECADES and American obesity is the end result.
If you want to bury your heads in the sand and deny this, that's your problem. The majority of people are simply a product of their environments and culture.
Again, the USA has made fast/junk food culture and car-dependency cool for DECADES and American obesity is the end result.
If you want to bury your heads in the sand and deny this, that's your problem. The majority of people are simply a product of their environments and culture.
I agree with you.I see things changing here in Atlanta.There is a strong push to develop properties that are designed for walking.As a result more places are also being built around transit stations.Mainly due to the fact that people are tired of long commutes from the suburbs.The city core is growing rapidly.Ridership on public transportation is on the rise.
I agree with you.I see things changing here in Atlanta.There is a strong push to develop properties that are designed for walking.As a result more places are also being built around transit stations.Mainly due to the fact that people are tired of long commutes from the suburbs.The city core is growing rapidly.Ridership on public transportation is on the rise.
That is good news. Hopefully, US cities will begin to evolve that way, i.e. with more mass transit alternatives, cycle lanes, more parks and less car dependency.
How do you try to push people away from the fast/junk/processed food culture? Personally, I'd tax such foods at a higher rate. If I were mayor of a town or city, I would also enforce strict zoning codes, which would prevent 10 different fast food restaurants opening up within a 5 mile radius (but not to include designated areas that are geared towards retail, i.e. shopping malls).
Americans (in general) also work longer hours than their European or Australian counterparts. Perhaps this is also something else that needs to be looked at, in the long run. If people had more free time to spend with their families and unwind, they'd have more time to focus on being healthy.
As a society, we need to try to move away from this "culture". Of course, it cannot be forced, but it can be encouraged through better education, taxing fast food and developing our cities to be less car centric.
...and, as I mentioned in another thread, we all know how unaffordable healthcare in the US for millions of people, even when it comes to preventitive medicine. Without insurance, even a visit to the doctor for a regular check up is out of reach for many poor people in the US.
In Europe people ride bicycles or walk. A friend lived in Paris for a while and she said she would see 80 somethings walking without the pain that most older people have here. I hate the fact that in most cities or towns you have to have a car.
I am one of those people without insurance and you can tell the difference in how a doctor treats you. When I had it they took their time and did tests and when it turned out to be bronchitis he prescribed medications.. When I went to a doctor after getting bronchitis again but my new job didn't provide insurance I was in and out in less than 5 minutes. He told me to go get some over the counter stuff.
And it isn't only doctors. Most dentists now demand payment up front. A simple filling can cost over 100 dollars now. When you are struggling to make ends meet who can afford that.
Again, the USA has made fast/junk food culture and car-dependency cool for DECADES and American obesity is the end result.
If you want to bury your heads in the sand and deny this, that's your problem. The majority of people are simply a product of their environments and culture.
Annnnd this attitude is exactly why too. Run your own life, don't become a victim of your environment....create your own weather. Or, you can use it as an excuse. I'd never tell someone how to live so if you choose to live one way that's your choice however, DO NOT come trolling around in an exercise forum feeling sorry for yourself because it's not your fault, it's societies fault. That is the oldest, lamest excuse in the book. Get over it, step up, stop being a victim and take back your own life. There's no excuse for not trying to better yourself and your situation....so, back to the original question...It is not a debate, it is a fact.....if you WANT to be healthy you will find a way so does poverty CAUSE obesity??? HELL NO it doesn't, laziness causes obesity regardless of the socioeconomic class you are in. Bottom line peeps. Sorry.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
