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Why would it be surprising that those who are most successful, eat more?
Quote:
Originally Posted by pghquest
That would be true if they paid for their own food, but we all know poor people get food stamps and can selectively pick what they want to eat..
Wow. What planet do you live on? You think Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia are the most successful? LOL
The fact is that obesity is disproportionately linked to poverty, and not nearly all low-income people get a level of government assistance that allow them to eat balanced diets. Low-income people can get enough calories to survive, but they can't usually be picky and eat balanced diets, so they end up eating lots of cheap processed crap - i.e., a lot of calories from fat. This has been documented to death for years now - do a quick search.
When I was living in Louisiana a few years back (just for a few months) I was really shocked at the way they ate down there. When you suggested taking a walk after dinner, you just got blank stares and I was made fun constantly for ordering a fruit cup or salad at restaurants instead of fried greasy stuff. They would call me a 'rabbit', or just say 'Oh, she's from California, they don't know good food there'. Yes, we do know good food...and it's not always saturated in butter and deep fried.
It's good every once in a while, but I couldn't stand the feeling of all that heavy food. When you can hardly move after a meal, you probably ate too much. Sometimes, it's a good thing...but every night? Really??? And for all meals?! I couldn't believe the amount of food they ate during the day.
It definitely is a societal thing.... where I live there's a big push for mountain climbing, bike riding, running, swimming etc. and if you can't participate in those activities, you're missing out on a lot of networking opportunities. Even at my company, I go play racquetball with my boss quite a bit. It's just ingrained in us here I suppose. I didn't enjoy the south very much
We must remember that the red states in the South have a large African American population which would count significantly to the obesity rates.
West Virginia is 95% White. Kentucky is 92% Tennessee is 85% White. So 5% of the population is going to skew the numbers that much. I don't think so. Take a class in statistics
That's funny... I see a much higher density of world-class restaurants in New York than Atlanta...
I do like the food in New Orleans, but I find, as opposed to New England, where I live, the south is much more fattening chain restaurant oriented. It's not uncommon when I am traveling in the south to get a recommendation of "Olive Garden" for dinner... Up north, you wouldn't find me vomiting in the Olive Garden's parking lot.
Without getting in to whether the north or the south have better food (Take the Moderator cut: language heads off your shrimp!), I will say that southern cooking emphasizes more fried dishes (and how can you not like that) while in the North broiled and baked dishes seem to be staples.
Speaking of which, I am having broiled Scrod tomorrow night. If you like fish... Get yourself to Boston and try this!
Vast swaths of the south do a poor job of Italian or Asian....
Now in Dallas I can get really good Italian and Asian… but where I am from in Louisiana. Kraft Mac-n-Cheese passes for Eye-Tallian…
However, If you spent any time in Louisiana, you would find that we are not just fat because of what we fry. We also put tons of butter in what we do not fry! LOL
Gumbo, roux made with chicken fat, Etouffee is really a vehicle for the crawfish and butter…. Those are but a couple of examples… We also love our pork fat. As Cliff Huxtable would say “Praise the Lardâ€!
And while I agree that some of the best food I have eaten has been north of the mason Dixon line, there is no question that we southerners do make a high art of making fat taste good…
Cheese grits
Collard greens and salt pork
All the good BBQ is southern at its core….
PS Green Beans never tasted so good as when my dear departed grandmother would put a big glop of bacon grease in the pot!
West Virginia is 95% White. Kentucky is 92% Tennessee is 85% White. So 5% of the population is going to skew the numbers that much. I don't think so. Take a class in statistics
Are you serious??? Sorry, but I think it is you who might need to take a refresher in statistics.
Do you understand that the ENTIRE black population in the U.S is appx. 12%?
Do you know that the poplulation of black in Vermont is < 1%.
The population of South Carolina is 28% black.
The population of North Carolina is 21% black
By your own research, you state that Tennessee is 15% black.
So these states are way over the national average and yes it could make a HUGE difference in the data. And I suspect is the reason red states have a greater % of obesity.
Are you serious??? Sorry, but I think it is you who might need to take a refresher in statistics.
Do you understand that the ENTIRE black population in the U.S is appx. 12%?
Do you know that the poplulation of black in Vermont is < 1%.
The population of South Carolina is 28% black.
The population of North Carolina is 21% black
By your own research, you state that Tennessee is 15% black.
So these states are way over the national average and yes it could make a HUGE difference in the data. And I suspect is the reason red states have a greater % of obesity.
Does it even matter if the US is the overall most obese nation in the World?
You've got a serious problem.
Some of the poorer states have more obesity because many of the people in those states eat crap food. The most expensive foods per calorie are fruits, vegetables, and grains. So to have an apetite satisfied, or in a lot of cases, many apetites satisfied, the way to do it is with inexpensive high fat foods. A single parent working two lousy jobs often has to bring home the family dinner following work. To save money and time, that usually means Taco Bell, McDonalds, etc. I.E., fatty foods.
Once a person becomes overweight, exercising becomes more of an unpleasant challenge. So the "calorie burn" part of the equation takes a hit too.
Now if you want me to, and to fit into the popular modus operandi of this website, I can come up with some way to blame the obesity epidemic on the NAACP, the Tea Party, Obama, Sarah Palin, or simply the Left, or the Right.
from this we can assume Conservatives are fat and Liberals are drunk out of their minds...
nice.
Bad idea to assume. Frankie didn't provide per capita data (as I specified) but passed off volume by state with false conclusions that defy his own data. The honest presentation would have admitted he couldn't find the study criteria any better than I could in search. Another plausible explanation is you've both got severe comprehension problems. Shall I assume?
CDC results are based on self reported data, and given the predilection of some folks to lie to save face, puff themselves up taking credit for what they never earned... even in this very thread, is succeeding in educating joe public that not only are they drunks, but habitual liars as well.
Alcohol consumption volume by region 2007
#1 South region 2,501,715
Midwest region 1,518,080
West region 1,458,435
Northeast region 1,072,403
The most densely populated region of the country drinks the least. The south drinking 2.5 x's more than northeast is pretty dramatic. You won't find "beer caves" in New England stores. The state of South Carolina drinks more than Nevada, a state who relies heavily upon ploying tourists with copious volumes of liquor at their casinos. What's up with that SC?
So how about my own porch? The discussion I tried to have isn't about personal attacks, superiority complexes, or an instrument to berate as some have alluded. If America has a problem anywhere, why sweep it under a rug until it rots to high heaven?
My home is in WV. Considering that statistically this state has steadily lost population for decades, and alcohol consumption by volume more than doubled since the 70's- do you suppose something about the culture here has made it ok to be a drunken as a lifestyle? I walk into Go-mart to get the receipt for the gas I just pumped. The line is 10 deep. 8 of those people have a case of beer or a 40 oz. This isn't a reflection of the good people I know here, or even the city of charleston, but a reflection of how bad the habits are of some and/or the culture that tolerates/ excuses a lack of personal discipline. Is 90% of SC drunk? I doubt that as much as I would WV. These statistics will never be able to say how much any one person is drinking. If one person is drinking what 20 normal people would, it won't show up anywhere but a breathalizer test on a DUI stop or the morgue.
I'm thinking it wouldn't be fair (giving benefit of the doubt the majority of you are interested in truth or fairness) to blame Kansas for midwest statistics. I'm thinking Michigan is far more drunken than Texas, because Texas is far more densely populated. Per capita statistics might prove Texas to be far more sober, but California even more sober than Texas because she is the most populated state in the union. Does it account for loopty loop brains whacked out on legalized pot? No, but meth trailers aren't caloric either so that's excluded from consideration.
Not here to advocate tea totaling. The point of me mentioning liquor is because it's empty calories with little to no nutritional value. Functional drunks I've known tend to be heavy set, and the ones too far gone have replaced liquor for food entirely (a skeleton with an ethiopian belly). There but for the grace of god go I; I have genetic predisposition to alcoholism in my family tree. Just like the teen girl a few doors down from me, she chose to have an aversion to obesity her mother sets as example, and some folks in life (even ones we love dearly) serve as examples of what never to be. Statistically obese people are often malnourished, even though that appears to defy logic. You'd expect skinny people would be the ones more malnourished. It's fact, but doesn't explain the root cause. That's what lifelongMo and I have been trying to wrestle down.
My question remains unanswered. The correlation between per capita fat states and per capita high alcohol consumption is still missing. I hope someone does that study someday if it hasn't been done already.
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