On the one hand, it’s estimated that 75% of the American populous will become diabetic within the next 50 years if current trends continue. Those people can live mostly normal lives if they get it together and manage their self-inflicted condition. On the other hand, it’s estimated that around the world, 1 person dies of starvation every 4 seconds.Our nation, as a whole, is making itself sick by seriously overeating while others literally starve to death. The absurdity of that is astounding.
What many people don’t understand is, in a growing number of cases in this country obesity is actually a symptom of starvation. Any dietician can point this out, but what is actually happening here is the types of food products that are cheap (American cheese, flour pastas and noodles, ground chuck, potato and corn based dishes and snacks) are high in trans fats, calories, and carbohydrates. People buy them because they are cheap and easy to fill up on, especially if you are low income and feeding a family. Unfortunately, they provide bulk, but not enough energy to increase the excercise required to burn it back off. Therefore, the body puts on weight, storing the excess fat and craving more food. By using more of the same food, the cycle continues and the body gets larger, but is now unable to get enough necessary nutrients from such a diet, and it begins to starve, resulting in severe health problems. So those people viewed as gluttons actually cannot help themselves by this point because they have to constantly eat these low-nutrient foods they can afford to maintain ANY energy level to function. This is, ironically, the same way we fatten up cattle.
Well I guess it’s a good thing all those Africans are dying of AIDs rather than starving to death. I’d also like to know how these figures were proven. Skinny people have heart attacks too you know.
Debbie Jordan: Finally, someone close to the problem manages to sneak in an authoritative word on the subject. A similar problem exists among the urban poor where there are no supermarkets and fresh veggies within miles of their residences, and no transportation to get to those farther. Genocide is genocide even without death camps.
If you live in a rural area, where the markets can be supplied with local foods, it is easier to eat healthy. However, in most urban areas, it is quite a bit more expensive to eat healthy, as fresh vegetables are sold at a premium price. Your kids can go to bed hungry because they ate fresh vegetables but you could not afford a protein to go with it, or they can have 2 servings of Hamburger Helper and feel full, with no energy the next day. The spiral is easy to get into but hard to escape, especially when you have kids. You assume the poor are lazy, which is true in some cases, but when my wife and I were both teachers, we worked constantly for a poverty level wage. Many poor work multiple jobs, simply because wages have not kept up with inflation since the eighties. My great uncle was an assistant grocery store manager, and still managed to buy a house and raise a family on that income in the 60’s and 70’s. Try that now. Capitalism offers everyone the opportunity to better themselves, but PURE capitalism (like we had in the late 18th, early 20th centuries) is little different than serfdom.
Yontrop over 11 years ago
Nobody makes you over eat.
Jason Allen over 11 years ago
On the one hand, it’s estimated that 75% of the American populous will become diabetic within the next 50 years if current trends continue. Those people can live mostly normal lives if they get it together and manage their self-inflicted condition. On the other hand, it’s estimated that around the world, 1 person dies of starvation every 4 seconds.Our nation, as a whole, is making itself sick by seriously overeating while others literally starve to death. The absurdity of that is astounding.
Chillbilly over 11 years ago
How ‘bout if fat people are killed by assault weapons it’s only a misdemeanor? That will satisfy both the gun lobby and improve our national health.
Fourcrows over 11 years ago
What many people don’t understand is, in a growing number of cases in this country obesity is actually a symptom of starvation. Any dietician can point this out, but what is actually happening here is the types of food products that are cheap (American cheese, flour pastas and noodles, ground chuck, potato and corn based dishes and snacks) are high in trans fats, calories, and carbohydrates. People buy them because they are cheap and easy to fill up on, especially if you are low income and feeding a family. Unfortunately, they provide bulk, but not enough energy to increase the excercise required to burn it back off. Therefore, the body puts on weight, storing the excess fat and craving more food. By using more of the same food, the cycle continues and the body gets larger, but is now unable to get enough necessary nutrients from such a diet, and it begins to starve, resulting in severe health problems. So those people viewed as gluttons actually cannot help themselves by this point because they have to constantly eat these low-nutrient foods they can afford to maintain ANY energy level to function. This is, ironically, the same way we fatten up cattle.
Rottiluv over 11 years ago
Well I guess it’s a good thing all those Africans are dying of AIDs rather than starving to death. I’d also like to know how these figures were proven. Skinny people have heart attacks too you know.
hippogriff over 11 years ago
Debbie Jordan: Finally, someone close to the problem manages to sneak in an authoritative word on the subject. A similar problem exists among the urban poor where there are no supermarkets and fresh veggies within miles of their residences, and no transportation to get to those farther. Genocide is genocide even without death camps.
Fourcrows over 11 years ago
If you live in a rural area, where the markets can be supplied with local foods, it is easier to eat healthy. However, in most urban areas, it is quite a bit more expensive to eat healthy, as fresh vegetables are sold at a premium price. Your kids can go to bed hungry because they ate fresh vegetables but you could not afford a protein to go with it, or they can have 2 servings of Hamburger Helper and feel full, with no energy the next day. The spiral is easy to get into but hard to escape, especially when you have kids. You assume the poor are lazy, which is true in some cases, but when my wife and I were both teachers, we worked constantly for a poverty level wage. Many poor work multiple jobs, simply because wages have not kept up with inflation since the eighties. My great uncle was an assistant grocery store manager, and still managed to buy a house and raise a family on that income in the 60’s and 70’s. Try that now. Capitalism offers everyone the opportunity to better themselves, but PURE capitalism (like we had in the late 18th, early 20th centuries) is little different than serfdom.