Why are America's poorest also our fattest?

Question

I was serving food at a homeless shelter today and I was reminded of the thought. Plus, Phil Gramm said the same thing last week. It's very discouraging to see. I'm a liberal who is fairly well-off, and I still eat like a homeless person. Oats, rice, apples, beans. Cheap stuff.

So what is their problem?

Answer 1

junk food is usually cheaper than healthy food

Answer 2

The problem is that even though the foods you listed are cheap and healthy, it takes some work and a kitchen to cook rice and beans.  And there is a lot of fast food out there that is also very cheap.  For only $4 you could buy four double cheese burgers from McDonalds and get way more than your daily recommended calorie  and fat intake.

Answer 3

the food they buy is making them fat. they cant afford the good stuff.

Answer 4

Food is usually the Number 2 expense for poor people. 1st being housing, 2nd being food. Since such a large percentage of a poor person's income goes towards food, they are more likely to purchase the cheap fatty foods to make their dollars stretch. Things like Hotdogs, Fried Chicken, Processed Foods. All of which are high in Fat, Sodium, and just ruin the body.  

Which do you think a poor person would buy?  a Package of 10/hotdogs for $5 or 1 8/oz steak for $5?   One choice is a single meal. The other is 10 meals.  

Now you see why poor people usually end up fat.

Answer 5

The kind of slop they are fed inflates them without nourishing them. Fat, processed flour, sugar... your diet is great compared to that...

Why don't the poor eat well? Well, that's a generalization. I count myself as poor, and I prepare my own meals, eat balanced, and know where the nutrition is found. And I am trim and fit.

But, to be honest, your generalization rankles me. The people at the top of our weird society, unless they are celebrities, are also quite fat and unhealthy.

Americans are notoriously dumb about food, possibly due to the instant grat thing combined with the tv propaganda thing.

Answer 6

Hot dogs, Top Ramen soup, spam, some of the cheapest things that poor people can buy so I'm sure that's why.  Not to mention many of them are just so lazy.

Answer 7

MacDonald's has preyed on this demographic with the $1 meals that are unhealthy and fattening. Wendy's, BK, Sonic, and other fast food places have followed.

Answer 8

If you look around at a lot of poor neighborhoods, there are plenty of fast food restaurants, but no one wants to put the investment in to place a grocery store there.  The best you're going to do is basically a Kwik-E-Mart.