Food for Thought

Obesity in America is basically an epidemic, and poverty and obesity have a connection, without a doubt. Every day more and more people in low income areas are going to the hospital with problems due to obesity and diabetes. Moreover, many of these people are uninsured and are wracking up hospital bills that we as taxpayers, are ultimately going to have to pay.  Ever since Mayor Bloomberg proposed the supersize drink ban, the consumption of fast food has been the topic of many conversations. I have heard people (from all walks of life) make extremely unsettling comments; everything from calling people pigs, to insinuating they should know better, to insisting that people who eat fast food are lazy.

Today, I had fast food for the second time this year. I didn’t do it because I’m gluttonous and don’t care about my health. I did it because it’s fast and cheap, and I’m broke; the same reason many people eat fast food each day. Yes, there are gluttons that just don’t care and should know better, but you should never generalize. Many people that eat unhealthy and / or fast foods are doing so for cost reasons, especially those in low income areas.


Some of you won’t accept this excuse; you will argue that for the same price of a value meal at Wendy’s you can easily go to Trader Joe’s and pick up some whole food and whip up a quick meal (or even a “healthy” frozen meal for that matter), but let’s think about something for a second.

How many Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, or even large supermarkets have you really seen in impoverished or low income areas? Now, how many Checkers or Burger Kings do you see in these types of areas?  Fast food chains prey upon low income areas. They know the demographics and they take advantage of them.  People in low income areas often do not have the resources (whether it be the money, the education, the stores) or sometimes even the time (ie; single parent working two jobs to support multiple children) to eat healthy, unfortunately. 

I live in an “urban town” and while McDonalds and White Castle aren’t popping up left and right, neither are specialty supermarkets like Whole Foods.  I cook as often as I can and I also make the effort to shop in specialty health food stores as well (closest one is about a 30 minute drive), but many people in low income areas do not have that option because….they don’t have cars.

While I do agree with Mayor Bloomberg’s supersize soda ban (but that is a whole different topic – it’s not about personal choice, it’s about the existence of supersize drinks in general), I’m not suggesting we should ban fast food in low income areas and I don't think we should force health food stores to open in low income areas; that is not what I am about. In addition, I am in no way saying that lifestyle and disregard for personal health is not a cause of obesity. There are many people that just don’t care about what they are doing to their bodies, and for some, obesity may be hereditary.  I just think that as Americans, we should think about ALL of the factors that are leading to obesity, before we assume everyone is a lazy, gluttonous pig. And undoubtedly, something has to give.