Study: 4 in 10 Americans on food stamps are obese

[wizardwatson]

Perhaps. Potatoes, onions, and carrots are very inexpensive. They are very healthy for most people. They same for beans. All of these foods are very easy to cook too. We cannot expect people that are not personally responsible financially to be personally responsible nutrition-wise. That would be crazy.

I know, people are so morally bankrupt and dishonest.

Using food stamps when you don't really need them is like running on a Republican platform when you're not really Republican just cuz it's easier. Those people should be ashamed.

[surf]

ok guys, i'm going to try and use my threadkiller skill here.

the thread title is cold. I've become a person that spends a large portion of my income on food, and I shop w/coupons and hit sales, etc. the reasons are because food is becoming more expensive and my income isn't growing. I weigh 155. criticizing food choices of poor folks isn't going to win any converts and is more likely to have the opposite effect. pointing out reasons food prices are so high (government intervention) is a better way to proceed, imo.

back in the day there were rumors (urban myths?) about grocery stores not having sales on certain dates near the end of the month because that is when social security checks or food stamps came out.

just my .02

[Keith and stuff]

ok guys, i'm going to try and use my threadkiller skill here.

the thread title is cold. I've become a person that spends a large portion of my income on food, and I shop w/coupons and hit sales, etc. the reasons are because food is becoming more expensive and my income isn't growing. I weigh 155. criticizing food choices of poor folks isn't going to win any converts and is more likely to have the opposite effect. pointing out reasons food prices are so high (government intervention) is a better way to proceed, imo.

back in the day there were rumors (urban myths?) about grocery stores not having sales on certain dates near the end of the month because that is when social security checks or food stamps came out.

just my .02

Food prices are not high. Food is cheap in America. There is a famous rap song titled The First of the Month. You should check it out. It is about able-bodied lazy people getting welfare. It was a super popular song for a time. Folks from college students to elementary school students sang it loud and proud. Nothing has changed since it was a super hit.

[heavenlyboy34]

Food prices are not high. Food is cheap in America. There is a famous rap song titled The First of the Month. You should check it out. It is about able-bodied lazy people getting welfare. It was a super popular song for a time. Folks from college students to elementary school students sang it loud and proud. Nothing has changed since it was a super hit.

Cheap food is cheap. Quality food, not so much. You get what you pay for.

[Keith and stuff]

Cheap food is cheap. Quality food, not so much. You get what you pay for.

So you are saying that carrots, potatoes, beans, and onions are expensive? 6 to 10 pounds of potatoes is $2 to $3 where I live pretty frequently. I don't live in WA either. I know potatoes are more common there. I've bought 3 pounds of onions for 60 cents here. The truth is, there are plenty of cheap, health veggies. Healthy food being expensive is a statist lie.

[Zippyjuan]

Food prices are not high. Food is cheap in America. There is a famous rap song titled The First of the Month. You should check it out. It is about able-bodied lazy people getting welfare. It was a super popular song for a time. Folks from college students to elementary school students sang it loud and proud. Nothing has changed since it was a super hit.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/...od-than-you-do

Note that selection of foods has greatly increased over that time as well.

When admiring such enticing items at the grocery store as an avocado for $1.50, an $8 chocolate bar or fresh wild Alaskan salmon for $20 a pound, you've probably experienced sticker shock.

Indeed, retailers and restaurants offer myriad opportunities to blow your food budget in one fell swoop.

But our spending on food — proportional to our income — has actually declined dramatically since 1960, according to a chart recently published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As the chart shows, the average share of per capita income spent on food fell from 17.5 percent in 1960 to 9.6 percent in 2007. (It has since risen slightly, reaching 9.9 percent in 2013.)

Because of the overall rise in income, and the consistent shrinking of food prices adjusted for inflation, we actually have more disposable income than our grandparents did, according to Annette Clauson, an agricultural economist with USDA's Economic Research Service who helped calculate the data in the chart.

"We are purchasing more food for less money, and we are purchasing our food for less of our income," Clauson tells The Salt. "This is a good thing, because we have income to purchase other things." (We know, it may not always feel that way these days.)

About 40 percent of household consumer expenditures in Guatemala and the Philippines went to food in 2013, compared with just 6.7 percent in the U.S. Even the French and the Japanese spend about double what we spend on food — 14 percent of all consumer expenditures each.

[Keith and stuff]

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/...od-than-you-do

Note that selection of foods has greatly increased over that time as well.

No doubt. We all agree that lots of healthy food are cheap. Thank goodness for freedom. Poor people and rich people a like have the freedom to be super healthy. Health doesn't relate to class at all, expect how people want it too.

[otherone]

I have a feeling when most Americans say cheap foods, what they mean is processed food and ready to eat food which are actually not that cheap when compared to the alternative you can buy if you have the time and skills to prepare it.

If you haven't seen it, you really should.

[wizardwatson]

Food prices are not high. Food is cheap in America. There is a famous rap song titled The First of the Month. You should check it out. It is about able-bodied lazy people getting welfare. It was a super popular song for a time. Folks from college students to elementary school students sang it loud and proud. Nothing has changed since it was a super hit.

It's good you hate them. You're supposed to. And they're supposed to be dependent. If they aren't dependent they wouldn't be as willing to riot when it gets taken away. And if you didn't hate them you wouldn't be as willing to watch them all get rounded up and shot and sit in your living room with smug satisfaction.

Thank you for your support.

-TPTB

[UWDude]

Four in ten of any kind of americans are obese.*

four in ten rich Americans are obese
four in ten black Americans are obese
four in ten white Americans are obese
ten in ten obese americans are obese, which is about 120,000,000 Americans.






*except American runners, American personal trainers, and American athletes.

[Spikender]

Holy $#@! sign me up, I smoke three out of four of those things.

[DamianTV]

So you are saying that carrots, potatoes, beans, and onions are expensive? 6 to 10 pounds of potatoes is $2 to $3 where I live pretty frequently. I don't live in WA either. I know potatoes are more common there. I've bought 3 pounds of onions for 60 cents here. The truth is, there are plenty of cheap, health veggies. Healthy food being expensive is a statist lie.

What isnt being factored in is Time as a Perceived Cost. The time that people who are on food stamps have available can be as widely varied as anything. Some may truly be too busy day in and day out, others, such as myself when I was not working, have nothing but time. Its a projection of the persons financial state into viewing Time as something else they cant afford. They may or may not have the actual time, but the perceived time projected through an associated cost is something I think they may not feel they have enough of. As a result, those without enough money for food that do have a lot of time see the unhealthy "quick fix" meals as cheaper, even if they do have enough time to prepare a healthy meal that does cost less. Its not the actual cost, its the perceived cost that screws people up, and it tends to be one of those things that Marketers focus on quite heavily. Instant Rice. Marketing focuses on "how much is your Time worth"? These types of meals are typically heavily processed and cook faster due to the heavy processing and cost less money, so the Marketers sell a combination of Low Money Cost and Low Time Cost as High Value. A lot is Marketing, and people respond to Marketing because it is quite effective.

Next problem. Many that are on food stamps are out of work. Remember the 5% Unemployment Rate is bull$#@!. We've said this over and over again. Everyone except Zippy, who is still suffering heavily in a total state of Denial sees the truth that this Economy has not improved one bit for the bottom 95%. When people are out of work, they have time. Another way to look at the Time perspective in this instance, unrelated to the statement above, is the more time people spend not working, the more time they have to spend eating and stress eating. Doesnt matter if it is out of boredom or lack of satiation or a psychological result of their situation, they have time to eat more, thus, they eat more. For physical jobs, a lot of calories are burned off during the day doing work at a job. That also adds to the dilema of obesity. If I remember correctly, Bruce Lee said the key to weight loss was quite simple: "move more, eat less".

I think that pretty much sums it up for several points of view, and hopefully, in no way should discredit any of your statements, which are all also perfectly valid.

[tod evans]

There is a famous rap song titled The First of the Month.You should check it out.

Sorry dude, I've never, not once, listened to rap and I'm not about to start now...

Here are the words just in case anyone might be interested?

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bonet...fthamonth.html

BONE THUGS-N-HARMONY LYRICS
"1st Of Tha Month"

[Birds singin', snorin', roster crowin', and an alarm clock]

[Chorus: Layzie & Bizzy (repeat 4x)]

Wake up, wake up, wake up it's the 1st of the month
To get up, get up, get up so cash your checks and get up

[Krayzie]
Hey my nigga we havin' a wonderful day and I won't $#@! with me. Why?
'Cause it's the 1st of the month and now we smokin', chokin', rollin' blunts
And sippin' on 40 ounces thuggin' come come we got the blessed rum
From jumpin' all nights we high
Hit up the block to where? East 99
I get with my nigga to get me some yayo
Double up nigga what you need?
We got weed to get P.O.Ded
Fiend for the green leaves
Give it up it's the foe sure you better lay low
Cause the po-po creep when they roll slow
If you can't get away better toss that yayo
Keep your bankroll
Yeah we havin' a celebration, I love to stay high
And you better believe when it's time to grind
I'm down for mine crime after crime
Fin to creep to the pad cause mom's got grub on the grill
If we got the food, you know it's the 1st of the month
and my nigga we chills foe real

[Chorus 4x]

[Bizzy]
Wake up and I see that my sister is already dressed
She said "I'm gonna run and go get my stamps
Watch and make sure no one snatches my check" nigga that's the mailman
Sort through the mail and put it up in-a me pocket
So I be hittin' the 99 to get me a dub
Foe forty bucks but ain't nobody ride that rita
Hop on the 10 to the click
Ready to get 'em up with-a me thugs
And to cash that dum
I gotta get paid play player holla holla
Saint Claire got much to offer
Whether it be weed on 93
Or off on the glock glock for some dollars, so
Get a bag of dope and a quarter roll, oh
Most all of my niggas got the same, and we gonna roll it all up to smoke
Hittin' that reefer hydro, you know the cut, so $#@! them po-po
Toss all that yayo, and we're gonna say no
Runnin' through the alley and into the melee
Up on the second the sundown
Those run from January,November,December remember the 1st of the month

[Chorus 4x]

[Wish]
It's the 1st of the month
Gotta grind gotta get mine
In the hood that I claim
I slang on that double 9-9
Gotta find them dubs
Gonna get a forty, can a thug get love?
What's up?
Try to stand on my corner
Nigga you'z a gonna Saint Claire niggas don't like that
And sellin' them dummies makin' that money come back nigga get pap pap
From the 1st to the 15th niggas smoke plenty weed
But I gotta save gotta come up
Put my rocks on the cut
When I get high nigga blaze that blunt, huh
Time to roll to the pad
Count up my profits and add it to the stash
Gotta watch my back see for niggas that's tryin' to rob me, fool
But never no shorts no losses
Dumpin' keepin' this niggas up off me see
Gotta search the whole block
Spend a couple of bills
Thugs smoke a lot of weed on the 1st

[Chorus 2x]

[Layzie (Krayzie)]
Wakin' up feelin' buzzed off up early mornin' stretchin'
I'm yawnin' lightweight bent chugga lugga take a fifth to the dome
Instead I kick it with my trues
But it's the 1st so I'm getting my hustle on
Hop on the phone, calling up Krayzie Bone
Wanna know did you O.G check come? (She put me down)
I'm a hop on the bus with Biz (Yo Brother let's get drunk)
And I'm coming with blunt after blunt
Of this skunk
Nigga T just put me down
Oh God how I love when the 1st come around
Now I'm feelin' black and mild, headed cross town
'Cause niggas the 1st to get celebrated
Rushin' to the block cause I wanna get faded
Lookin' all wild cause I'm getting me hair braided
We heavy off into this game
True to the 1st just call me that pro slang
Them nickels and dimes and 20's and 50's
The 1st be the day for the dopeman
Slangin' that cocaine fool, and I'm working late tonight
And all them fiends be lovin' them thugs
'Cause I got them rocks for them pipes
Come come with them ease
I gotta get paid on the 1st, gotta blaze up my spliff
Get live with the Bone Thugs, Poetic Hustlers in the graveyard shift
On the 1st

[Chorus: Repeat 'til the end of the song]

[AuH20]

Four in ten of any kind of americans are obese.*

four in ten rich Americans are obese
four in ten black Americans are obese
four in ten white Americans are obese
ten in ten obese americans are obese, which is about 120,000,000 Americans.






*except American runners, American personal trainers, and American athletes.

Paying others to be obese is the main issue. Supposedly, 'starving' people should not be obese, though some of it can be attributed to nutritional content. I theorize if you cut the rolls in half, you'd probably be doing more good than harm.

[Zippyjuan]

What isnt being factored in is Time as a Perceived Cost. The time that people who are on food stamps have available can be as widely varied as anything. Some may truly be too busy day in and day out, others, such as myself when I was not working, have nothing but time. Its a projection of the persons financial state into viewing Time as something else they cant afford. They may or may not have the actual time, but the perceived time projected through an associated cost is something I think they may not feel they have enough of. As a result, those without enough money for food that do have a lot of time see the unhealthy "quick fix" meals as cheaper, even if they do have enough time to prepare a healthy meal that does cost less. Its not the actual cost, its the perceived cost that screws people up, and it tends to be one of those things that Marketers focus on quite heavily. Instant Rice. Marketing focuses on "how much is your Time worth"? These types of meals are typically heavily processed and cook faster due to the heavy processing and cost less money, so the Marketers sell a combination of Low Money Cost and Low Time Cost as High Value. A lot is Marketing, and people respond to Marketing because it is quite effective.

Next problem. Many that are on food stamps are out of work. Remember the 5% Unemployment Rate is bull$#@!. We've said this over and over again. Everyone except Zippy, who is still suffering heavily in a total state of Denial sees the truth that this Economy has not improved one bit for the bottom 95%. When people are out of work, they have time. Another way to look at the Time perspective in this instance, unrelated to the statement above, is the more time people spend not working, the more time they have to spend eating and stress eating. Doesnt matter if it is out of boredom or lack of satiation or a psychological result of their situation, they have time to eat more, thus, they eat more. For physical jobs, a lot of calories are burned off during the day doing work at a job. That also adds to the dilema of obesity. If I remember correctly, Bruce Lee said the key to weight loss was quite simple: "move more, eat less".

I think that pretty much sums it up for several points of view, and hopefully, in no way should discredit any of your statements, which are all also perfectly valid.

Interesting theory- the reason people are fat are because they don't have jobs and so sit around eating all day. If that is the reason, then people with jobs (and would not have as much time to sit around) must not be obese. So if you see a fat person, you know they don't have a job.

[parocks]

Strangely, I sometimes wonder if these people are living in a famine mindset if they're poor. Like they're instinctively going for the cheap energy foods which also lead to energy storage(fat). Just a curious example of human behavior.

Eh, aren't people on food stamps generally stupider than non food-stamp people?

I'll say that it really, really isn't easy to find this nutritious food.

People on food stamps probably don't immediately think that most of the food in the supermarket is not good for you.

Maybe, though, the reason why people on food stamps are fat is because they're discriminated against in the workplace. Thin people have jobs, they don't need food stamps, fat people get fired or don't get hired a bit more often than thin people.

[parocks]

I was going to say it was an effect of the cheap non-nutritious foods that poor people can afford, but comparing to people who qualify but didn't take SNAP? That's kind of fascinating. I would wonder at comparing the food buying habits of the SNAPpers vs the food buying habits of the non-SNAPpers who are poor enough to qualify.

Only explanations I can think of are the qualified non-SNAPpers either have enough less money to keep their weight down via starvation, or on account of spending their own money they are more careful to get more nutritious foods. Maybe a combination of both.

I can come up with a few more - they probably aren't right. Right thinking libertarian poor people - qualified non-SNAPers - are also smart and eat right. Even if there's just a few of them, that could make the difference right there. You can get more answers along those lines just by looking at who the SNAPers are and who the qualified non SNAPers are. There are probably distinct identifiable groups with identifiable characteristics including eating patterns. Crazy mountain man might be a qualified non SNAPer, crazy mountain man doesn't believe in currency at all, using only gold and silver for transactions. He grows his own food. People who live in cities, tend to be Dems, cities can be food deserts for the poor in cities. People in cities can't grow their own food, might be more reliant on supermarkets. A person who is on food stamps is buying food in supermarkets, less healthy food. A person who is not on food stamps could be growing their own food or doing any number of DIY food tricks to increase nutrition. If you divided everyone up into 2 groups - the people who use supermarkets and places like convenience stores the most and the people who use those places the least, you might find a more significant divide that for food stamps, non food stamps.

Here's another question, completely unrelated to the food stamps issue. Does listening to active rock radio make you fat?

[DamianTV]

Interesting theory- the reason people are fat are because they don't have jobs and so sit around eating all day. If that is the reason, then people with jobs (and would not have as much time to sit around) must not be obese. So if you see a fat person, you know they don't have a job.

I dont think it applies to all situations tho. Theory does seem to still apply when people do have jobs and money, but no time, when time is perceived as something to be "spent". Thus, it could also happen to a person that works 10 hours a lot and have very little time to spend on preparing a quality meal. When it becomes a habit, just buying junk food because it is already prepared, people that work can also get fat. Point does remain about Time affecting Perception of Value of prepared foods.