Forums → WEPR → why is america fat

I think because America eat too many food that have cheese on it. I didn't mean that cheese taste bad. They taste good, but you have to know when to limited the amount you eat it per day. Also, America drink too many sweet thing like soda,.. That is not good for the body.

I haven't read everyones post, to be honest about it, i'm just throwing in my two cents.

Why is America fat?

First of all i'd like to show this link. It has a nice wee moving diagram of how obesity has increased and in what states over the years, if anyways actually that interested.

America is fat for pretty much every reason probably mentions - just like obesity everywhere. The except is American culture plays a bigger role in obesity than other nations. And to point out, other nations obesity has increased since such places were "Americanized" with the likes of KFC and McDonalds etc.

Reasons include the fast food chains which have become absolute monopolies. I'm not against them at all, Sheesh, i love a McDonalds *every once in a while*. There lies your first problem. I say i like it every once in a while because there's none close to my house and the effort of getting a ride or bus to get one just isn't worth it. If i had one on my road though, it would be a different story. Fast food = unhealthy, but terribly affordable.

Laziness is obviously another reason. Until recently, the thought of going to a gym wasn't appealing at all, but now it's part of my weekly regime and i enjoy it. I think schools need to promote physical exercise a lot more at a young age to instill it in the minds of children instead of having the "Jocks" being the fit people.

Genetic illnesses, stress, society.

I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on American History, but southern states have a much higher density of obesity in adults which is interesting to me. Anyone got any thought on why that could be?

Answer right here I think fast food restaurants ( mc Donald's , taco bell and jack in the box , there's milions

I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on American History, but southern states have a much higher density of obesity in adults which is interesting to me. Anyone got any thought on why that could be?

No idea, maybe because people down there aren't as concerned about their health.

I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on American History, but southern states have a much higher density of obesity in adults which is interesting to me. Anyone got any thought on why that could be?

Don't worry, here's an article in TIME that might interest you.

Before we get our knickers in a twist, let us not forget the fact that 60% of American corn is used on Animal feed, and only less than 5% is actually used to make HFCS.

Producer subsidies are given when production is below the equilibrium quantity set in the market, that is, supply cannot meet demand of the market. By introducing a subsidy, we increase the supply, from S1 to S2, and in doing so, lower the price from P1 to P2, ceteris paribus.



So yes it does make corn and eventually HFCS cheaper. However, what the video has ignored, is that if there wasn't a demand for it, supply would remain low, because free market forces work that way. The government wouldn't want to provide subsidies to keep prices low, and push up the supply curve unless the people wanted to eat it. Most people eat fast food not because it is cheap, but because they enjoy it. Want something cheap? Get macaroni and cheese, or a sandwich, or pre-packed meals. People like to eat fast food, and that's one of the driving points of increased obesity. Yes, subsidies play a part too, but to casually discard demand factors is to ignore basic economics.

And in either case, the corn subsidy has largely been removed, which will ramp up HFC prices again, but make everything else corn-related more expensive.

then the government taxes people again to make fast food more expensive so that people don't eat so much fast food.

Good argument. I have nothing else to say.

I don't think the government taxes people for fast food.

Penn also explains how many people believe fast food should be taxed.

I was talking as if fast food was taxed.

I'm just gonna throw my opinion out there. I think blaming your obesity on the food you eat, if like blaming your spelling errors on the keyboard. My point is, you don't have to eat the unhealthy food. So when people choose to eat unhealthy food, it's basically them choosing to become overweight. Of course lack of exercise is what can play a role in someones weight. Also, obesity has a lot to do with individual's metabolisms. A few of my cousin are slightly overweight even though they eat right and exercise. I don't exercise much or eat very healthy. But I'm fit as a fiddle. So metabolism is a large factor.

...but what if your keyboard is messed up and the situation is out of your control? What if it was broken or it came out of the factory with a mistake already there? Sure sure, you can go and buy a new keyboard... but only if you have the money. Junk food is cheaper than healthy food. You can get a greater quantity of junk food for the same price than you can healthy food. Some people have health disorders that skew their metabolisms and other chemical systems up. They can't always help that. Some people are just too poor to buy the quantity of healthy food required to feed their families so they go with plan b and get the cheaper less wholesome foods. If someone can't afford a new keyboard, then they're stuck with what they have. If what they have is faulty, then they can't always be faulted for the position they're in. Some people are at fault for being poor, but others were born into a hole and they have never been able to crawl out of it.

The southern states are for the most part... the poorest states. Also, towns are less dense and more spread out and apart. There are some friends and family of mine who drive upwards of 30 minutes to an hour to work every day(at $3.50/gallon too!)... if not more than that(and it's one way!). The last thing most people want to do after breaking their backs all day at work is to spend another hour preparing food after they just drove another hour back home. A taco bell drive thru is soooo much easier, cheaper, and less time consuming.

You ride the bus everywhere, right Shona? I've only ever ridden a non school bus on track team trips and around Disney world. I've seen cabs in movies and in other media... I've seen something like 3 or 4 in real life.

I lawl'd at the comment about sane people not running in the 110% humidity and 100 degree weather... but then again i guess i wasn't all that sane back then either.

I wrote all this prior to looking at the "why are southerners fat" page someone posted.

Some people are just too poor to buy the quantity of healthy food required to feed their families so they go with plan b and get the cheaper less wholesome foods.

We are one of the richest countries in the world. We have made a culture of food. I love food, don't get me wrong but we have made a culture where it is cheaper to slowly kill yourself with super fatty foods than prolong your life with healthier options. (Im not saying that this is bad just being aware that even though vegetables taste worse than a Bic Mac they help you live longer.) we have made a culture where people are not educated enough to know what a healthy life style is.

We are one of the richest countries in the world. We have made a culture of food. I love food, don't get me wrong but we have made a culture where it is cheaper to slowly kill yourself with super fatty foods than prolong your life with healthier options. (Im not saying that this is bad just being aware that even though vegetables taste worse than a Bic Mac they help you live longer.) we have made a culture where people are not educated enough to know what a healthy life style is.

Living life ones own way and dying younger is better than abstaining from pleasures of life just to make it longer