The Minimum Wage Obesity Link

Grist:

In other words, the more you make, the more calories you're getting from fast food, which has in turn gotten cheaper thanks to a falling real minimum wage which has thus caused you to eat even more fast food. Your vicious circle is McDonald's virtuous one.

Read the whole story: Grist

Comments

[philszed]

07:01 AM on 11/20/2009

that was a poorly written confusing argument.... the summary paragraph at the beginning didn't relate to the argument they were trying to make... sounds like a student paper.

[Spiky Kitten]

09:48 PM on 11/12/2009

Yep - blame the food.

It's all your fault Mr. Happy Meal for being so affordable, available, filling and delicious.

[Brendan H]

11:00 PM on 11/12/2009

Fast food and over-processed food in general provides a lot of calories for a little money. Let's see you feed a family of four below the poverty line without using any of it.

[Spiky Kitten]

07:46 AM on 11/14/2009

I am not blaming the food, it was sarcasm.

[Tommygun264]

02:08 AM on 11/13/2009

Yeah, it's so much easier to blame the poor for not trekking miles from home to find more healthy foods, most of which they can't afford on a regular basis.

[Spiky Kitten]

07:45 AM on 11/14/2009

What did the poor eat before fast food was invented?

[martinfrosa]

03:04 PM on 11/12/2009

We get fat because we eat junky foods, not because the minimum wage has declined. Prices of virtually all foods have declined as our agricultural industry has become more efficient.

The minumum wage/obesity connection is nonsene. We are too lazy to cook good food for ourselves, hence, the trip to McDonalds or Wendys and the obesity that follows.

[Sam1234567]

05:10 PM on 11/12/2009

Thank you, for an intelligent comment.

[Brendan H]

10:58 PM on 11/12/2009

Do you know how expensive it is to cook your own real food versus just buying processed and fast food? It's like double the price.

I cook all my own food, but still, to not recognize the gigantic price gap is ridiculous.

[empiricalWeb]

06:22 PM on 11/21/2009

You're kidding right? I spend $300 a month on groceries for myself and eat 4 meals and 3 snacks a day ( thats food I've prepared at least every 2 hours ) resulting in roughly 3000 calories per day...

To buy 3 meals a day at McDonalds would cost me probably $15+ dollars a day... That's if I were to spend no more than $5 per trip.

that would cost me $150 more per month to eat 3 meals at McDs.

[condor101]

11:57 AM on 11/12/2009

Yup, the more money you have, the better your diet.

Junk Cheap Food is not really Food. It's laboratory made products that have no nutritional value.
Even if it's more expensive, I buy organic Fresh Food at Farmers Markets, CSA's and locally owned health food stores. I buy Fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts, and grains.

If you buy that cheap junk, you will end up with health problems later in life and it will costs much more money. You can't buy good health; It's priceless.

I avoid all fast food places, pizza, hamburgers,hot dogs, sodas, processed foods, chips, and candies, etc. It's all garbage and damages the body.

[emily00011]

01:00 PM on 11/12/2009

no that's not what this article says.

The MORE you make the MORE fast foods you eat. Poorer people are more likely to eat at home.

Although obesity is high among poor people, obesity has increased the MOST among people with high incomes.

[Brendan H]

11:01 PM on 11/12/2009

Obviously you read the clearly miswritten statement above and not the actual article.

[sharonsj]

11:27 AM on 11/12/2009

Until you are poor, you will not understand the connection. I've had to stand in the supermarket with only $20 and figure out how to buy a week's worth of food for myself. Because supermarket sales are usually for the most unhealthy things, I ended up with white bread, American cheese, frankfurters, soda, and bacon. The idea was to have grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches for lunch and franks and beans for dinner. Imagine eating this every week! I have to admit that after a few days of this I wanted to barf.

[empiricalWeb]

06:28 PM on 11/21/2009

I've been there....

Except $20 got me

27 packs of Ramen Noodles : $1.89
7 Mr. P's personal Pizzas : $3.50
14 Cans Tuna Fish : $6.23
Frozen Peas 2lbs : $4

mix 1 can tuna + 1 pack ramen + some tuna = a mighty fine meal.

And I had change to spare...

You seriously bought Soda!?