Debt Causes Obesity?

When you think about the Great Depression, you likely picture emaciated families subsisting on small portions of cabbage soup and beans, trying to make each dish last for as many meals as possible. Things are slightly different in this current recession. In-debt families are turning to cheap fast food restaurants where a meal filled with outrageous numbers of calories and fat can be bought for a few dollars and can be supersized for slightly more. It's no wonder that this current financial setback is leading to obesity, instead of emaciation.

According to a recent German study, as people are forced to adjust their eating habits due to economic hardships, they are gaining (not losing) weight. The study shows that "overindebtedness" leads to higher rates of obesity. The authors defined overindebtedness as "lack of possible debt redemption in due time due to the relation of income and cost of living after a remarkable cutback in standard of living." According to the journal BMC Public Health, the likelihood of being overweight or obese doubled with increasing debt, an association that could not be explained by other socioeconomic or medical factors.

The most likely explanation for this finding is that healthy food is more expensive than most fattening, mass-produced foods. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. Families can eat healthy foods on a limited budget by following a few guidelines.

Many believe that you have to give up fruits and vegetables to eat on a budget. Not true. If you buy produce in season, you save money (and get the most delicious products). Apples, pears, and cranberries are particularly inexpensive fruits that are loaded with vitamins.

If fresh produce is still too much for your budget, buy frozen. Frozen fruits and vegetables are frozen at the time of optimal ripeness and contain all the vitamins and minerals of fresh fruit.

To save even more money, consider planting a small vegetable garden in the backyard. Sprinkle some seeds and prepare to have vegetables season after season.

Healthy protein does not have to break the bank. Soy products, a great source of protein, tend to be very inexpensive. Beans and legumes are another cheap way to get your needed protein. And many whole grains can be bought in bulk; whole grains, such as quinoa, barley, and brown rice, are loaded with dietary fiber, protein, and essential fatty acids.

Many stores, like Costco and BJs, allow you to buy in bulk for major savings. Buy chicken breasts in bulk and divide them into individual-sized portions before freezing.

And get creative with leftovers. Never throw out food when trying to save money. Today's leftover chicken breast can be used for tomorrow's chicken salad sandwich for lunch.

There is no reason that debt needs to lead to obesity. Families in these dire situations need to make health a priority. Just think about how much money you will save on medical bills.

 

Comments

[CynicalDog]

I don't think you can assume that everyone, or even the average person, knows how to cook with raw ingredients like beans, legumes, brown rice, etc. I'm sort of appalled at the number of people I know who think "cooking" means you put something in the microwave and set the timer. I also don't think that the average person would find the shopping list of "soy products, beans, rice" to be very appealing. People, poor or otherwise, aren't eating out because it's more affordable, they're eating out because they like the taste of the food and have no idea how to recreate it at home.

[Norge]

There are those who overeat when they are terriblly unhappy and those who overeat when they are happy or think they are happy.

Eating fills needs at times other than the need for nurishment.

[Idytme]

Yes, and that is called an addiction. A chemical rush that some people get from food, others from drugs or alcohol, or from playing video games or.. whatever gets your chemicals going. It isn't an excuse.
It is an explanation, but most people have less tolerance for drug addicts or alcoholics than they do for food addicts. Yes, you can stop drinking but you cannot stop eating food, the but same principles apply. Someone who craves sugars to get them out of their slump, gives up sugars and eats only meats, eggs, veggies, etc.
No matter what the addiction, you'll find that ex addicts have the least amount of sympathy for currant addicts.
I have much more sympathy for people who cannot afford the food they need than those who choose to eat Doritos over chicken. Of course that is assuming that people know how to cook, and we are in the second generation of those who do not. Its also assuming people have the time to cook the foods they can afford - like a whole chicken can take an hour or more to cook and a working family with kids may find that difficult with their time constrictions.

[seawolf77]

When Cuba went thru it's own version of peak oil (when the Soviet Union collapsed) the average citizen lost something like 25 lbs, an astounding amount. Why? Becasue they couldn;t just go motoring around like an idiot. They had to walk or bicycle. When it happens here what do you think will happen? Ever been thru a hurricane? Ever see people fist fight over petrol when they've been waiting a week for some? You will soon.

[Angel1961]

Food stamps in my state for one adult are $200 a month. That's $50 a week. The author of this article should limit herself to that budget for 6 months and see what happens. It is easy to theorize and lecture the little people when you have not lived through it yourself. Of course debt can lead to obesity. I have witnessed this firsthand.
And don't forget, chronic debt most certainly leads to Depression and many people eat the wrong foods when they are depressed. They cannot get all worked up about joining the Slow Foods movement when the wolf is at the door and they just might be facing eviction or foreclosure at any time. And winter is coming.

[Idytme]

You mean you'd buy a chicken at under a dollar a pound rather than a peach at $2.50lb? And maybe you'd go for the MacNCheese over a bag of peas cause it might feed the family for the night with little complaints rather than a whole serving of peas? That government food stamps treats all food as food and doesn't care if that food is spent on a whole loaf of white bread for 99 cents or one avocado for the same price? (or one lemon?)
I've seen some good writings of people who have never been in poverty living in it for a few months, having a hard time with it, even knowing that it was an "experiment" that would be over soon. Practical solutions are good, but the initial expenses of a garden (or potted plants for those in apartments) are too much for someone who cannot pay for food, even though they will get you veggies cheaper in the long run. The bottom line is that the solution has to have some kind of government help. Republicans are into tax credits, how about a tax credit for planting a garden, or if you use food stamps, veggies are all half price, or a government sponsored grocery store in urban areas where the closest store is a convenience market?
A lot of people make bad personal choices about food. But those least to blame are those making those choices on a very low budget.

[Norge]

When the pleasure center of the brain becomes so conditioned to certain stimuli, the changing of the behavior must first begin with the re-conditioning of the pleasure center which is more socially exceptable and less harmful to those so affected.

That can only come about with the full exceptance of the affected person. All humans are addicted to one or other substances or activity, some more harmfull than others and those addictions varie in intensity for everyone.

[MosheDayanHero]

Only in a very rich country poverty causes people to overeat.

[Alcinda]

Forget soy for protein!! Eat eggs!! Whole large eggs are loaded with protein and healthy fats!!

Buy meats on sale and save there too!!