Author Login | Popular Articles | RSS Feeds | Sitemap

Home | Health | Quit-smoking


Obesity in the USA

By: Sara Mendez.

Living on less than $18.00 a day for a family of four is insanely difficult alone, but now add living healthy on $18.00 a day and it becomes near impossible. This is the challenge families on food stamps are confronted with daily. In 2006 impoverished states such as Alabama, West Virginia and Louisiana have had growing rates of obesity. For example in 2006 Mississippi was the first state to have 30% obesity among its population according to WebMd.com. USA Today reports five of the poorest states were in the top ten most obese states (Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana, West Virginia and Alabama) showing a direct link between income and obesity. USA Today also explains, poverty areas are generally unsafe, have few grocery stores which offer fruits and vegetables, and many housing developments in these areas are not built with sidewalks for exercise. All of these contribute to the obesity epidemic.

The average family of four can get up to $542.00 a month in food stamp assistance according to fns.usda.gov. On this kind of budget, adults need to be smart shoppers. The logical thing is to buy whatever is on sale, use coupons, buy in bulk and get as much generic as possible. What this doesn't allow for is healthy food items.

The typical middle class American family of four spends roughly $600.00 per month on food and more if the foods are organic, low fat, soy based or trans fat free. Often they do not think twice about spending a little extra money on an item if it will be healthier for them. For an impoverished family, the only thing they are worried about is stretching the budget as far as it will go, regardless of health benefits. For example, Ramen noodles are about ten cents a package which means a child can have one a day for a month for around $3.00. While parents are thinking this is a brilliant food item, they are not bothering to look at the nutritional values. One package of Ramen is equal to two servings. Each serving has 194 calories in it and 1960 mg of sodium (82% of our daily value). For many food stamp shoppers, fresh produce is a waste of money. If the item is not eaten right away it will go bad which means money was wasted. So instead they buy fruit snacks packed with sugar, pasta, rice, tacos and greasy chips. These are all things which can be bough for cheap and on a food stamp program and they will not go bad quickly.

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and his wife decided to raise awareness about hunger and poverty. So they tried living on $21.00 a week (the food stamp budget in Oregon for a family of two). The governor was in for a rude awaking. Gone were his organic foods, Swiss cheese, and lunchtime favorite Progresso low sodium soups. He would learn to make do with some cheap junk foods such as Cup O'Noodle, generic peanut butter and a half of banana. Workers from the Department of Health and Human Services offered him strategy, buy cheap staples such as Ramen, Cup O'Noodle, macaroni and cheese, beans and rice. All of these choices lacked nutritional value.

The Federal Nutrition Assistance Program does its best to educate food stamp receivers on healthy living and nutrition but sadly they do not give more money to families to buy healthier items. One of the few ways families in poverty can get healthy meals is through the free lunch/breakfast programs in schools. For children who qualify, they will get a healthy lunch and/or breakfast due to the recent changes to school menus.

The obesity epidemic is out of control as is the poverty level. It is difficult to fix one without fixing the other. Each problem also snowballs into other problems such as healthcare costs, disability cases, and unemployment. Obesity is not just one problem requiring a solution, it is a whole mess of problems which need multiple solutions.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
Make use of the Quick Hypnosis advanced techniques for your quit smoking hypnosis program!

| Print | Ezine Ready | |

Recent Quit-Smoking Articles

  • Dealing With Withdrawal Symptoms While Quitting Smoking By: Mark Christian Walters - Nowadays, there are a lot of stop smoking aids available to the smoking population. One of the most commonly used product is the prescription medication Zyban. Zyban was derived from an antidepressant medication which has been proven to reduce a person's craving to smoke. But because it doesn't make use of nicotine, smokers are likely to still experience nicotine withdrawal symptoms until the drug fully takes effect.Smokers may experience common withdrawal symptoms such as headaches or nausea, or manifest cold-like symptoms while trying to ditch the habit.
  • Alcohol and drug abuse is eroding them-teenagers! By: Esteri - Before every man there lies a wide and pleasant road he thinks is right, but it ends in death. This said is easier but when it practically happens to one’s own teenage child, it can really dishearten a parent’s spirit. This is especially so if he or she took the bible’s counsel to discipline his son or daughter in their early years, while there was hope so they do not ruin their life. Such parents may have thought they did not spoil the child because they did not spare the rod, but how wrong?
  • Manufacturing and the Office Furniture Industry By: Christopher Carter - Economic activity in the manufacturing sector failed to grow in October for the third consecutive month. The overall economy concluded 83 consecutive months of growth reports the nation`s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business®. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) is a not-for-profit association, the largest supply management association in the world. ISM`s mission is to lead the supply management profession through its standards of excellence, research, promotional activities, and education. The Institute for Supply Management™ ISM Manufacturing Report On Business®
  • You Can Buy Zyban 150mg Online With Ease By: Article Publisher - It happens with you also, you have tried to quit smoking so many times but leads towards an unsuccessful attempt. Even you have tried many smoking cessation products available in the market, but result is only disappointment. Smoking is like an addiction and it’s difficult to get away from it. If none of the products will help you till now, so here is the right time to go for a trial of prescription drug, Zyban to kick off your smoking permanently. Zyban is a prescribed medicine, which helps people to give up smoking.
  • Quit smoking habits through Hypnotherapy! By: Harry_B - Smoking is a habit that dies hard for most individuals because they take up the habit of smoking for various reasons. Some just start smoking as a show off and in the long run they get addicted to the nicotine and cannot say no to smoking. It becomes difficult for individuals to consider stopping smoking as it takes a good deal of their will power to achieve the process.
  • SMOKING DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH, QUIT NOW! By: Amber.. - Cigarette smoking is by far the most common smoking practice today. It is a process where tobacco is burned and smoke is tasted or inhaled. The longer you smoke, the more difficult it is to stop. The habit and addiction to smoking just started by simply giving smoking a try. That’s usually how the habit and addiction begin. The nicotine in tobacco is so addictive that once you start using it, your body starts to need it. Nicotine increases your risk to plenty of health risks like heart attack and stroke.
  • How to Stop Smoking in 60 Days By: Addiction Freedom Coach - Of course you want to stop smoking. You want to quit smoking more than anything else, and you should! But, you just don't know where to turn! If your like most, you may have tried patches, gum, Chantix, Zyban and/or hypnosis only to find yourself right back in the clutches of nicotine addiction! You know that your behavior is unhealthy, but you're afraid to give up your crutch because if you do your emotional distress will worsen, and you just don't know if you can cope without it!
  • The Search for Chemical Free Cigarettes By: Sharon Sharon - Are Anti Smoking Campaigns Ineffective? The Most Common Reasons People Keep Smoking If you're a smoker, you've no doubt noticed the constant barrage of anti-smoking advertisements on the radio, television, and internet. It seems like everywhere you turn, another sign or ad is reminding you of the many negative issues associated with smoking. These ads like to focus on the multitude of health risks associated with smoking. As if these ads weren't enough, many smokers are forced to endure lectures from friends, family members, and even total strangers about how bad smoking really is.
  • Salvia Divinorum salvia sales By: ravi verma - Salvia Divinorum or Divinerâ��s Sage belongs to the salvia genus. It has got dissociative effects. Salvia divinorum is a latin name which means â��sage of the seersâ��. It is used as visionary states of consciousness in spiritual healing by Mazatec shamans. Normally found in parts of Oaxaca, Mexico. It grows well in shaded, isolated and moist plots. Itâ��s length is normally over one meter. Itâ��s physical appearance is hollow square stems, large green leaves and sometimes white and purple flowers. It is regarded as a cultigen. Diterpenoid or salvinorin is itâ��s main psychoactive constituent.
  • Tips to Make You Quit Smoking For Good By: Mark Christian Walters - Smoking is among one of the most difficult vices to break free from. Once the nicotine has made its way into your brain and you have already established a dependency to its effects, you're as good as stuck with the smoking habit forever.But that should not be the case. Even though it is very difficult to let go of smoking, you should know that there are ways for you to quit smoking without needing stop-smoking aids. It is understandable how many people can find it difficult to kick the habit of lighting up.

Search Ebay

Still can't find what you are looking for? Search for it!


Submit Your link to the Open Link Directory Project

Copyright 2005-2008 MJE Sales, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Proud member of the ArticleCkr Search Network Search Network!
ArticleSnatch.com is free for both publishers and authors to use and is supported entirely from advertising revenue.
Use of our service is protected by our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.