Overweight and malnourished

It's pretty sad that with so much food in this country we're still allowing people to go hungry in America in the year 2003.

About 12 million American families last year worried that
they couldn't afford to buy food, and 32 percent of them actually
experienced someone going hungry at one time or another, the
Agriculture Department said Friday.
Most poor families struggling with hunger tried to ensure their
children are fed, the report said. Nonetheless, one or more children in
an estimated 265,000 families on occasion missed meals last year
because the families either couldn't afford to eat or didn't have
enough food at home.

What's more (not that this should come as a surprise to anyone at this
point) the number of households experiencing hunger has increased for
the third year in a row.

Based on a Census Bureau survey of 50,000 households, the
department estimated that 3.8 million families were hungry last year to
the point where someone in the household skipped meals because they
couldn't afford them. That's an 8.6 percent increase from 2001, when
3.5 million families were hungry, and a 13 percent increase from 2000.

How is it possible that 65% of the population is obese, while 12
million families are skipping meals? I live in Washington DC, and I've
noticed that in the poorer sections of this city decent food is
extremely hard to come by. I remember swinging by a supermarket in
Southeast about a year ago to pick up some fruit for a hike. I was
stunned by the lack of fresh produce, not to mention the overall
choices available. It made me instantly appreciate the selection I so
often take for granted.
I suspect that because of the pathetic choices available in inner-city
markets, the poorest residents are drawn to the worst possible foods
around. There might be a lack of fruits and veggies in Anacostia, but
there's certainly no shortage of fried chicken joints. It seems like
there's a Popeye's on every corner. McDonald's is always less than two
blocks away, and Burger Kings, Wendy's and all the other crappy
"restaurants" line the streets like millionaires at a Bush
inauguration.
My point is (I do have one, I swear) that obesity and hunger are not
necessarily mutually exclusive. It is entirely possible to be
overweight and malnourished at the same time. When you stop and think
about it, it's a striking metaphor for what America has become.

Posted by flow Frazao on October 31, 2003 at 09:53 PM | Permalink