Sarah Reyner

November 27, 2012

ENG 102
Chris Brunt
Hungry and Obese: How Ironic?
The freshman fifteen. The dreaded extra thermal cushioning that many new college
students acquire is caused by many factors such as abnormal eating hours, high calorie intake
from alcohol, or the infamous pizza line in campus cafeterias. The lack of funding to buy
nutritious and wholesome foods that was previously provided on the dinner table at home, now
forces such students to live off of the cheapest form of food available. Ever heard of living off of
Ramen Noodles? As students allocate their extra cash on bar tabs or movie tickets instead of
quality food, they tend to sustain on these cheap, low nutrient, and high calorie foods and they
eventually have to loosen their belts a few notches.
Such eating and weight gain trends can also be observed in the classes with the lowest net
incomes. Due to poor diets obesity has become a growing epidemic within the United States and
especially within the impoverished populations. High body masses has caused an inflation of
health issues and many casualties. The irony that most hungry Americans posses the title of the
most gluttonous is a baffling question that does not have any concrete proven evidence or
explanation; observations and statistics are the only ways to identify the issue. This lack of a
systematic means for distinguishing such unexplained links creates difficulty when trying to
conceive any solutions to curb or lower the statistics. There are numerous elements that aid in
the rising body masses, so we, therefor, need to see the complexity that this epidemic presents.
By determining which of these several root causes has the greatest affect on obesity rates and

singling out ways to improve unalterable conditions, we can begin to construe ways to reverse
their harmful side effects.
Throughout the world the wealthiest nations have the highest rates of obesity, the U.S.,
Mexico, and the United Kingdom ranking top three (nationmaster.com). It is an international
trend that great obesity tracks along with great wealth. One in three American adults are
considered overweight. Obesity is a problem that affects virtually every social, cultural, or
ethnic category in the United States, which makes sense because we are considered wealthy in
retrospect to most foreign nations. How we differ from this norm is how our the highest
percentage ironically falls within the impoverished regions. The United States Department of
Agriculture, a government-funded program that is a major leader in obesity-poverty correlation
studies, defines obesity as having a body mass index (BMI) that exceeds 30.
The increased prevalence of obesity and hunger in the same population seems
paradoxical. Even though it is quite mind boggling and difficult to believe, statistics and
numerical data does not lie. In his article, James Levine of the American Diabetes Association,
reported a study that was conducted across 3,139 counties in the U.S. which observed poverty
rates and obesity. The study refuted international trends; people who occupied the lowest income
areas were at highest risk of being obese. The research concluded that counties with poverty
rates greater than 35 percent had obesity rates 145 percent greater than higher income counties.
Seven of the ten states with the highest poverty levels are among the ten states with the highest
obesity rates. Examples of poor neighborhoods with over voluptuous inhabitants are prevalent
and scattered throughout the country.
When peering through the eyes of the victims, the root of impoverished obesity seems
simple, yet well-thought solutions requires seeing the whole picture, acknowledging the degree

of complexity. In simple terms it is easy to imagine that if you are hungry, and trying to meet
your calorie intake, you are going to eat what fills your belly, regardless of the nutritional value.
Even though there is a struggle to obtain food, if one obtains this mindset, there is a high risk for
substantial weight gain.
The true definition of hunger is not the kind of hunger we visualize: disheartening
African famines, skeletal figures with holocaust-like demeanors, and babies with inflated and
swollen bellies. The difference between the third-world hunger we witness through media and
the hunger that American citizens suffer from is the category of malnutrition each falls under.
The bone protruding bodies in underdeveloped nations that we commonly associate with hunger
is classified as calorie-malnutrition whereas the hunger in the U.S. is nutrient-malnutrition. It all
boils down to obtaining minuscule amounts of food or even none at all verses failure to receive
the recommended amount of food at the right time. These disparities cause their obvious
differences in body shape: the bone-protruding stick figure verses the over-satiated round body.
Because the struggle for food in the U.S. is not necessarily true hunger, the United States
Department of Agriculture has dropped term hunger in favor of food insecurity. The USDA
defines food insecurity as at times during the year, these households were uncertain of having,
or unable to acquire, enough food to satisfy of all their members because they had insufficient
money or other resources for food. According to their research, over 14.9 percent of the
population, or 17.9 U.S. households fall into this category. Food-insecure households include
those with low food security or very low food security. According to the USDAs definition low
food insecurity consists of food-insecure households that obtained enough food to avoid
substantially disrupting their eating patterns or reducing food intake by using a variety of coping
strategies, such as eating less varied diets, participating in Federal food assistance programs, or

getting emergency food from community food pantries. Very low insecurity includes foodinsecure households, where normal eating patterns of one or more household members have been
disrupted and food intake was reduced at times during the year because they had insufficient
money or other resources for food. Even though low food security is more prevalent affecting 11
million households and 9.2 percent of the population, very low does not fall far behind with a 5.7
percent affect rate and 6.8 million households.
The reason that medical practitioners hold obesity to such austerity is because it leads to a
multitude of health problems; it is not simply limited to shattered self images due to protruding
love handles. Many deadly diseases arise from being obese: coronary heart disease, high blood
pressure, cancer, stroke, and type-2 diabetes.
The scope of the problem extends infinitely having many factors play a part in the
paradox. Precisely chosen from an exasperating list, three main elements can assist the
explanation of such unorthodox trends.
The only way to induce change is by focusing on a target population. The most plausible
group to decipher are participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),
commonly referred to as food stamps, which is a federally aided program that provides financial
assistance in purchasing food for low or no income households. This program will be a
beneficial focal point because anyone who is classified as impoverished is applicable for
benefits. The three hardships that induce SNAP user obesity is the limited availability of
wholesome and nutritious food, the increased price of nutrient-rich food verses the cheaper but
low-nutrient quality foods, and the metabolism irregularity due to abnormal eating trends.
Have you ever acknowledge your surroundings when you find yourself in a neighborhood
that obviously lacks steady bank accounts? Low budget fast food chains such as churches and

low-stock convenience stores cascade every corner and grocery stores or farmers markets are a
rare luxury if not completely absent. Areas such have become known as food deserts, places
that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other foods essential for a
healthy lifestyle. (Food Stamp Dilemma) Funds for food stamps are distributed to participants at
the first of the month which unsurprisingly causes irregular profit spikes in SNAP participating
businesses. Seventy percent of the business for food stamp-accepting stores is done on the first
seven days of the month. Such irregular shopping spikes has prevented many grocery stores
from settling in areas with high food stamp usage, which is why food deserts exist. Studies
show that neighborhoods with better access to supermarkets and limited access to
convenience stores displayed healthier diets.
When living on a limited budget, it is natural to want to stretch funds by buying
cheap food. Even though cheap food buys wallet satisfies the bank account, the
physical harm that arises when such unnatural ingredients that enter your system
substantially outweighs the perk of a bargain. These calorie-rich, sugary, processed
foods are what most people buy if they don't have enough money. You can fill up on
1,200 calories of cookies or potato chips for $1, but you'll only get 250 calories from
carrots for that $1. (A food stamp paradox) If you were hungry, what would you buy?"

After the months shopping is completed, there is an illusion that food is in

abundance when peering inside the tightly packed refrigerator and pantry. This is
when much of the overeating takes place. Food stamp users run out of food by the end

of the month; their food diaries show famine, and charities and soup kitchens often see
lengthy lines at their door at the end of the month. (Why food deserts exist) The
abnormal eating patters of over consumption of food in the beginning of the month and
underconsumption towards the end plays serious side effects on metabolic rates which
ultimately results in weight gain.
By distributing food stamp funds throughout the month, grocers will be more
prone to do business in areas with high food stamp usage, eliminating food deserts, and
will also spread out food supply which will mend the rapid rise and decline in blood
sugar and metabolism.
South Brounx, New York is a place with some of the most severe hunger related
issues and is also one of the countrys capitals of obesity. Even though it is one of the
worst cases, the success of the prevention programs that they have installed are
guidelines for implementing such ideas nation wide. Tax incentive for grocers and
Health Bucks Program.
Prices of preprepared fresh foods are indeed obviously higher than preprepared
processed foods. A majority of dollars are spent on processed convenience foods such
as frozen pizzas, when the budget could go much further if spent on whole ingredients
that you prepare yourself. The art of cooking is a skill that many people are ignorant of.
Beans and rice are cheap but not many know how to prepare them.
Cheaper/save money

More Fiber
Grants more freedoms