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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Column: Check your food privilege before judging obesity

Obesity in the U.S. is a problem. At a whopping 35 percent of U.S adults, it may even be an epidemic. While the severity of this phenomenon is undeniable, there’s a certain attitude commonly adopted toward obese people that bothers me. “Why don’t they just EAT less?” a friend once asked me, “or, like, not eat garbage? Try a salad!” She said this while pushing a grocery cart full of $3 strawberries and $5 organic lettuce.

She didn’t mean to sound entitled. The profile of the “fat, lazy American” is one I often hear described when addressing the topic of obesity. However, what many fail to consider is healthy, nutrient-rich food isn’t a commodity everyone can afford. 

A survey conducted by the University of Washington found that 1,000 calories of high-calorie “junk foods” cost an average of $1.76, while 1,000 calories of low-calorie “nutritious foods” cost an average of $18.16. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that in a national sample of 6,000 adults, lower wages correlated with higher body mass indexes. Even more strongly correlated was income’s relationship with childhood obesity; the likelihood of severe childhood obesity was approximately 1.7 times higher among poor children and adolescents.

I realize poverty isn’t the main culprit. Obesity is still mostly a side effect of lifestyle choices. There are Americans who are obese despite high income and Americans who are not obese even though they cannot afford healthy food. 

Factors such as portion control, exercise and natural metabolism all play a role. That is why I wish to emphasize that while poverty may not cause obesity, it certainly influences how easily it is prevented and controlled.

When discussing this with my health-nut friends, a common retort I hear is that there are ways of circumventing the high prices of healthy food. A combination of farmers markets, grocery store discounts and eating in-season should do the trick, right? 

As someone who takes advantage of all of those, I can tell you it doesn’t. Sure, it’s a lot less expensive than it would be otherwise, but it doesn’t compare to the money saved by eating ramen or bulk frozen food. 

Also, taking advantage of these options requires another commodity many impoverished families don’t have: time. A single mother working multiple jobs probably doesn’t view driving to every store in town for a good deal as a viable alternative to buying cheaper, less healthy food at her local Sam’s Club.

Another common retort is that more money is saved in the long run by maintaining a healthy diet. True, fewer medical costs will be incurred, and individuals can live as productive members of the workforce for longer due to increased vitality. Long-term planning, however, is yet another luxury those living paycheck-to-paycheck cannot have.

I am blessed enough to have been raised with two working parents who were able to provide balanced, nutritious meals for me throughout my life. I realize this is an incredible privilege I should be endlessly grateful for. 

That’s why I urge you, before sneering at people for their weight and eating habits, to contemplate your own food privilege and how it might differ from theirs. Better yet, just don’t judge them at all.

Namwan Leavell is a UF economics senior. Her column appears on Fridays.

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