I've always wondered why there ar overweight homeless people

sweetpotato · April 2008

cornnifer wrote:

And all God's people said... Amen. It costs too much money and requires way to much time to maintain a healthy diet. Brilliant post here.

thank you.

at first i thought this was a sarcastic reply, but after reading your subsequent posts, i realized you meant it.

i was hoping that not everyone here was so out of touch with the world that they'd easily categorize homeless and/or poor people as simply "lazy".

it's that kind of thinking that keeps people from giving to food banks or volunteering their time at a soup kitchen or other sort of endeavor. i've done both, and i can tell you, i saw very few lazy people. and those i did see were actually the college students "volunteering" and then bitching when i told them to cut up the onions. :rolleyes:

harmless_little_f*** · April 2008

cornnifer wrote:

I emphatically disagree. i was a vegetarian for 12 years and during that time i still gained significant weight. (i'm not obese). i didn't eat meat, but that doesn't mean i ate well. Now, part of that is admittedly,my own fault, but the truth of the matter is that healthy eating costs a crapton more and requires a lot more time than Kraft macaroni and cheese or a drive through stop at McDonalds.

When the fuck did I advocate McDonalds or Kraft macaroni cheese (or any macaroni cheese)? While we're at it, when did I advocate vegetarianism?

cornnifer wrote:

Dited to add: Why is the low fat, low sodium, healthier versions of a product always significantly more expensive than the fat laden versions of the same product?

Seriously? Because the manufacturers who make products emblazoned with 'low' this and 'low' that have a target demographic: usually rich men and women who are obsessed with keeping a swimsuit figure, or students... The last time I saw a stick of brocolli or a carrot, it didn't have 'low fat', 'low sodium' or 'low carb' emblazoned on it... and it wasn't expensive. But not many homeless people I've known (or rich people, for that matter) have been taught how to use a stick of brocolli or a carrot.

cornnifer · April 2008

harmless_little_f*** wrote:

The last time I saw a stick of brocolli or a carrot, it didn't have 'low fat', 'low sodium' or 'low carb' emblazoned on it... and it wasn't expensive. .

Maybe not, but i've seen plenty of carrots and broccolli labled as "organic", which if you're truly serious about health and environment are a far better choice than the carrot sticks you speak of, and they do wear a much heftier price sticker.
Besides just the price, are you prepared to prepare those carrots and broccoli in some way? Thats going to take some time that many people working two jobs to make the ends meet just don't have. Also, carrots and broccolli are great, but, good luck getting your kids to eat 'em. Especially completely unprepared.

harmless_little_f*** · April 2008

cornnifer wrote:

Maybe not, but i've seen plenty of carrots and broccolli labled as "organic", which if you're truly serious about health and environment are a far better choice than the carrot sticks you speak of, and they do wear a much heftier price sticker.

Yes but I was contesting your previous argument: carrots vs. McDonalds. Doesn't matter whether they're 'organic' or not, any carrot is a good carrot in that context, and better than, and just as cheap as, Kraft or McDonalds. Furthermore, I would argue that 'organic' is much more to do with environmental awareness than health.

connifer wrote:

Besides just the price, are you prepared to prepare those carrots and broccoli in some way? Thats going to take some time that many people working two jobs to make the ends meet just don't have. Also, carrots and broccolli are great, but, good luck getting your kids to eat 'em. Especially completely unprepared.

All good points... but the previous argument was about homeless individuals, many of whom are staying in homeless hostels (i.e. not supporting a house as such), job-seeking yet without a current job, much of the time without a family, and with a lot of time on their hands to learn to cook given the proper support. It's not about money, but it is about education. Education to teach homeless people how to prepare quick and easy meals healthily without succumbing to corporate marketing schemes which advertise better health with a higher price tag.

Kel Varnsen · April 2008

harmless_little_f*** wrote:

All good points... but the previous argument was about homeless individuals, many of whom are staying in homeless hostels (i.e. not supporting a house as such), job-seeking yet without a current job, much of the time without a family, and with a lot of time on their hands to learn to cook given the proper support. It's not about money, but it is about education. Education to teach homeless people how to prepare quick and easy meals healthily without succumbing to corporate marketing schemes which advertise better health with a higher price tag.

Do they not teach kids in school about nutrition and food anymore? I am trying to remember back to my school days and I am sure at sure at some point we learned at least a little bit about eating healthy. Maybe rather than teaching homeless people to cook and eat healthy, just teach all kids in elementary school. Plus that way people who aren't homeless but have no idea how to prepare meals and end up eating crap can learn about it too.

harmless_little_f*** · April 2008

Kel Varnsen wrote:

Do they not teach kids in school about nutrition and food anymore? I am trying to remember back to my school days and I am sure at sure at some point we learned at least a little bit about eating healthy. Maybe rather than teaching homeless people to cook and eat healthy, just teach all kids in elementary school. Plus that way people who aren't homeless but have no idea how to prepare meals and end up eating crap can learn about it too.

Yes, they do to some extent teach it in schools, and that's a great idea... The problem comes when kids become homeless because of family crisis and economic collapse, falling out of/being excluded from school very early, getting into crime... and therefore never having had access to mainstream education beyond a certain age. They get to a certain age and if they were taught anything at all about food preparation in first/elementary school, they can't recall it, and they've picked up a million bad habits since.

urbanhippie · April 2008

I am not homeless. However, I am a single mother of four on a low income. Eating healthily is not a problem for me or my children. Fruit, vegtables and basic foodstuffs are far, far cheaper than their processed counterparts. Sure they take more preparation than just bunging them in the microwave for a couple of minutes but thats the payoff.
Since my husband left we have halved our intake of meat and cut out all the pre-processed 'junk food' that he was obsessed with and as a consequence we are all healthier.
Yes, it takes more time, but it also taste better and is better for us and the environment.
The problem is that basic cooking/shopping skills are not being taught to children anymore. Parents don't have the time and schools don't have the money. Children grow up thinking it's normal to buy everything ready made and so they do the same.
Strange when you see the amount of cookery programmes on TV.

LikeAnOpeningBandForTheSun · April 2008

i wouldnt consider many homeless people lazy or mentally ill. i think for many, its just a routine or a way of thinking that people get locked into. I get that way too. Its hard to to change.

I've always wondered why there ar overweight homeless people

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