I've always wondered why there ar overweight homeless people

harmless_little_f*** wrote:

'You invited 12 people, only one came, and that was only cus you gave him a 2 dollar bus token.... a 2 dollar bus token can get him a bottle of vodka.'

It's all true. I work for a homeless charity and many of them just don't want to work. Not all, but most.

first off, where do you get vodka for $2. so you believe that peopel will rather live on teh street and not get a job or do you believe that many peopel can't get jobs because they have no address or have mental health issues. what do you do 4 the homeless charity because i hope you don't work front line.

harmless_little_f*** wrote:

And don't patronise homeless people. They are not charity cases.

I completely agree with you. Any approach that patronizes or puts a homeless person in a victim-stance is an imbalanced approach that overlooks their humanity and dignity. And such a stance perpetuates the flawed cycles.

RolandTD20Kdrummer wrote:

I've always wondered why there are overweight homeless people...

i didn't watch the video, but just the title of this thread is irking. don't you think it's a bit elitist- not to mention ignorant of the facts of the diet and nutrition of the poor- to say such a thing?

why not extend this to say, "why are so many poor people fat?" um, well, that's because the food that's affordable for low income families is full of crap- fats, sugar, salt, processed flour... to eat healthy takes not only a certain level of income (ever notice that fruits & veggies cost alot more than a box of hamburger helper?) but also enough time (and awareness) to read labels, go to green markets, prepare food from scratch, etc. many working poor are juggling jobs (sometimes more than one), kids, eldercare, making the rent/mortgage, etc... on alot less money than you & me. it's not easy, or cheap.

come on, roland. educate yourself! i'm not trying to pick on you, just trying to shed some light here.

peace.

sweetpotato wrote:

i didn't watch the video, but just the title of this thread is irking. don't you think it's a bit elitist- not to mention ignorant of the facts of the diet and nutrition of the poor- to say such a thing?

why not extend this to say, "why are so many poor people fat?" um, well, that's because the food that's affordable for low income families is full of crap- fats, sugar, salt, processed flour... to eat healthy takes not only a certain level of income (ever notice that fruits & veggies cost alot more than a box of hamburger helper?) but also enough time (and awareness) to read labels, go to green markets, prepare food from scratch, etc. many working poor are juggling jobs (sometimes more than one), kids, eldercare, making the rent/mortgage, etc... on alot less money than you & me. it's not easy, or cheap.

come on, roland. educate yourself! i'm not trying to pick on you, just trying to shed some light here.

peace.

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.

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.

No, it doesn't. At all. Sorry. You can eat very well, very cheaply, although this isn't what America would have you believe.

harmless_little_f*** wrote:

No, it doesn't. At all. Sorry. You can eat very well, very cheaply, although this isn't what America would have you believe.

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. Its just a fact. Poor folks havn't the time or money to shop at the local co op or prepare healthy meals. Its a sad truth. It isn't just poor people. In our culture people are doing everything on the go. The rat race just doesn't allow it. Our society is becoming fatter and fatter. It isn't exclusively poor folks, but it IS harder for them to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle.


EDited 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?

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. Its just a fact. Poor folks havn't the time or money to shop at the local co op or prepare healthy meals. Its a sad truth. It isn't just poor people. In our culture people are doing everything on the go. The rat race just doesn't allow it. Our society is becoming fatter and fatter. It isn't exclusively poor folks, but it IS harder for them to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle.


EDited 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?

I'm always the "poorest" person I know in basically all my social groups. I'm also the one who eats the healthiest, too.

The problem for me came in when I was poor AND not coping well, as is often the case. Then I had to pay for such bad habits as smoking and drinking to excess as well. By quitting both - which can take herculean efforts, massive social support and a reasonably healthy environment which most homeless people do not have - I was more than able to afford much fresh produce, and healthier options in general.

In our imbalanced culture, we've lost sight of the basics, and therefore are essentially perched in a precarious place of general imbalance. True, simple healthy living entails living .... simply, which doesn't take much money.

mmmmm enjoy that bag of rice and nuts

i'll edit my previous statement to say "eat healthily and with some small degree of taste". a complete, diverse meal would be nice as well, not to mention the time it takes to cook.

MrSmith wrote:

mmmmm enjoy that bag of rice and nuts

i'll edit my previous statement to say "eat healthily and with some small degree of taste". a complete, diverse meal would be nice as well, not to mention the time it takes to cook.

When we're out of touch with the nature's wonders such as nuts, or with what seasonings (less than pennies a serving) do to rice, we've lost touch with natural law and simple, good living. And we pay the price as we always do when we are a slave to manmade structures, rather than the nature we are one with.

You did say: "you an get about a days worth of calories at McDonald's for 4 or 5 dollars. try doing that at Whole Foods".

Calories do not equal nutrition. What happens when we don't nourish our bodies? We become grey, fat and our health and our minds start to break down in all manner of ways. Look around you. You can probably see it it most people you know, given the standard western diet.

It's not the healthy real foods that cost money, it's the processed, nutritionless foods that "taste good" that do. Once we begin to get our taste buds back from the assault of msg, and we then attempt to eat processed foods, one becomes sensitive to the "danger" that flavours such unhealthy stuff.

I happen to love tasty flavourful foods. I cannot eat a meal that is flavourless. And there are ways to make amazing tasting healthy foods, when one is looking in that direction. Generally, most are not.

angelica wrote:

When we're out of touch with the nature's wonders such as nuts, or with what seasonings (less than pennies a serving) do to rice, we've lost touch with natural law and simple, good living. And we pay the price as we always do when we are a slave to manmade structures, rather than the nature we are one with.

You did say: "you an get about a days worth of calories at McDonald's for 4 or 5 dollars. try doing that at Whole Foods".

Calories do not equal nutrition. What happens when we don't nourish our bodies? We become grey, fat and our health and our minds start to break down in all manner of ways. Look around you. You can probably see it it most people you know, given the standard western diet.

It's not the healthy real foods that cost money, it's the processed, nutritionless foods that "taste good" that do. Once we begin to get our taste buds back from the assault of msg, and we then attempt to eat processed foods, one becomes sensitive to the "danger" that flavours such unhealthy stuff.

I happen to love tasty flavourful foods. I cannot eat a meal that is flavourless. And there are ways to make amazing tasting healthy foods, when one is looking in that direction. Generally, most are not.

wow, I feel so dirty and cheap..........