4 ms·

Is malnourishment a problem among the poor in the US? Looking around, it seems the problem of the poor in the US is obesity.

zanny 7y ago
About 1/10 households were food insecure in the US last year according to the government itself: https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx#foodsecure https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/fo...
thatguy0900 7y ago
If all you get to eat is cheap processed junk food you can be both obese and malnourished
crankylinuxuser 7y ago
I'd argue yes, malnourishment is a problem in the US primarily due to sugar subsidies. Remember that malnourishment != starvation. It can be eating heavily processed foods with extra sugar (in 1 of the 56 different approved names for sugar by the FDA). Or it can be from soda in myriad forms. Or packed and hidden in the aisles of a grocery store of, again, high prpocessed and low nutrient foods. Or they're in a food desert in the extreme rural areas or the big cities. And I'd definitely classify obesity as a type of malnourishment. Mal- just means bad.
drdrey 7y ago
Lots of kids from poor families start the school day hungry https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/sep/03/give-kids-free-lunch-and-breakfast https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/sep/03/give-k...
DoreenMichele 7y ago
I dropped multiple dress sizes by improving my nutrition. I also got my younger son to drop weight without dieting by buying him dark chocolate as a means to discourage him from eating chocolate pop tarts. I learned he was eating chocolate pop tarts all day, concluded he was specifically craving cocoa and found him a better source of cocoa so he could get enough cocoa with fewer calories. I suspect obesity is frequently due to getting too little nutrition while getting enough/too much in the way of calories. You keep eating precisely because you are malnourished and it fosters cravings.
- finebalance 7y ago
  I think you've hit the nail on the head here. I live in a country where people don't get enough protein due to religious and cultural dietary restrictions. Once I got my own apartment I upped my protein intake and significantly limited my carbs, and found that the constant cravings I'd had pretty much my entire life decreased substantially, after a short but painful transition period.

zanny 7y ago

About 1/10 households were food insecure in the US last year according to the government itself: https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx#foodsecure https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/fo...

thatguy0900 7y ago

If all you get to eat is cheap processed junk food you can be both obese and malnourished

crankylinuxuser 7y ago

I'd argue yes, malnourishment is a problem in the US primarily due to sugar subsidies. Remember that malnourishment != starvation. It can be eating heavily processed foods with extra sugar (in 1 of the 56 different approved names for sugar by the FDA). Or it can be from soda in myriad forms. Or packed and hidden in the aisles of a grocery store of, again, high prpocessed and low nutrient foods. Or they're in a food desert in the extreme rural areas or the big cities. And I'd definitely classify obesity as a type of malnourishment. Mal- just means bad.

drdrey 7y ago

Lots of kids from poor families start the school day hungry https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/sep/03/give-kids-free-lunch-and-breakfast https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/sep/03/give-k...

DoreenMichele 7y ago

I dropped multiple dress sizes by improving my nutrition. I also got my younger son to drop weight without dieting by buying him dark chocolate as a means to discourage him from eating chocolate pop tarts. I learned he was eating chocolate pop tarts all day, concluded he was specifically craving cocoa and found him a better source of cocoa so he could get enough cocoa with fewer calories. I suspect obesity is frequently due to getting too little nutrition while getting enough/too much in the way of calories. You keep eating precisely because you are malnourished and it fosters cravings.

finebalance 7y ago
I think you've hit the nail on the head here. I live in a country where people don't get enough protein due to religious and cultural dietary restrictions. Once I got my own apartment I upped my protein intake and significantly limited my carbs, and found that the constant cravings I'd had pretty much my entire life decreased substantially, after a short but painful transition period.