Oh Noes : Most Republicans Who Bought Obamacare Coverage Like Their Plans

[Ricter]

I'd love to eat some crappy food. It does taste good. I haven't had a doughnut in probably 5 years ... so the other day I was tempted, and gave in, and bought a box of donut holes at the grocery.

How did you feel right after you ate them? An hour later? Did you want more? For me, the answers would be "great", "like shit", "yes". : )

 

[dbphoenix]

I'm well aware of food deserts. The school I volunteer at is in the middle of one. But ... pressure from the school, DHEC and the community leaders has either shamed or coerced in the largest store serving these people to stock up on fruits and vegetables. And .... they are the first thing you see when you enter the store. The school I'm at has had family dinner nights for students and parents with outside speakers on healthy cooking. Kids grow kale, tomatoes, collards, lettuce, broccoli, etc. in a school garden that my wife set up as a non-profit. So the exposure to healthy habits is happening, at least in some areas. And I can say that the kids now prefer kale chips over a bag of chips. Converting their parents is another story though.

That's excellent. But it's only one store. There are nearly a quarter million.

 

[dbphoenix]

You're absolutely right. According to the hormone theory of fat accumulation, those foods give rise to cravings for... those foods. Dopamine is apparently involved. Some go so far as to say sugar is addictive. So any income level is exposed to the danger. Still, 500 calories of KD is cheaper than 500 calories of fish.

Which relates to the thread on Repubs understanding so little of how poor people live. If I were struggling, I would not be turning to kale and celery sticks to make myself feel better.

 

[Ricter]

Thankfully, the message on our nation's problem with over-starching is getting out. But I don't know how our nutritionists expect poor people to realistically "go paleo". No objection to community gardens, of course.

 

[dbphoenix]

Thankfully, the message on our nation's problem with over-starching is getting out. But I don't know how our nutritionists expect poor people to realistically "go paleo". No objection to community gardens, of course.

Actually, to go WAY off-topic, it's not so much the starch as it is the fructose. Starch per se is not as much a consideration as whether or not the carbohydrate is simple or complex.

And, yes, community gardens would be great, which would also be something governments could subsidize without having to coerce grocery stores to carry this or that, if the grocery stores are there at all.

Imagine what kids could learn.

 

[DHOHHI]

How did you feel right after you ate them? An hour later? Did you want more? For me, the answers would be "great", "like shit", "yes". : )

I savored every bite as I knew this was a one time occurrence. And I had the discipline to eat just a couple at a time. In 4 days I've eaten 16 of the 22 (donut holes). At least I didn't scarf all 22 down the night I bought them.

 

[DHOHHI]

That's excellent. But it's only one store. There are nearly a quarter million.

Mayors of these communities, whether it's Newark or where I live or wherever, need to provide some incentives to legitimate grocers to open a store in the areas. Due to the community makeup they'd likely need more loss prevention people to minimize theft and thus the store would be less profitable. And to the best of my knowledge grocery stores operate on fairly thin margins. I know one guy who runs a store and he's under a lot of pressure to keep it profitable and improve performance over time. in poor communities the probability of succeeding isn't too high for many reasons (higher shoplifting, shoppers leery of shopping after dark due to those who loiter, general crime in the area).

 

[DHOHHI]

Which relates to the thread on Repubs understanding so little of how poor people live. If I were struggling, I would not be turning to kale and celery sticks to make myself feel better.

But eating doritos with Mountain Dew and 1/4 pounders is a better solution? Perhaps so ... for a short time .. but then when they develop health issues it's taxpayers who pay for the Medicaid they receive. It's all about responsibility ... and choices. Any kid, no matter how poor, deprived or otherwise challenged can succeed in life if they apply themself in the classroom. Ben Carson and Hermain Cain are two examples.

 

[Scataphagos]

"... Any kid, no matter how poor, deprived or otherwise challenged can succeed in life if they apply themself in the classroom....

Especially true for minorities. Yet most don't bother. They'd rather cry poor and whine about how whitey is keeping them down. (Lots of help from Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, of course.)

 

[DHOHHI]

And, yes, community gardens would be great, which would also be something governments could subsidize without having to coerce grocery stores to carry this or that, if the grocery stores are there at all.

Imagine what kids could learn.

And kids are learning! 4 years ago my wife had an idea .. teaching kids science through an outdoor garden classroom. She's received no $$ from the school district. Rather she's raised over $400K on her own. She's now taught kids in the most failing school for 3 years. Last year 37% of the kids met science standards up from the prior year. This year is was 74%! 74% is what you'd see in a middle-upper class school. Poor kids rarely have many hands on experiences to draw upon. So getting them out in a garden, planting, harvesting, sampling allows them to learn the why's and how's they'd otherwise not understand. They understand hypothesis testing, dependent and independent variables, how to design an experiment, data collection, etc. And they're 3rd - 6th graders that learn all this.