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High food costs may boost obesity among poor in U.S.

Correction: Tiannia Gaines eats junk food because she chooses to do so. It is not because she is on public assistance, not because she lives in a poor neighborhood and not because she shops at expensive convienance stores instead of a grocery store.

It could be related to never having taken the trouble to educate herself, even briefly, via the public library, on the basics of nutrition. It could be related to the idea that she knows better but chooses junk food anyway. Perhaps she likes junk food more than a sandwich or an apple.

The reporter made a terrible assumption by writing that the poor are overwieght because they are somehow victimized by society. It could be that the the reporter has never heard of freedom to choose.

P.S. It could also be that the poor believe advertising more readily than other socio-economic groups. How often are lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, whole grains, hamburger and milk advertised on prime time TV?

I firmly believe that it should be illegal to use food stamps on unhealthy things. No soda, no chips, no Little Debbie's, no trash. Why can't the poor live on even moderately healthy options like canned beans and rice, or peanut butter on whole wheat bread? All of these things could be picked up at a convenience store.

It's so fascinating. I always thought, if you were poor, you eat less food, thereby not being obese.