Went to the pharmacy today to get my acid-reducing pills. I had to pay over $53 for 30 pills, but all the candy was 2 for $1. And that's why vast numbers of Americans are unhealthy and overweight. Discuss.
I don't mean to suggest that it's the stereotypical lazy-American, or passive-American syndrome. You'll find lazy people in any culture, and they don't necessarily turn out overweight. I don't have that Roman attitude--remember that Caesar wanted to be surrounded by overweight, bald people who slept well? Anyway, I digress; I meant to imply that meds cost way too much ($53 for 30 pills?!? For an acid reducer??? A glorified TUMS???) And that candy (and alcohol) are way too cheap and prevalent. People can't get well if they can't afford to; and people will consume whatever they can afford. Keep in mind, too, that fast food places and liquor stores abound in the poorer places, and that the healthier the food, the more expensive it is.
Well the discussion basically started with her and her husband telling me that eating healthy is too expensive. I acknowledged that healthy eating was more expensive, but even on limited budgets it can be done. For instance, I know a couple on foodstamps that still prefer to eat vegetables rather than chips and hamburgers. They made a conscious choice to do that.
However, she was the one who kept dragging the argument down to the level of "people who promote healthy eating are fatophobic and hate fat people," and that the healthy eating movement was basically an attack on fat people. I kept trying to bring the argument back to the economic one, that it is possible to eat healthy on a limited budget if you make the choice to do so, and that skinny doesn't equate to healthy, but it was impossible to keep the argument civil at least on one end.
A few months later I noticed she blocked me on facebook... very mature. Oh well...
Oh I have been in that discussion before... with a friend's wife who was overweight AND constantly sick... needless to say, it didn't end well...
ReplyDeleteI don't mean to suggest that it's the stereotypical lazy-American, or passive-American syndrome. You'll find lazy people in any culture, and they don't necessarily turn out overweight. I don't have that Roman attitude--remember that Caesar wanted to be surrounded by overweight, bald people who slept well? Anyway, I digress; I meant to imply that meds cost way too much ($53 for 30 pills?!? For an acid reducer??? A glorified TUMS???) And that candy (and alcohol) are way too cheap and prevalent. People can't get well if they can't afford to; and people will consume whatever they can afford. Keep in mind, too, that fast food places and liquor stores abound in the poorer places, and that the healthier the food, the more expensive it is.
ReplyDeleteWell the discussion basically started with her and her husband telling me that eating healthy is too expensive. I acknowledged that healthy eating was more expensive, but even on limited budgets it can be done. For instance, I know a couple on foodstamps that still prefer to eat vegetables rather than chips and hamburgers. They made a conscious choice to do that.
ReplyDeleteHowever, she was the one who kept dragging the argument down to the level of "people who promote healthy eating are fatophobic and hate fat people," and that the healthy eating movement was basically an attack on fat people. I kept trying to bring the argument back to the economic one, that it is possible to eat healthy on a limited budget if you make the choice to do so, and that skinny doesn't equate to healthy, but it was impossible to keep the argument civil at least on one end.
A few months later I noticed she blocked me on facebook... very mature. Oh well...