<p>What I appreciate about the long-term care benefit is the fact that it is new in the last couple of years and reflects the fact that this particular firm doesn’t have many young employees, so childcare is less of an issue, but as a group we are facing more challenges with elderly parents. It’s very nice to see such a tailored benefit, and it’s good to be sincerely able to appreciate the efforts of my company.</p>
<p>In my line of work, some kind of gym/fitness center benefit is a must to be competitive. Even if it’s a discount at a chain near where you live for those that work at home most of the time.</p>
<p>Studies show that obesity is more prevalent among the poor. You don’t see many fat people in wealthy neighborhoods, anecdotally. So employers offering gym memberships won’t make much of a dent in the problem. </p>
<p>I saw that West Virginia a poor state with a severe obesity problem is considering no longer allowing food stamps to be used for sugary sodas. Of course, a calorie is a calorie. I don’t know how you force people to get off their butts and exercise.</p>
<p>Crap food is cheaper than healthy food, that is part of the reason for the disproportionate amount of obese people who are lower income. Eating healthy is expensive.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This is not true. One can eat healthy very inexpensively. The difference is that it takes more effort and planning.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes, and it’s more prevalent in certain regions of the US with the south having the highest obesity rates. Here is the percentage of obese adult population by state:</p>
<p>Mississippi – 29%
Alabama – 29%
West VA – 29%
Louisiana – 28%
Kentucky – 27%
Tennessee – 26%
Arkansas – 26%
S Carolina – 26%</p>
<p>Coincidentally, these state have the lowest median household income in the US.</p>
<p>Gov. engouging free market choice? Interesting…continue believing in it, I have never started and never will, I envy everybody with th rosy glasses, mine have been removed by brutal force…</p>
<p>
Bay is right. There are reasons for this, but cost is not it.</p>
<p>Bay, it most definitely is true. Steel cut oats are more expensive than instant oatmeal. It’s cheaper to go to McDonalds and order off the dollar menu than it is to pay for a fresh salad. Fresh vegetables cost way more than canned. Organic free range chicken is twice the price of chicken thighs and drumsticks. Wild caught fresh salmon is about $16.00 a pound. How do you think an average poor family of 4 can serve that 3 times a week as is recommended?</p>
<p>^Fresh salad is cheaper at home than McDonald and you do not need to go to the store to pick it, it stays in fridge for long time anymore, I believe that they did something to this packaging, at least the Romaine that I am buying is staying fresh for the very long time. I am way too lazy to go out. We go on a very special occasions, primarily when family memebers are visiting or we visiting them. Otherwise, both of us just want to be at home. McDonald is way beyond of what my stomach can tolerate anyway.</p>
<p>dkitty,
You are picking and choosing expensive items as though they are the only healthy choices. It is healthy and inexpensive to live entirely on things like eggs, milk, oats, bananas, apples, oranges, wheat bread, beans, brown rice, broccoli, cheaper cuts of chicken, beef and fish. You can probably feed yourself for 3 meals a day on those things more cheaply than a meal at McDonalds, and you won’t end up obese. The problem is that it takes time to shop for those items, to plan for their storage, proper rationing and cooking. It is much, much easier to swing by McDonalds and power down a Big Mac.</p>
<p>And you don’t need a gym membership. Anyone can put on comfortable shoes and walk.</p>
<p>As much as I am against government programs for odd give-aways (free phones) I would completely support a ‘free crock-pot’ program. This thing is the best, fastest and cheapest way to make VERY healthy meals. It takes a bit of planning but you can turn a cheap LEAN cut of meat into a tender stew with the addition of healthy canned goods. It would take way less time to make a crock pot meal which then provides for leftovers for several days than it would take to go to a drive through or other fast food place. </p>
<p>The Biggest Loser just recently did a schtick where they sent the contestants to a grocery store with a limited budget and tasked them with buying ‘proper’ food. One of the women actually said she never went grocery shopping and didn’t even know how to start. The end result of that particular TBL adventure was proof that it is not more expensive but it does take a force of will.</p>
<p>“As much as I am against government programs for odd give-aways (free phones)…” </p>
<p>I am too - though no one seemed to pay any attention about the free give away of cell phones when it was instituted by the previous administration. I’m really pleased it has gotten the attention it deserves now.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>I see a lot of overweight people on my Sunday morning grocery shopping in an affluent area. Not that many that are obese but weight is a problem in rich and poor communities alike. In rich communities because there is so much access to fod. In poor because there’s access to food that tends to make you heavier.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>I saw a look at obesity rates by city. Boulder, CO is the lowest at 12.1%. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX is the highest at 38.8%. Even the best city is what I’d consider pretty high. The CDC has a time-lapse map of obesity rates and it’s amazing to see where we were five decades ago and where we are today.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>This is correct but the effort and planning can be significant if you are under time-pressure, schedule pressure, don’t have the means to preserve foods that spoil relatively quickly and don’t have access to certain foods. My wife will cook anything that I ask for at any time so that leaves me free to control my diet without having to deal with getting the ingredients, planning the cooking time, and portions.</p>
<p>Part of the problem is in big agriculture influencing dietary recommendations towards grains and away from fats. I don’t see this going away anytime soon.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It is not like cell phones (with low cost prepaid service plans) are that expensive these days.</p>
<p>[Prepaid</a> Cell Phones : Prepaid Cell Phones - Walmart.com](<a href=“http://www.walmart.com/browse/prepaid-cell-phones/prepaid-cell-phones/3944_542371_133261_1056206?search_query=&_refineresult=true&ic=32_0&search_sort=4&cat_id=3944_542371_133261_1056206&catNavId=1072335]Prepaid”>http://www.walmart.com/browse/prepaid-cell-phones/prepaid-cell-phones/3944_542371_133261_1056206?search_query=&_refineresult=true&ic=32_0&search_sort=4&cat_id=3944_542371_133261_1056206&catNavId=1072335)</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>McDonalds Oatmeal has 33 grams of sugar and costs about $2.50. Trader Joes is selling a 24 ounce can of steel cut oats for $2.49. That’s 17 servings. BTW, that’s my breakfast and lunch during the week. One cup of steel cut oatmeal. I’m paying under a buck a week for breakfast and lunch for the whole work week. That doesn’t include my wife’s labor in cooking it though.</p>
<p>[Trader</a> Joe’s](<a href=“http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=974]Trader”>http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=974)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>A 14.75oz (almost 1 pound) can of wild Alaska salmon is about $3 from various brands, including store brands (the cans look like they are all from the same cannery, with different brands’ labels).</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>It’s still a problem even in the fittest states.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I just bought one of those large-sized Quaker Oats (42 oz) on sale yesterday for 2/$5.00. It contains 30 servings. That is $.09 per serving. Made with one cup of milk $.45 (based on US average price $3.60/gal.), one egg $.17, and half a banana .10, I can eat better than McDonald’s for $.81 per day.</p>