Calorie Postings Don’t Change Habits, Study Finds

Or it is that: (1) They don’t care, and/or (2) They aren’t functionally literate enough to decipher nutrition postings, and/or (3) Junk tastes good. It is definitely not expensive; fast food prices have doubled on average in the last 12 years. But it is the least expensive food that you don’t have to prepare for yourself.

This reminds me of a study I did while studying public policy and urban planning at UCLA. The study was to examine the effects of access to technology (particularly internet) on the residents of South Central. Technology centers (basically free Kinko’s) were provided for people to take online classes to gain office skills, job hunt, print unlimited resumes, obtain medical and health information, get job coaching, etc. It didn’t make a lick of difference. It’s not an issue of access - it’s an issue of PRIORITIES.

In all due respect, there are still plenty of overweight White people.

What I find even more humorous than the average caloric value going up AFTER they were provided the information was that these gullible “researchers” thought blacks and Hispanics would have paid any attention to the information in the first place.

“One advocate of calorie posting suggested that low-income people were more interested in price than calories.”

LOL. Of course these people have never heard of beans, pasta, fruits, vegetables and rice while using meat sparingly.

Gee. Now I really feel guilty. Obviously, the heritage of slavery, discrimination, and low self-esteem, caused by the racism of us whites, has forced black people to eat lots of fast food just to feel good about themselves, or to gradually destroy themselves because of self-hatred. Yes, I am being sarcastic, but I bet their still are a great many gullible people that would take those comments seriously.

Agreed, there are also many overweight white people (including my husband and I both).

Also, how many people are really educated about nutrition and calorie information? Most people I meet who are overweight know next to nothing about it. I’m willing to bet many “skinny” people don’t either, they simply naturally eat well/have a good metabolism.

There’s much to blame for the obesity problems in our society (and no race can assumedly have different reasons for being obese, in retrospective), and until we start to educate and aid each other with these issues as opposed to ignoring and criticizing them as the majority do, they aren’t going to go away.

” Fat chance ” of self-regulating their own diet; just like all other weaknesses that they demonstrate so profoundly .

One advocate of calorie posting suggested that low-income people were more interested in price than calories.

Wait a minute — why are these two things at odds? If you want to consume less calories, a simple solution is to consume less food, and less food costs less money. Problem solved. The fact that a person is fat from fast food must therefore mean that he is interested in obtaining the maximum calories at the lowest price, a completely rational economic calculus, but one which is inexplicable to the better-off researchers. Are you really going to convince such a person that it will do good for them to pay MORE for FEWER calories?

Calories are just a measure of the energy in food, they’re not good or bad. This idea of paying more for the “privilege” of smaller portions is one of most bizarre cultural trends in 21st century America, and seems to me to be an acknowledgment of powerlessness over our appetites, such that we have to pay extra to keep the food away (lest we uncontrollably over-eat). If this captures the mindset of the researchers, they really shouldn’t be surprised that the poor, who cannot “afford” to pay to keep food away from their mouths, are overweight.

Why do people hide behind “fast food is cheaper”, er, no, it is lazier.

Just made Shepherds Pie for me and the wife, enough to make 8 or 10 meals the size of a plate (2 big pies); i.e. we will eat it again for dinner and we will take it for work lunches. Total cost: $15. Other times I make chillies, curries, spicy chicken, Sunday roasts (with Yorkshire puddings!) and it is always cheaper than eating out.

IMHO it is just laziness!

If you had an IQ of 85 or less, do you really think you would be reading the calorie postings?

Does anyone actually believe that modern Blacks, intellectual-capacity issues notwithstanding, do not know that certain foods are more fattening and less healthy for you than others? They all know this, as sure as they know where the local welfare office is! They just DON”T care!! Being fat, like being a dopehead, a whore, a gangbanger or general criminal, is not considered necessarily problematic in the Black “community.” Who can deny this?

“…In all due respect, there are still plenty of overweight White people…”

Yes, but WITH all due respect, there are MORE obese blacks.

According to the CDC:

“…New Obesity Data Shows Blacks Have the Highest Rates of Obesity. Blacks had 51 percent higher prevalence of obesity, and Hispanics had 21 percent higher obesity prevalence compared with Whites…”

http://tinyurl.com/q2tzej

Obesity is linked to higher incidences of many diseases including heart disease, high blood pressure, certain types of cancers and diabetes type II and is mostly due to poor eating habits (such as fast food) and a lack of exercise.

Why should I or any other White pay for blacks’ medical treatments if they refuse to take care of themselves? (and yes, I realize that I already am, but it is about to get a whole lot worse with socialized care)—especially if they are not capable of or willing to following medical instructions or change their poor lifestyle habits?

Bon

“In all due respect, there are still plenty of overweight White people.”

I totally agree. Making fun of overweight blacks and hispanics doesn’t excuse the White race from being obese. Whites should embrace their heritage of being fit and athletic. Turn off the TV. Put down the video games. Start getting some exercise. It works!!

Yes, there are lots of overweight whites. However, the percentage of whites who are overweight still pales to the percentages of blacks and hispanics who are capable of destroying scales. Most fat people of any race just don’t care. Some people have real medical problems behind their obesity, but most overweight folks simply aren’t thinking ahead. And you can lose excess weight. It’s a matter of will power. I know, I’ve done it.

They probably just don’t care about being fat. I’m taking this from a wonderful article I saw awhile back, “What’s it like to teach Black students?” by Marty Nemko:

Many black people, especially
women, are enormously fat. Some are
so fat I had to arrange special seating to
accommodate their bulk. I am not saying
there are no fat white students—there
are—but it is a matter of numbers and
attitudes. Many black girls simply do not
care that they are fat. There are plenty
of white anorexics, but I have never met
or heard of a black anorexic.

“Black women be big Mr. Jackson,”
my students would explain.

“Is it okay in the black community to
be a little overweight?” I ask.
Two obese girls in front of
my desk begin to dance, “You know
dem boys lak juicy fruit, Mr. Jackson.”
“Juicy” is a colorful black expression
for the buttocks.

Reference location:
http://martynemko.blogspot.com/2009/06/white-teacher-speaks-out-what-is-it.html

Alansdottir:

The referring URL got it from the printed version of AR a few months ago.

“One advocate of calorie posting suggested that low-income people were more interested in price than calories.”

Of course. They want to get more calories per dollar, not less.

Would it make sense to pay more and get less?

I also agree that there are too many overweight white people.
But there are even more overweight black people.

“Whites should embrace their heritage of being fit and athletic. Turn off the TV. Put down the video games. Start getting some exercise. It works!!”

And get away from that computer!

“there are also many overweight white people (including both my husband and me). Also, how many people are really educated about nutrition and calorie information? Most people I meet who are overweight know next to nothing about it. I’m willing to bet many “skinny” people don’t either, they simply naturally eat well/have a good metabolism.”

My father was a diabetic which I suppose, in an odd way, was a blessing for the rest of the family. In order to feed him properly, my mother (being a very thorough person) studied nutrition and served us only healthy, well balanced meals. She did not allow cookies, potato chips, cake, soda or junk food in our house. I grew up knowing nothing about them. And never missed them either.

It all paid off many years afterward in good health, good teeth, and strong bones. And good looks, so I’m told. I never cared for booze or cigarettes either, so didn’t dissipate. I’m in great shape for my age — still have my own hair, my teeth, and my looks. Unlike so many others, I have no prescriptions, medical expenses, doctor bills, or health problems WHATSOEVER. No wrinkles either. At most, I may catch a slight winter cold once a year. My mother lived to 96. I’m in my active seventies now, am always on the go, and people think I can’t be fifty. They don’t believe me when I tell them my age. (It’s hard even to get a senior citizen discount: they want to see proof!)

Bottom line: healthy living pays off. Avoid the junk food and don’t dissipate!

[Btw, I do love a piece of fried chicken, once in a blue moon — just a special treat. You don’t have to live like an ascetic.]

As a doctor, I’ll tell you that overweight/obesity is a function of laziness, not finances. Lazier people are fatter, even if they’re rich. Bottom line - blacks are lazier than whites by far, in general terms. The point about never having seen a black anorexic is well made - I’ve never seen one in over 6 yrs of practice, against at least 2 dozen whites.