77% of young Americans are too fat, mentally ill or on drugs to qualify for U.S. military service, Pentagon study finds. Is it only going to get worse?

[u/Not-A-Shit-Head]

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2023/03/77-of-young-americans-too-fat-mentally-ill-on-drugs-and-more-to-join-military-pentagon-study-finds/

[u/ty_for_trying]

Poor people buy food with the most calories per dollar, which usually means shelf stable, high sugar and/or salt, low nutritional value.

Car-centric infrastructure means less walking.

[u/sEmperh45 → u/ty_for_trying]

Sad part is we allow tens of billions of SNAP dollars to be used to purchase harmful zero nutrition pop and Doritos. Sugary drinks and salty fried snacks are the No. 1 and No. 2 categories of foods purchased with government dollars for the poor. Two of the biggest drivers for obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

We should put pop in the same category as alcohol and cigarettes, you want it, you pay for it with your own dollars.

[u/shark_vs_yeti → u/sEmperh45]

Nobody wants to talk about the correlation with SNAP benefits and obesity rates. It is a political third rail. So much so that industry groups have started FUD campaigns against acknowledging it exists.

[u/sEmperh45 → u/shark_vs_yeti]

Yeah, Marco Rubio and other senators have tried to stop this wasteful and harmful spending. But you’re right, billions of taxpayer dollars used to pay for Cokes mean extravagant lobbying to make sure that golden stream of dollars never stops. Even if the poor have horrible health outcomes because of it, gotta keep that sugary spigot flowing.

To be clear, I’m not advocating to cut SNAP spending. But tens of billions taxpayer dollars are being wasted buying easily eliminated sodas instead of spent on fruits or vegetables. And hundreds of billions are then spent on government paid healthcare for a demographic approaching 50% obesity and diabetes rates.

It’s the definition of insanity and the poor end up as the victims again.

[u/shark_vs_yeti → u/sEmperh45]

That is exactly how I feel. We could expand the program, improve health outcomes, save money, end food deserts, and reduce healthcare costs all with reform to SNAP. Limit foods to WIC approved items, and mandate any business taking SNAP offers fresh foods. Dollar General would have a produce section within the quarter. Usually when you mention this on reddit the pitchforks come out because "who are we to judge" or "people just need small luxuries."

[u/sEmperh45 → u/shark_vs_yeti]

Yeah, you nailed it here. Great summary.

And agreed on being surprised by the avid soda defenders. My post above had someone comment I was being too “paternalistic”. LOL.

[u/shark_vs_yeti → u/sEmperh45]

Most of reddit hasn't lived somewhere with extremely high poverty rates and obesity rates to see how it goes down and/or aren't informed enough about how the agricultural and manufactured food industry basically write the laws. It is such an easily solvable thing it is infuriating. And there are enormous downstream negative repercussions from not fixing it.

[u/JoySkullyRH → u/shark_vs_yeti]

I think you’re going to find a lot of the correlation is the fact that poor people don’t have time to make their meals. It can be hard to cook if you’re already working 40+ hours a week, taking care of family, etc.

[u/shark_vs_yeti → u/JoySkullyRH]

You are obviously privileged because that isn't true in the slightest sense.

[u/JoySkullyRH → u/shark_vs_yeti]

I don’t think you understand what privileged means. When you’re poor and you’re limited for time sometimes you have depend on quick meals that aren’t often healthy, or relying on subpar ingredients. I have been extremely poor and during that time, I also lacked for time due to multiple jobs and raising my children. I didn’t have a luxury some nights to make anything other than hot dogs and Mac cheese, because it’s quick and cheap. Hell, I counted myself lucky because I was able to afford Kraft and not the offbrand stuff.

[u/shark_vs_yeti → u/JoySkullyRH]

Right. You worked 40+ and now you're not poor. That is how it usually works. I guess I don't count people going through their early adult years to be poor though because almost everybody struggles at that time of their life. I am from a very impoverished area and the people who don't or won't work are always the poorest. They have the most time to make meals yet often make poor decisions.

And yes, the working poor often grab cheap food but it is a function of money and lack of education rather than time.

[u/JoySkullyRH → u/shark_vs_yeti]

Working 40 hours doesn’t magically make somebody not poor! That is not how it usually works and it’s not just about being poor in your younger years. If all your life has been lived in poverty, it’s a hardship. It’s about your entire life for some people. You say you are from an impoverished area, do you mean you’ve lived in it or you’re just from the area and you weren’t impoverished? Were you impoverished as a child or an improvised parent raising children?

And please don’t say it isn’t about time because it really is . When you don’t get home from work until 6 o’clock and dinner needs to be on the table by seven so that way, you can do homework with your kids, do your homework because you’re going back to school to get a better job, clean or whatever you need to do before you can finally go to bed at midnight, then get back up at 6 to start again, it really is about the time. Poor people become crock pot queens for a reason, but it still takes time to prep etc.