After reading "Poverty and Obesity" in America by Regina Olivares, I feel like I have gained a more better understanding on some of the causes of obesity and its commonly made misconceptions. I completely agree with this piece, as it provides many reasons why poverty and obesity are linked together and how maintaining a healthy weight is not as easy as it sounds. Because people commonly presume that choosing unhealthy foods is the reason for people being too overweight, many do not know that there are other causes, such as lack of money. Unwholesome foods generally cost less than healthier ones, and are sometimes the only thing that people can afford or prefer to buy because of the low cost. It isn’t much of an option, but more of a requirement because of their income. The government also provides foods that are low quality to public schools as well, and can cause childhood obesity considering how bad they are and the exceedingly high sodium they have.
I personally feel like these points are all important and should be listened to. I sometimes hear people being blamed for being obese, and that they could just choose healthier foods to have a healthier weight instead. However, this article has very important points that prove this assumption to be wrong, and also help educate others on the problems that are causing the amount of people to be overweight. For example, Regina states that “…highly processed foods are easy to find because the government subsidizes the big farms that produce them”. I never knew that healthy foods aren’t sold often in low-incme areas, though other unhealthy ones are much easier to find. Because I read this piece, I feel that I now know more about obesity and all the difficulties and causes surounding it.