Starvation and Obesity

Although it is hard to believe, starvation and obesity go hand in hand, these two having things in common..

 

For the most of our human history our main problem has always been ‘how to feed our tummies and where to get food’, now this problem is mostly solved, a new one is emerging: Obesity.. Our ancestors were smaller than us, not just in height but in weight and waist-line too.

Obesity is now a bigger problem than starvation globally. There are more overweight and obese people- 1.5 billion (20%) in the world than there are undernourished people- 950 million (15%) and more people certainly die from obesity and its health complications (one in eleven deaths in UK) than starvation. We’ve become just too fat!

 

More than enough food is being produced in the world and there are still people starving to death. Food that is available is being distributed poorly and being wasted while the food prices are simply too high for poorer countries and too low for Americans.

Climate change, speculative commodity trading and food price manipulation, inequality, European and American farming subsidies, not keeping public health before profit making, governments subsidizing high fat foods like red meat and dairy products that cause obesity and chronic diseases- diabetes, heart disease and cancers, rather than veggies and fruits.. Because of these American and European farming subsidies, African food prices simply can’t compete with the western prices and they don’t get sold easily in the market.

Greedy corporations who benefit from the government farming subsidies just can’t get enough of profits and they simply aren’t too keen on helping the African farmers and the starving Africans either. And corn and high fructose corn syrup- HFCS prices are so low that food manufacturers can use it instead of cane sugar in almost all processed foods, contributing to the obesity epidemic.

Overnutrition and undernutrition caused diseases have two major things in common: Poverty and malnutrition. Although this may be a bit hard to believe, obese people are as nutrient deficient as the hungry or starving people.

And we tend to observe the behavior of eating cheaper processed, frozen or fast foods that are high in trans and saturated fats, white flour, sugar and high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, additives and artificial flavors more in the poorer neighborhoods and cities of United States. And no wonder you are more likely to see the fat people on the streets of these poor areas. Poorest and most obese states and cities of America are usually the same.

Fresh and organic or natural fruits and vegetables, whole grains, organic meat and poultry, foods that are packed with nutrients, vitamins and minerals tend to cost more. Unfortunately these are not within reach of households on low income.

So they have to do with foods that lack nutrients and that don’t give them a feeling of fullness easily while being loaded with empty calories. Large food companies make it difficult for healthy nutritious foods to be easily accessible to everyone and continue feeding the poor cheap and nasty processed foods.

 

Once the starving kids of some African countries are now turning into obese children and adults, giving birth to obese children that are equally if not more likely to suffer from chronic illnesses like diabetes, strokes, hypertension and heart attacks.

And African women are more likely to be overweight than men as there is a cultural belief in some countries that overweight women are healthier and more beautiful. And when they overeat and become fat, they will not be seen as poor by others.

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