Religion Causing Obesity Says Purdue Study...

[rfranklin]

Weighty matter: Is religion making us fat?

August 25, 2006

BY CATHLEEN FALSANI SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST




Back in the decadent early 1980s, New Wave rocker Adam Ant mocked clean living in his maddeningly catchy song, "Goody Two Shoes."



"Don't drink, don't smoke, what do ya do?" Ant taunted.

A new Purdue University study may hold the answer to Ant's question.

If they don't drink and don't smoke, what do they do?

Eat, apparently.
"America is becoming known as a nation of gluttony and obesity, and churches are a feeding ground for this problem," says Ken Ferraro, a Purdue sociology professor who studied more than 2,500 adults over a span of eight years looking at the correlation between their religious behavior and their body mass index.

"If religious leaders and organizations neglect this issue, they will contribute to an epidemic that will cost the health-care system millions of dollars and reduce the quality of life for many parishioners," he says.

Casserole as sacrament

Ferraro's most recent study, published in the June issue of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, is a follow-up to a study he published in 1998, where he found there were more obese people in states with larger populations of folks claiming a religious affiliation than elsewhere -- particularly in states with the most Baptists.

-more-


http://www.suntimes.com/output/falsani/cst-nws-fals25a.html/

[KittyWampus]

1. Does this include Wiccans, Buddhists and Orthodox Jews?

Maybe I should read the article but since the more reasonable explanation is economic factors since poor people are:

#1 less aware of healthy eating options/methods thus more likely to be obese
#2 less likely to be more highly educated and developed critical thinking skills
#3 more likely to be part of fundamentalist religions

[azurnoir]

2. That is one the most patronizing statements

I've ever read " bless their hearts, the poor jus' don' know no better", give me a break. First you state it's "economic" factors and then go on to list the standard "they" have no critical thinking skills, cause if they did then they wouldn't be poor, right?

[KittyWampus]

5. its a tendancy amongst poor Americans to eat boxed macaroni and cheese

rather than beans and rice.

its a tendancy amongst those who eat garbage to be unable to think all that clearly

its a tendancy amongst those who have little money to attend substandard schools.

edit- just what part of "less likely" in my points didn't you get?

[azurnoir]

7. I got all of them, thank you

lets see poor people eat mac&cheese low protein leads to unclear thinking, leads to more poverty, thank you for your ah judgment. The article was referring to Fundies for the most part Southern Baptists, if you want an example of unhealthy eating "Southern" foods would fit the bill. If you are a white northerner you'd know "Southern" food as "Soul" food as most people who moved from the south are Black.

[melnjones]

21. In the case of obesity among the poor, the issue is more that

the food they can most easily afford is crap. Often, if they could afford healthier food and had the time and means to prepare it, they would. A $.25 box of mac and cheese will feed several people however, and you can stick it in the microwave between jobs or have your kid make it.

[Teaser]

4. Since Wicca's only been around since 1950

it's difficult to assess it's demographic impact.

[warrens]

23. If you lived in the South

You would know that fundamentalism is a part of all economic classes. What you said is perhaps truer in the North, but wander into a church in Texas or Florida or Alabama.

[mainer]

51. Are Baptists more likely to be poor? Just wondering

Because I actually think it's lower economic status rather than being Christian that leads to obesity. All religions congregate around food; the Christians are no different. But poor people just don't have the same access to fresh produce. The cheapest calories are always fats and carbohydrates -- pasta, potatoes, bread, rice. If you're on a tight budget, that's what you'll go for, not the expensive fruits and veggies.

[Clark2008]

60. Not around here, they aren't

Some of the richest citizens in East Tennessee are Southern Baptists.

Now, if you're talking about Baptists - that's different. Most black churches here are Baptist, but not Southern Baptist. There's a difference.

[MikeyJones]

76. Good point

I know quite a few fat pot-bellied Wiccans.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

3. Hmm...I'm thin & don't believe in organized religion. Coincidence?

I think so.

[melnjones]

25. well...

I'm thin and a minister...just a recovered anorexic. My eating issues went the other direction, but they were eating issues all the same. Food can be used as a vice in a variety of ways by the religious community and others. I get frustrated when we overlook the many people in the church with anorexia and bulimia...you can sometimes hide those patterns of disordered eating better than you can the patterns that lead to extreme obesity, but that doesn't make one better than the other. Food in general is an issue in the church community.

[goddess40]

6. I think it might have some correlations

But I don't think it's cause and effect worthy.

My sister is attracted to the right wing version of Christianity- why because she's lazy and now she doesn't even have to think for herself. She home schools because she's too lazy to get out of bed - her version of why she home schools is because they won't let her daughter preach on the playground. She can feel Superior to everyone because she's saved and when someone comments on anything negative about her she feels it's because the christians are sooooo persecuted.

Poverty is probably a big factor too, fatting foods are cheaper then healthy fruits and veggies.

In the end I think it's more an American thing, then a religious thing.

[Tsiyu]

8. Heard the list this morning

Baptists top the list ( based on percentage of obese of denomination)

then, Fundies ( Church of God, Pentacostals)

Protestants (Methodist, Presby, Episcopalian)

Only one percent or less of Jewish people are overweight, with simlar percentages for Muslims, athiests, etc.

All of this was read on a radio program, so I may be off a bit, but that was what I remember. A caller told a Baptist joke after they read the list...


I won't repeat that :evilgrin:

[Clark2008]

64. Do they separate Southern Baptist from Baptist?

There is a difference, btw.

[SmokingJacket]

9. I would guess that both things are a result of the same phenomenon

Eating makes you feel better; religion makes you feel better.

[KittyWampus]

10. Very insightful. Both CAN be used as an emotional crutch

or as a balm against circumstances we feel we've no control over.

[Atman]

16. Don't forget the social eating in churches.

Expecially in the South, you get lots of Church Socials, ham & bean suppers, after-worship cookies and coffee, fund raising dinners, etc. It isn't JUST churches, though. Heck, we've seen it in the little co-op where we have a weekend place. Most new people seem to gain 20 pounds in their first couple years there because the whole place is about socializing and barbequing on the deck and then having all the same people over in the morning for a big breakfast. The eating becomes part of the lifestyle. I don't think it is unreasonable to assume that much the same phenomenon happens in church, or many other similar group dynamics.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bryant69]

12. To be fair there are plenty of stupid atheists as well

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[TheFriedPiper]

15. Ya, but the percentages are not NEARLY as high

Ignorance makes someone an easy mark for religion.


Kind of like when people used eclipses as evidence of magic powers.


I just don't believe in magic and I think people that do are silly.

[Selatius]

27. I would venture to say most Atheists became Atheists because...

They critically examined religion and what it is and after thought and contemplation decided to leave it behind. It wasn't for them. Of course, there are those who are agnostic or atheistic because they simply were not exposed often to religion and never gave it much thought, but most folks I've seen who assert that they truly are Atheists became Atheists because they thought their way into Atheism.

[TheFriedPiper]

33. Exactly

Many people only become atheists after THINKING.

Without the important step of THINKING, they are liable to remain religious.

What I find so funny is how many people treat atheism as if it is a religion.

For the last time: ATHEISM is the LACK of religion.

[bryant69]

34. For the last time?

That's pretty optimistic.

Some atheists exhibit the same qualities they condemn in the religious - that doesn't make them religious I suppose. Such qualities (such as intolerence) exist in all philosophies, I suppose, so long as people continue to be people.

Bryant

[TheFriedPiper]

37. and too many holy rollers mistake ridicule with intolerance

we have to tolerate your 4 month xmas season

we have to tolerate your push for right wing values

we have to tolerate the overwhelming abundance of shrines for your cults

we have to tolerate unfair tax breaks given to mega-churches

we have to tolerate losing a lane of traffic to sunday parking


the LEAST you can do is take a little ridiculing for believing in such obvious fantasies

[bryant69]

42. I don't push for right wing values

I don't know what you mean by that.

There's doesn't seem to be a way to protect small needy churches without protecting big mega-churches.

I'm sorry you have to lose a lane of traffic to sunday parking.


On the other hand, you've (by which I mean theFriedPiper) made it clear how you would like to see believers treated if you were the dominent culture and we were the minority culture.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[TheFriedPiper]

45. all I have said is that they should not have power over me

why is it so hard to understand that I simply do not want people having power over others if they are not grounded in reality?

[bryant69]

48. That's not exactly all you have said

But ok - let's settle this.

You will not vote for a believer - fair enough - I wouldn't expect you too. I will note parenthetically that I would vote for an Atheist, if I thought him likely to make a good public servant, but everybody has to vote their conscience.

The question is if you could take the next step - say there was a referendum saying "All occupents of high office must renounce any belief in supperstition or religion in order to retain their office" - would you support such a referendum. Earlier you said things that led me to believe you would, but perhaps I misread you. So please take this moment and clear this up. If TheFriedPiper had his way would believers be barred from public office?

Bryant

[TheFriedPiper]

55. Barring them would not be necessary and wouldnt work

so, no, I would not 'bar' them.

I will work actively to point out the fallacy in their beliefs and to discredit their ridiculous claims, however, in the hopes that more reality-grounded people get elected.

YOU make the leap from ridicule to banning, not me.

I wouldnt even ban SUVs. I believe in social pressure.
Smoking cigarettes when down only when it became 'uncool' in society.
Drunk driving when down only when it became 'uncool' in society.

With any luck, we can push religion to the fringes in the same way, by simply pointing out the obvious fallacy of it.

No force, no banishment, just social pressure via ridicule.

Besides, anyone with strong 'faith' would not be affected by ridicule and probably wouldnt post a whole lot of messages trying to combat the exposure of innaccuracy.

[bryant69]

58. OK - I apologize I must have misread your earlier posts

And I will cop to not being a particularly good Christian.

That said, I just don't like you TheFriedPiper and will probably continue to combat you, if for no other reason than it amuses me to do so. By the same token I'm sure you have buckets full of ridicule and disdain to dump on me should the opportunity arise.

I will say that my disdain for you has little to do with your atheism and everything to do with your personality.

Bryant

[Name removed]

63. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bryant69]

67. That is the equivielent of me saying

"Your animosity towards me is 100% rooted in the hold Satan has over your heart."

But of course I won't say that - you believe in what you believe and I believe in what I believe. I feel no need to go around attacking atheists - you do feel the need to go around mocking and attacking believers. Indeed your previous statement makes it seem like you feel it's your duty to mock believers.

I don't believe that that desire or need is felt by all atheists. It doesn't seem to be a required component of atheism.

Bryant

[melnjones]

77. I'll bet there are plenty of athiests

that would find you pretty irritating as well.

[TheFriedPiper]

79. And plenty of Christians who don't. So?

[AirmensMom]

89. LOL!

I doubt that! :rofl:

[PurityOfEssence]

47. That's unfair and incorrect

This person doesn't like the blatant favoritism given to religion in this society and from this you allege persecution.

It doesn't sound like this poster wants anything other than fairness, and to you, that's discrimination. You are the one who seems to want an aristocracy and unfair advantages, and to have them stripped away to the point where you are equal to others is extremely unfair to you.

Religion is anti-democratic, hence the first amendment. The problem is that those of a certain belief that demands to be certified as superior often don't see the hypocrisy of it.

As a homeowner in Los Angeles, I pay for the police that escort the big catholic day parades. I pay for all sorts of goodies that tax-exempt religious organizations get. This is unfair to me and my family, but if these breaks were to be rescinded, it would be taken with high dudgeon as persecution. That's inaccurate, narcissistic and selfish.

The very concept that religion is persecuted in this country is laughable and galling: religion is the cosmic blank check in this society, and the rest of us just have to knuckle under and pay for it.

[bryant69]

50. I do not believe that religion is persecuted in America

You should go back and look at TheFriedPipers posts beyond this one to see why I would challenge him this way.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Name removed]

52. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Touchdown]

75. and all Americans have to tolerate you

...calling fat people stupid. And no, that smarmy disclaimer about exceptions doesn't absolve you from saying just that.

[TheFriedPiper]

80. o please, I never said all fat people were stupid

but, since you can't argue against what I actually said, you put up a strawman version of what you wanted me to have said.

[Touchdown]

83. You said "most" without anything to back it up.

...which is bigoted enough. but then you rub salt in it by saying that equivalent to "I have gay friends, BUT..." remark, as if that absolves your attitude.

Nice strawman, playing that false strawman card. Notice I never accused you of says "all fat people are stupid"? I said All Americans have to tolerate YOU, which is more true now than an hour ago.

[PurityOfEssence]

43. That's ridiculous

Shitheadedness is an equal-opportunity cross-cultural affliction.

Many atheists have a rigid and intolerant belief system, and THAT'S a religion. You can see it here on this board with combative scoffing by those who've determined the answer of the universe and see fit to ridicule or proselytize others with it.

Atheism can be the absence of religion, but certainty is the hallmark of belief. Fixed and inflexible beliefs--especially when used rhetorically--are forms of religion. Your argument smacks of an attempt to claim the moral high ground, and it just doesn't wash.

I'm an agnostic who defied the family and walked away from church when I was 6. I don't see any way that there could be a supreme being or an afterlife or magic or any of that, but I call myself an agnostic because there's no proof either way.

Atheists are not superior to believers, and the extremists among them certainly fit the definition of religion.

[TheFriedPiper]

46. fine, im agnostic then

semantics

[Marr]

62. The distinction between agnostic and atheist

has always been troublesome for me.

Atheists are sometimes described as people who assert that there is no god. Other times, they're described simply as people who lack any theist beliefs. I fit the latter personally, not the former.

[Marr]

53. I agree with you- atheism seems to be the product of

critical examination. That's not to say that there aren't plenty of intelligent religious people.

[Atman]

54. I grew up in a Boston Irish Catholic family

Attended mass regularly, always said grace before dinner, my immigrant grandparents had a big portrait of Jesus over the fireplace of their very large Chestnut Hill home.

All the way up into my teen years, we stayed involved with the church to different degrees. I attended vacation bible school, went to group bible study during the week with my buddies. The more I learned, the less I believed. I know why the right hates public schools...I went to public schools. During the week, I'd learn about science. About evolution and ecology and space and carbon dating. I had a membership to the Museum of Science in Boston and spent many, many hours there. The more I learned, the less I bought the floating ghost stuff, until by my mid-teens, I had thoroughly given up trying to make sense of the entire bible hokum. After our first child was born, and the deaths of a couple of close friends, my wife and I thought maybe getting back into the church was a good idea. We joined a local congregational church and spent a year with them. We had the reverend over for tea and even dinner once, as we discussed our doubts and concerns and fears.

And you know what? As an adult, I found the hokum even more outrageous. Again, the more I learned about Jesus, the more I determined that organized Christianity is nothing but a big, tax-exempt business scam. I am not trying to figure it out again. I gave "God" lots and lots of chances to "show me the way." But for some reason, guys in black robes kept wanting money from me on every step of my journey.

Fuck that. I didn't arrive at my "atheism" by accident, and not by indoctrination or peer pressure. I made a concerted effort to learn as much as I could. The right-wing HATES that.

I agree with the OP...in general, life-long Christians are not necessarily the brightest candles on the alter.

[KittyWampus]

78. Athiests most likely examined Religion & threw out the baby w/ bathwater

Athiests therefore aren't really that smart after all(in regards to this conversation).

They're just as prone to black/white, all/nothing thinking.

[shugah]

29. fat people are not smart?

but it IS true that most (not all, so don't try to make it like i'm being mean):

most fat people are not smart (obviously there are many many exceptions to this)

i hope you have some hard facts to back this up? it's not that i'm trying to "make it sound like you are being mean" - it's that i can't believe that most fat people are not smart, so i'd really like to peruse your research to make it clear to me, that despite cited "exceptions" most fat people are not smart.

thank you in advance for links, titles of credible studies, etc.

[TheFriedPiper]

32. based entirely on observation

many fat people are fat due to forces beyond their control

most are not


and yes, there IS a relationship between being ignorant and eating badly

I was fat once myself, I worked out and ate right and got beyond it.
The first step was becoming informed about diet, exercise, and health.

[shugah]

39. ah. personal observation.

you used to be fat, but now you're smart!

:eyes:

[TheFriedPiper]

40. yep, got smart and got in shape

there IS a correlation

(I also escaped religion when I 'got smart')

[Missy Vixen]

44. What would you call it, then?

>but it IS true that most (not all, so don't try to make it like i'm being mean):
most fat people are not smart (obviously there are many many exceptions to this)<

I may be fat, but I'm smart enough to not judge others' personal worth based on the body they live in.

Unbelievable.

Julie

[TheFriedPiper]

57. I'm not judging anyone's worth

just pointing out trends.

I never said ALL fat people were stupid. Many are very intelligent.

And here I thought only right wingers lived in such a black/white world.

[Missy Vixen]

65. Right.

>I'm not judging anyone's worth just pointing out trends.<

And calling someone else "stupid" because their body is different than yours is now a "trend"?

>And here I thought only right wingers lived in such a black/white world.<

Gosh, what a coincidence.
I thought only the petty and small-minded judged an entire group with no basis in fact.

Julie

[Marr]

66. That's quite an assertion.

"it IS true that most most fat people are not smart"

And I see that the statement is based purely on personal observation. Lovely.

But go on- you were saying something about sound reasoning and intelligence, I believe.

[bling bling]

68. Most fat people are not smart.

That's the first time I've ever heard that. But it does make sense from a psychological standpoint that you would say that.

People who are overweight are more likely to be viewed as having other negative characteristics as well. Such as being dumb, out-of-control, lazy, etc. This is a psychological phenomenon, not at all reflective of fact. So be careful, you're falling for it.

[melnjones]

71. Prejudice much? nt

[tanyev]

13. I guess "prayin' to Jesus" isn't a reliable way to lose weight.

[Igel]

14. Perhaps he should examine SES and education levels.

Baptists tend not to be the wealthiest cohort, nor those with the best education.

(I also tend to think air conditioning in some parts of the country should be examined: since moving to Houston, I find myself outside less, and therefore less active, but I eat the same amount.)

[calico1]

17. This isn't the first article I have read

regarding obesity in the bible belt. It doesn't really surprise me. For these born agains, alcohol is sinful but food is okay. I was reading one article recently about the huge breakfasts some of these churces have after services. And I don't mean yogurt and fruit. Apparently many of them have not gotten the message that being very obese isn't really much better than being alcoholic, as far as health goes.

[TheFriedPiper]

18. Wouldn't it be hilarious if, as they were being raptured....

.... they fell back to Earth because they were too heavy for 'god's' tractor beam?

[melnjones]

24. No not really.

Sorry, I don't find a whole lot of joy in others' suffering. Disordered eating = suffering, regardless of whether you like the people or not.

[TheFriedPiper]

59. well, since it would NEVER happen because the 'rapture' is a fake

I was not wishing any harm on anyone.

geez

[melnjones]

73. No wishing harm, but baseless insults are ok in your book?

You are a trip.

[CanSocDem]

88. Your best post in this thread. (eom)

[The2ndWheel]

19. I'm sure it contributes

Although not because one is religious. Pretty much everything we do helps the obesity cause.

[hughee99]

20. So people who don't have one vice (drinking or smoking)

tend to have another, and since some religions frown on drinking and smoking, it leaves people of those religions fewer options for vices. This is shocking.

I don't see how this is any different from the stories about how many who quit smoking gained weight, except that I don't remember anyone blaming nicorette (or any other quit-smoking method) for making people fat.

[calico1]

26. When people are very focused on getting rid of one

vice, they often do not realize that they are even replacing them with others. I dated a recovering alcoholic once who always went to his AA meetings. He used to tell me how important it was for them to stay focused on recovering and not drinking again. Many of them were chain smokers. I once made a casual observation to him about this fact. He told me the main thing was to not drink...it didn't matter what else they did, just as long as they didn't drink. I shut my mouth after that but thought it kind of strange. With a lot of these religious fanatics they see so many things as sinful vices...drinking, cigarettes, drugs. But they don't see food that way. So even if they are headed toward triple bypasses and heart failure they don't see food as a vice as long as they stay away from all the others.

[hughee99]

30. I agree...

In this case, AA is removing one of the options, and members tend to pick up other vices. In the OP is it religion that is removing the choices for vices. The difference is that I've never seen an article that suggests that AA is responsible for making people fat or making people smoke.

[melnjones]

22. Not just obesity...

You'll find a heck of a lot of other eating disorders in religious communities as well. Using food addictions of all sorts is common when you can't use the other vices. I found that at my christian university a female would know far more girls with eating disorders than what my friends at state schools would see. It was rampant.

I think it's important to remember too that compulsive overeating and binge eating are often every bit as much of an eating disorder as are anorexia and bulimia. Society glorifies the latter, but sees the former as just plain lazy sloths which is not fair or accurate. By your eating habits you can be anorexic or bulimic and still be overweight and still die of vitamin/mineral deficiencies or an electrolyte imbalance that causes stroke or heart attack. Dangerous stuff. Yes, some people are overweight because over time they've just eaten a little too much and it's added up. Many others though are in a vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting that is mentally distressing and physically destructive. It's not a laughing matter and I hope we all see the seriousness of disordered eating.

[DanCa]

28. Religion or Bad Parenting?

Maybe little of both?
Brw when will we start giving scales to cops too make sure everyone has the ideal body type? (Sarcasm)

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ThomWV]

31. Susceptibility to Advertising, Susceptibility to Religion, Same Thing

There are people who believe they will be more beautiful in the eyes of others if they eat the right donut, chew the right gum, EAT BEEF. They think its cool to down a Whopper or a Double-Quarter-Pounder-With-Cheese because they are easily duped by the barrage of advertising we are all subject to. The same mind that would be easily swayed by that sort of tripe (lining of one of a cow's stomaches in case you didn't know) would certainly be the same sort of half wit that would suck up Religion, any religion, like a sponge.

[peekaloo]

36. Double Chins for Jebus!

Rev. Foulwill will back me up on this one.

[Hubert Flottz]

38. Sounds like the "Powerhouse Church of the Blinding Light...

More sugar...A mighty Hot Dog Is Our Lord! I'm not talking about Hate, dear friends...I'm talking about eight...dinner at eight.

Pastor Rod Flash of the Presumptuous Assumption of the Powerhouse Church of the Blinding Light, tried to warn us years ago and so did Deacon EL Mouse.

[Throckmorton]

86. But I ate of the condiment's there

cause you been talking a lot.

[semillama]

41. It's all those pancake breakfasts

Possibly my favorite memory of my childhood churchgoing was the saturday pancake breakfasts. Also the fact we had sex ed in our church prior to the sex ed in junior high, and basically got the same info (and it wasn't 'abstinence or nothing' - it was a pretty liberal and forward-thinking church).

[Marr]

49. Not necessarilly a causal connection.

"States with larger populations of folks claiming a religious affiliation" is a pretty loose definition. There are regional dietary differences, income disparities, and probably a hundred other variables that could be discussed here. This sounds like a connection without causation to this Californian.

[noonwitch]

56. It's all those potlucks the churches have

All churches, liberal and conservative alike, have potlucks on a regular basis. Everybody brings their best recipes, and everybody eats well. Also, people bring food in to Sunday services. At my church, I'm a volunteer and I bring food in sometimes for the other volunteers.

Some churches have them every week. When I was in college, we used to find out which ones did on Sunday nights, go to their services and eat potluck. On top of that, the church people never minded that we did that-we usually put a few bucks in the offering plate, and brought pop or something with us. I particularly remember the Evangelical Covenant Church in Kalamazoo having an excellent weekly potluck.

[TheFriedPiper]

61. Being surrounded by that much gullability makes me lose my

appetite.

[Initech]

69. What would Jesus eat?

[diamidue]

70. People aren't stuffing themselves at church

7 days a week. Unless the Church is cooking all their meals for them.

Does anyone really believe that if you took away these people's churches that they would suddenly become slim and trim?

This study is nonsense.

[Jed Dilligan]

72. That's so gross

Celebrating a wedding with an ice cream buffet... These people have no dignity whatsoever.

[MikeyJones]

74. I guess a redneck's only 2 releases from the pressures of life are......

food and incest.

[Alcibiades]

82. That's Yankee drivel

Weuns also enjoy killin' stuff, blowin' stuff up, drivin' fast, watchin' other folks drive fast in circles on the TV, rassling, college football, killin' stuff, barbecue, going apesh*t crazy, and incest and eating.

Excuse me, I gots ta go an lick the sausage gravy off my sister's tits.

[Alcibiades]

81. It's cultural and regional

Southern food is fattening food. I think that, here in the south, there's probably a relationship between being a traditional southerner and being southern baptist. My family is Wesleyan Methodist, but are culturally similar. What the author says about the traditionally huge Sunday meal rings true for me.

There was a time when southern men needed to eat 4000+ calories a day, because we all did manual labor. The diet has stayed the same, but the exercise has gone down.

[MikeyJones]

85. There IS a difference between Cajun and Hick thankfully......

Cajuns tend to eat a shitload more seafood and other various types of normal food while more "hickish" types stick with the white gravy, the sausage, the greasy eggs, the bacon, the fried chicken, and not to mention they have to cook every single little goddamned thing in gallons of butter. And you wonder why so many of them sit around all day sucking off welfare while they smoke the meth they make in their trailers with the materials they buy from the welfare check I gave them from me actually working.

I'm from the Coast of Mississippi which is VERY VERY different from the central and northern parts of the state. I went to Mississippi State(a.k.a. Cow Tech because they moronically put every college in the state at least 100 miles from the nearest metro area) and gained 20 pounds in my first 2 years there. I hate that place so much that I will never even go back to visit.

And it's not that you simply choose to eat that garbage -- IT'S ALL THERE IS TO EAT!! When I first came to Orlando I was blown out of the water, they have Indian food, Japanese food(that's actually affordable), German food, French food, etc. etc. To just sit there and be forced to either spend 5 hours a day cooking and cleaning(and 10 minutes of eating what I cooked) I turned to the only practical alternative given my massive workload that those idiots throw on their students: fast food.

This is going to sound disgusting but a lot of chain brand fast food is healthier than the crap they have up there in the restaurants. The FDA needs to go and regionally ban certain types of food and cooking. It's horrible and a huge public health and public debt issue because with the South being the asscrack poorest region in the country, they sure as hell are spitting out a lot of welfare cases onto our already cracking social nets. We need to reduce the numbers of strokes and heart attacks in the South because it's only going to get worse with the horrible food there.

[calico1]

87. Good point.

The fact is ALL Americans expended a lot more calories generations ago. So today, if we keep eating the recipes our grandmas and great grandmas made, we are going to be a lot fatter because we are just not expending the energy. This goes for North as well as South.

[ecstatic]

84. When people congregate like that, they like to eat!!

There's something about a group meeting that signals FOOD to most Americans. I think you'll find in almost any organizational meeting that there is some kind of catering involved. The thing is, Church meets up on a weekly basis--which translates into a lot of eating!

I think the researchers were off base. Yes, a lot of people in Church appear to be obese, but here's my take---It's just my opinion and I know it will probably be highly offensive to some people:

If you trust in God as much as you say, then why is that not reflected in the way you keep up with your body and health?. I KNOW personally how hard it is to lose weight and I think it does require one to be in tune with a higher power, particularly if struggling with a food addiction.

So basically, what I'm trying to say is that I do not think that severely overweight Christians have that close personal relationship with God that they claim to have.