During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, corpulence (obesity) once represented a person's wealth. This standard is in striking contrast to what is happening today - especially in the United States, where poverty and wealth often go hand-in-hand. "Food Justice,"" by Robert Gottlieb explores the effects of the American food market, as well as the impact of the fast food industry on the health of American citizens. Studies found in "Food Justice"" explain, in part, why obesity has become an epidemic and with input from doctors and scientists, we're told what we can do to stop it.
A study from Gottlieb's presented in "Food Justice,"" reveals that obesity is a major health issue in poverty-stricken families living in Los Angeles County, CA. According to the Los Angeles Public Health Department, "areas with the highest rate of poverty and food insecurities in southern Los Angeles County also have the highest rates of obesity among adults and children (35.5 and 28.9 percent)." The rate of heart disease deaths were higher by 30 percent, as well as increase in diabetes (12.3 percent) compared to the country average (8.7 percent)(Gottlieb 68). These numbers display the problem in the American food market. Unfortunately, healthy products are overshadowed by the heavily advertised cheap, processed "foods." The cost of eating healthy is difficult to manage under budget compared to purchasing fast or highly processed foods. Living under food stamps with the option of buying a three dollar head of lettuce or 3 cheeseburgers from McDonald's, fast food wins every time, which is why obesity has become such a problem for families living in poverty. The disparity in the costs for healthy and unhealthy makes it challenging for families under food stamps to eat fresh and healthy.
By analyzing food intake from "fourteen schools which more than 90 percent body qualified for free or reduced-lunches (indicative of poverty), UCLA researchers saw the range of school food issues " within the Los Angeles Unified School District (Gottlieb 68).
