The Obesity Crisis in America
When I meet with a new supermarket company to introduce them to the concept of NuVal, I typically start my talking about the obesity crisis in America. To put it bluntly, people are getting fatter every year.
Look at this map, from 1990:
Back then, only about 15% or less of the nation’s population was obese as noted by the light blue shading on the map.
Fast forward to 1998:
At the end of the last millennium, most states had 15-19% obese populations, and some states had obesity rates of over 20%, as indicated by the dark blue and the yellow shading.
Now, here’s the scary map. 2009.
Whoa! What happened to the blue? In 2009, all the states had over 20% obese populations. In fact, look at all those orange states! They are in the 25% – 29% range. And the dark red? Over 30% of their populations are obese.
And just when you thought it could not get any worse, the 2010 numbers just came out.
I got some of these “Unfathomable Statistics” from the Fooducate Blog.
Here are some stats to note:
- Obesity rose in 16 states.
- Obesity did not decrease in any state.
- Mississippi has the highest obesity rate (34.4%).
- Colorado has the lowest obesity rate (19.8%).
- Education matters. High school dropouts have the highest rates of obesity (32.8%).
- Money matters. Households that make less than $15,000 have a 33.8% obesity rate. Households that have an income above $50,000 have “only” a 24.6% obesity rate.
So, what can be done? A number of things. But one that I believe passionately in is better nutritional guidance for consumers. And that is where NuVal comes into play. It can help shoppers choose the most nutritious loaf of bread, box of pasta, can of beans, and even fresh protein source on their supermarket shelves. I don’t think that a nutritional guidance system is a “nice-to-have” kind of thing for a supermarket. With this kind of crisis in our country today, I think it’s a “must-have.”
For More Reading
Fooducate (one of my favorite food blogs) has been featuring some great posts on obesity as of late. See what he has to say about eating out and obesity. You will decide to cook in more often!
The 2010 Numbers are from F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2011. This annual report comes from Trust For America’s Health, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority. Check out their site for the 2010 map and for detailed information on your state, including childhood obesity statistics.
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