Obesity and underclass - "Larger portions of broccoli are not going to help the poor."

Obesity and the Underclass - NYT

Adam Drewnowski

Adam Drewnowski is director of the University of Washington Center for Obesity Research.

The issue of the affordability of healthy diets will only become more pressing as more people slide into poverty.

Larger portions of broccoli are not going to help the poor.

I agree that we tend to censure food choice behaviors of low-income groups, no matter what they do. It’s as though being poor were equivalent to a moral failure, and uplifting homemade lentil soup were the only cure. The new WIC package in Washington State is full of contradictions — no white potatoes, no yogurt, no canned soups or vegetable juices — but plenty of fresh kale. We do not want those low-income mothers to have too much fun at the taxpayers’ expense.

Of course, distributing more fruits and vegetables probably is not the answer either. The problem is that the fiscal policies of the last two decades have created a permanent underclass that has become obese and diabetic. The only way out of this is to promote jobs, education and yes, health reform. Larger portions of broccoli are not going to do it on their own.