The 7 most obese states...

[LuvNewcastle]

32. Yes, a major reason for obesity is poor food choices.

Nutritious food costs more money, so poor people eat a lot of junk that's full of sugar and starches. Diabetes is epidemic among poor people in this country.

You can eat a great deal and not get obese as long as you eat nutritious food and get a little exercise. Just a little bit of junk food on a regular basis with a sedentary lifestyle is a prescription for obesity and diabetes.

I think the main reason why people are so obese in Mississippi is the demise of home gardens. Practically everybody used to have gardens down here, especially in the rural areas, which used to be most of the state. I remember seeing them when I was a kid. We have a long growing season down here, and there's plenty of fertile land. People love to eat down here. People lived on farms and they worked hard. They needed a lot of calories and they ate big meals. Eating a lot became part of our culture, and it didn't go away when people stopped farming and became more sedentary, and that was the beginning of our sharp rise in obesity.

We should figure out a way to subsidize nutritious food and encourage people to grow gardens again. If we'll start eating good food again and get a little exercise puttering around in the garden, we can stop this epidemic.