1. WHY ARE SO MANY OBESE PEOPLE HUNGRY IN US?
Yankamma Chancha Curry
DeVry University
ENGL 135 Research Presentation

2. Thesis Statement
• Every day children come home to empty pantries and parents
without a job in US. Yet the obesity rate is growing at a high
rate. Additionally, the US economy is performing poorly and
poverty levels have increased sharply. What is causing so
many of our citizens to go hungry and become obese? The
possible answer according to Michael Pollan’s research in
The Omnivore’s Dilemma:2006, is the increasingly large
amounts of high fructose corn syrup added to processed
foods. The farmers, who are responsible to provide fresh
vegetables and produce ,are getting government subsidies
that support sugar and fat production from corn and soy bean
agriculture. The farmers focus on quantity not quality of
nutritious foods. The reason obese people go hungry is
because they cannot afford to buy unsubsidized healthy
foods at their poverty income levels.

3. History
The reasons for the problem are:
 low socio-economic status
 Availability/access to supermarkets
 Choices.

4. Effects of the Problem
• Increase in health problems
• More young people are diagnosed with
diseases that used to be adult onset
• High healthcare costs
• The visits to Doctors increase to manage
the diseases.

5. Effects of the Problem
• Availability/access to supermarkets
• The supermarkets are not easily available
in low income neighborhoods and poor
can’t go to them due to transport.
• The choices of foods are fewer and high in
sugars and fat and come in large
quantities for cheap.
• So the food choices that are made are
unhealthy and leads to obesity.

6. Solutions
Our government needs to step in and help
now.
• It will work because there needs to be
regulations on what is being fed to our
children in schools and grocery stores.
The high fat and sugar foods need to be
taxed so more fresh and healthy foods are
accessible.
• The food stamps issued to poor should
only be allowed to buy healthy food.

7. Another Solution
Access to healthcare
• It will work so early detection of diseases can be
managed properly.
• This solution will not burden the people with health
insurance to pick up costs for the uninsured.
• The plan will have everyone take responsibility of their
healthcare and not wait till they are really sick and end
up in hospitals for days and weeks leading to high
hospital bills.

8. Call to Action
We must act now or our country’s health will
be undermined by reduced productivity
and affect the economic security of the
nation.

9. References
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/causes/health.html
Hyman M, 2010 September 18. The Link between poverty, Obesity and
Diabetes.
Pollan M.2006, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. A Natural History of Four Meals.
Yancy C, 2009. August 16. Solutions: Dealing with America’s obesity problem.