Home > Healthy Eating > Archives > 2007 > December > 24 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USCountry Life Not Always Healthier
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This info taken from recent Newsweek article…very interesting!!!
Notions of county life conjur up images of picking an apple from a tree or a fresh egg from under a chicken. But, the real world of eating and nutrition in the rural United States is far from this ideal. “The stereotype is everyone in rural America lives on a farm, which is far from the truth,” says Jim Weill, president of the nonprofit Food Research and Action Center (FRAC).
New research from the University of South Carolina shows just how unhealthy the country life can be. The study, which examined food-shopping options in Orangeburg County (1,106 square miles, population 91,500), found a dearth of supermarkets and grocery stores. Grocery stores, which stock far more fruits and vegetables than convenience stores, are often too far away, says University of South Carolina epidemiologist Angela Liese, lead author of the study, which appeared in last month’s Journal of the American Dietetic Association. “Oftentimes a nutritionist will just say, ‘Buy more fruits and vegetables,’ when, in fact, the buying part is not simple.”
Liese and her colleagues found plenty of healthy foods in the county’s 20 supermarkets and grocery stores. The situation in the convenience stores was decidedly grimmer. Only 4 percent of them carried high-fiber bread, and only 2 percent carried low-fat or skim milk.”
What do you think about this?
Services »
Comments
By Brad Stephens
December 24, 2007 10:35 AM | Link to this
The study seems pointless, really. It’s no secret to us “country folk” or city-folk either that your grocery options are limited in rural areas. It still boils down to one thing - what do want to put into your body. Rural areas usually have more roadside vendors for fresh fruit and veggies, while cities have farmers’ markets and more upscale grocers with wider selections. Rural areas have quik-stop pizzas, burritos and beer, while cities have McDonalds and Taco Hells. If you want to treat your body right, you can do it with little effort. If you want to eat greasy junk food, that’s available as well. To quantify it as a urban/suburban vs. rural thing is a waste of time.
By Brad Stephens
December 24, 2007 10:36 AM | Link to this
The study seems pointless, really. It’s no secret to us “country folk” or city-folk either that your grocery options are limited in rural areas. It still boils down to one thing - what do want to put into your body. Rural areas usually have more roadside vendors for fresh fruit and veggies, while cities have farmers’ markets and more upscale grocers with wider selections. Rural areas have quik-stop pizzas, burritos and beer, while cities have McDonalds and Taco Hells. If you want to treat your body right, you can do it with little effort. If you want to eat greasy junk food, that’s available as well. To quantify it as a urban/suburban vs. rural thing is a waste of time.
By catlady
December 24, 2007 10:41 AM | Link to this
Yet another reason for home gardens, no matter how modest. I eat from my garden 9-10 months of the year (I am from a rural area, with the nearest grocery 15 miles away). For some reason, folks have become self-indulgent and rather lazy. They will drive to McDonalds and get high fat, high salt food, but won’t make the effort to avail themselves of wholesome food.
By Another taxpayer
December 24, 2007 10:44 AM | Link to this
It’s certainly no healthier if you happen to live next to LHR Farms in White County, Georgia. It looks like another Talmo waiting to happen. Check out www.whitecountynewstelegraph.com for the whole story.
By Brad Stephens
December 24, 2007 10:45 AM | Link to this
The one thing I didn’t mention that I think is relevant - income. I know people in the city that complain how expensive imported veggies are in the cold seasons when local produce isn’t available. (Even locally grown items can be pricey) People on a limited budget (city or country) are hard pressed to buy blueberries, tomatoes etc. from S. America when they’re 3-4 bucks a pound. I know, I know, you can’t put a price on health, but for some that’s the harsh reality.
By Brad Stephens
December 24, 2007 10:45 AM | Link to this
The one thing I didn’t mention that I think is relevant - income. I know people in the city that complain how expensive imported veggies are in the cold seasons when local produce isn’t available. (Even locally grown items can be pricey) People on a limited budget (city or country) are hard pressed to buy blueberries, tomatoes etc. from S. America when they’re 3-4 bucks a pound. I know, I know, you can’t put a price on health, but for some that’s the harsh reality.
By Rose
December 24, 2007 10:46 AM | Link to this
My husband’s grandparents, both sets, grew up and died in the country. They all lived to be 80 and 90 years old. When they sat down to eat, it was white flour, gravy, sausage, sugar and more sugar, coffee, tea and everything that people say is bad. No salad, and I mean nothing resembling a salad. Lots of fat. Hmmm. What is that about? I wonder if it is because when they were young, they ate close to the earth (from their own farms and gardens), and they worked very hard in their formative and adult years. So when they got older and all the convenience foods came down the pike, they already had good constitutions and it did not affect them too much. What do you guys think?
By Brad Stephens
December 24, 2007 10:57 AM | Link to this
Sorry for the double posts, guys. I agree with Rose to some degree. Back then, it seemed you either died young (sometimes as an infant or toddler), or lived long. Even to this day, I find it hard to disagree with the assumption that life expectancy is somewhat predetermined genetically. I look at the former UGA basketball great Alex Kessler, who was a doctor and a health nut, dying at 40 of a heart attack while playing a ball game vs. my granddad who smoked, worked around asbestos, and ate terribly for nearly 90 years - living well right up until the end. No doubt that is not an excuse for eating and living poor, but it certanily factors in. There are always exceptions for both sides of the argument. I think just keeping your mind and body active your entire life is just as important as a healthy diet.
By Brad Stephens
December 24, 2007 11:04 AM | Link to this
Corrections (prob. more needed)
By lovelyliz
December 24, 2007 12:01 PM | Link to this
When my sister’s mother-in-law retired she and her husband couldn’t wait to get out of the rat race that is the Washington DC metro area. They moved to the country in Tennessee. She developed back problems and had to drive 2 hours to see her doctor. Ditto on other health problems.
Crime was an issue in DC although neither she nor her husband had ever been directly victimized. You wouldn’t expect problems in the country, but when meth producers move into isolated areas, it’s another story.
As for groceries, unless you grow your own, even those who can afford to spend more find a very limited selection/quantity in their local area. Driving fairly long distances is a must.
BTW, 2 years later, the mother-in-law & husband now live in a bigger city.
By ASA
December 24, 2007 1:34 PM | Link to this
Hubbie and I have a farm in Wilkes County. The guy in back grows marijuana AND has a still where he makes his own hootch. The guy across the paved road sells crack. There was an inpromptu “chicken farm” down the road that was a series of trailers where you could buy the company of some female - but, they sold the land and planted it in trees (thank God). It has been said on many occasions that Wilkes County’s 3rd largest cash crop is marijuana - hence all the narc helicopters that keep buzzing our farm. The local hospital is certified to hand out band aids - but little else. The two grocery stores in this county carry the most pitiful excuses for vegtables and fruit you have ever seen. There are corporate style chicken farms everywhere - so, the aroma is somewhat heavy. My experience is - Country life stinks and is unhealthy on many levels…not just food. Oh - did I mention the lack of police protection?
By Skip
December 24, 2007 2:17 PM | Link to this
Tough call. City vs. Country Living:
Gangs vs No Gangs Thugs everywhere vs No Thugs Nightly shootings vs No shootings Hookers vs. No Hookers Not feeling safe vs. safe
Thanks a lot for all of the above darky people.
By richard
December 24, 2007 3:09 PM | Link to this
I don’t know if I would use the grocery stores as an analogy. The clean air is one thing that is better. Growing anything is good therapy. Noise level is usually lower. The general slow pace is very helpful. The love that nobody can find you can be very surreal. The joy that comes with solving problems and thinking ideas through is great. I find people trying to go to the country, rather than running to the city should answer most questions.
By country gal
December 24, 2007 3:57 PM | Link to this
I was raised in rural new mexico, yes thats in the US, we lived a good hour to a decent grocery store, but never found it to be much of a problem we went into town once or twice a month to stock up we always had 4 squares, frozen fruits and veggies are a great option and from my experience thats how most did it .we did grow alot but that was to save money not because we coulden’t find any fruits and veggies
By country gal
December 24, 2007 4:08 PM | Link to this
to address the other unhealthy aspects of country life addressed above..
crime, Its everywhere in the country you just know about the who, when and where because of the small town gossip and because you know you avoid those who,what, and wheres ( coruption is a problem ……everywhere )
even if I live in a metro area now I will defend and one day go back to a rural setting, I’ll never be completely happy without it.
By mountain jim
December 24, 2007 5:16 PM | Link to this
Lived in Atlanta 15 years. Moved to Dawsonville for 16, half of which were health-ruined by an up-wind old farm being converted to a huge chicken agribusiness, a type of biz which OWNS georgia and can mess over any property owners they like with foul air and diseases. Got the hale out and moved to the freshest of air WNC mountains, 35 minutes to nearest store (which has excellent produce and fresh-squeezed OJ), where we grow our own lettuce, spinach, potatoes, asparagus, beans, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, peaches, apples, pears, asian pears, chestnuts, and grapes. Between eating so much home-grown, fresh spring water, and the aerobic workout from the daily up-and-down the ridges trail-walking, we are slowly but surely purging the toxins of those years of city pollution and then north Ga chicken-poisened air.
By bull
December 25, 2007 4:56 PM | Link to this
This is bull. I can almost guarantee country life is better overall than city life because of one big reason, STRESS. Who cares what you eat, breathe or drink? We in the city are doomed to die earlier than country folk, mainly because we have been lead to believe unless we do what the majority of big city people believe, that we will die. Hogwash. Isn’t it amazing how our country parents and grandparents made it so long on fatback and lard, when we die much sooner eating what the government makes us eat. Gov’t is behind all of it, and they are laughing all the way to the bank.
By Lex Luthor
December 26, 2007 10:08 AM | Link to this
There was always an abundance of vegetables and fruit around. Why sell it when half of the people grow it?
By Jen
December 26, 2007 10:25 AM | Link to this
I think this depends on what stresses you out. For me, city living is healthier. Commuting is something that causes me a lot of stress, exhausts me, and reduces the amount of time I have for recreation. I did it for 4 years and gained 40 pounds.
Now that I live in the city I feel much more relaxed and less anxious. I exercise more and feel a lot better.
So, I’d say it’s an individual thing.