# Health minister says poor people are likely to be obese



## Northerner (Jan 23, 2013)

Health Minister Anna Soubry  has risked controversy by claiming that she can spot poor people in the street because they are usually overweight.
The Conservative MP, who has responsibility for public health, said a culture of unhealthy TV dinners and junk food has eroded family life and that many homes no longer even have a dining table.
The MP for Broxtowe, Nottinghamshire, said: ?When I go to my constituency, when I walk around, you can almost now tell somebody?s background by their weight. Obviously not everybody who is overweight comes from deprived backgrounds, but that?s where the propensity lies.?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...h-minister-says-poor-people-likely-obese.html


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## FM001 (Jan 23, 2013)

Stereotyping  & class division once again from the Tories, what's her excuse for Eric Pickles, Nicholas Soames & Ken Clarke?

As a health minister that is a disgraceful thing to say, there's a multitude of reasons why someone can become overweight


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## trophywench (Jan 23, 2013)

First define poor.

Purely money, or quality of life?


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## Northerner (Jan 23, 2013)

Being fat used to be a sign of great wealth!


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## mcdonagh47 (Jan 23, 2013)

Northerner said:


> Health Minister Anna Soubry  has risked controversy by claiming that she can spot poor people in the street because they are usually overweight.
> 
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...h-minister-says-poor-people-likely-obese.html



When you see pictures of Soubry she looks to be about three stone overweight and teetering on the dge of obesity BMI wise.
She's also been in trouble before ...

"Royal Mail privatisation

In October 2010, Soubry wrote in her monthly column in the Beeston Express that on returning to Parliament she met a "somewhat shell-shocked Parliamentary Assistant bearing a pile of some 300 cards from constituents urging me to oppose the proposed sell-off of the Royal Mail."[19]

She expressed dismay at the time and cost of replying to each constituent when she had already discussed the issue with the Communication Workers Union.[19] Twelve days later she announced in Parliament that of the 700 postal workers in her constituency, to her knowledge, none had written to her opposing privatisation of Royal Mail and only two had come down to London.[20]

The union collected around 10,000 signatures for its campaign in Nottingham.[21] "


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## megga (Jan 23, 2013)

What a load of rubish, i have fixed many fridge freezers (we in to the 1000S) and i can say, a lot of what i see, salad draws full of choclate, and fridge's full of full fat coke ect and thats across the board, well of and on the dole.


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## Northerner (Jan 23, 2013)

megga said:


> What a load of rubish, i have fixed many fridge freezers (we in to the 1000S) and i can say, a lot of what i see, salad draws full of choclate, and fridge's full of full fat coke ect and thats across the board, well of and on the dole.



Oops! My salad drawer is full of chocolate! <hangs head in shame>


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## Dory (Jan 23, 2013)

to an extent.....

I can see partly where she's trying to go with this.  But the issue is that healthy food (ie your extra lean meats, veg and fruit) tends to be more expensive than cheaper, unhealthier foods.  So she could argue that it costs more to maintain a healthy diet.  But the problem is that the cheaper bad stuff is affordable to everyone (regardless of income) - so the likely scenario is that whilst may see cheaper, unhealthier food across the piece, you're more likely to see healthier fridges, cupboards etc in those people who have a higher income. 

if that mkes any sense....(and playing devil's advocate here - I don't agree or disagree with the comment she's made)


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## Vicsetter (Jan 23, 2013)

Northerner said:


> Oops! My salad drawer is full of chocolate! <hangs head in shame>



Is that why your salad goes off so quickly

I keep mine in the door - quicker access, so the wife doesn't notice.


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## Dory (Jan 23, 2013)

when i was little my mum used to buy huge 500g bars of chocolate and try and hide them in the pots and pans cupboard where we thought my dad wouldn't find them...

was no good - he sniffed them out (not sure he knew what the things were that were covering the chocolate though  )


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## Ewelina (Jan 24, 2013)

Dory said:


> But the issue is that healthy food (ie your extra lean meats, veg and fruit) tends to be more expensive than cheaper, unhealthier foods.  )



I agree with that. Half of my food budget goes on vegetables. I live on my own so its fine but cant imagine how much money you would need to spend for a healthy food for family of four for example. You can get some junk food for ?1. I dont think i would be able to cook anything healthy for that price


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## Vicsetter (Jan 24, 2013)

Dory said:


> to an extent.....
> 
> I can see partly where she's trying to go with this.  But the issue is that healthy food (ie your extra lean meats, veg and fruit) tends to be more expensive than cheaper, unhealthier foods.  So she could argue that it costs more to maintain a healthy diet.  But the problem is that the cheaper bad stuff is affordable to everyone (regardless of income) - so the likely scenario is that whilst may see cheaper, unhealthier food across the piece, you're more likely to see healthier fridges, cupboards etc in those people who have a higher income.
> 
> if that mkes any sense....(and playing devil's advocate here - I don't agree or disagree with the comment she's made)



Unless you've done a survey I don't see how you can say that.  I thought people with a higher income (isn't that most people) go out to eat in restaurants! and only have white wine and speciality cheese in their fridges and the odd stick of celery.  
Really poor people don't tend to have the kind of upbringing or education to know what a healthy meal is (you would get disagreements here about what that means).  They potentially do not have the time to seek out healthier options if they even had the inclination.  If you follow the discussions on what causes obesity then it's too many sugars in tea, burgers, chips and pizza which is potentially what these poor people consume, whilst they watch tv on their 50inch plasma whilst smoking and drinking and waiting for the next DSS cheque to arrive (stereotypes rule OK).


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## robert@fm (Jan 24, 2013)

Vicsetter said:


> ....waiting for the next DSS cheque to arrive



They've been the DWP for several years.  ;



> (stereotypes rule OK).



At the end of the day, the bottom line is, use of cliches should be avoided like the plague.


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## Vicsetter (Jan 24, 2013)

robert@fm said:


> They've been the DWP for several years.  ;
> 
> 
> 
> At the end of the day, the bottom line is, use of cliches should be avoided like the plague.



I go by what I'm told on 'Homes under the Hammer', go Lucy yeah


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## trophywench (Jan 24, 2013)

Long, long have I lectured a step-daughter and a grand-daughter on the stupidity of only purchasing veg encased in hermetically sealed polythene.

Offspring:  But people may have sneezed on it Grandma. (etc)

Me:  But you are going to cook it in BOILING water aren't you?  ISTR from school, that tends to kill most things .....

Though Glory Be! - got carrots and parsnips in Tescos last week that had MUD on them.  Real veg may be making a come back!

Leeks are a B nuisance to wash grit out of but hey ho! into each life a little rain must fall!


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## bennyg70 (Jan 24, 2013)

I started growing my own veg last year in responce to TW's post - Good in three ways, Digging it all up and maintaining is a good bit of exercise, you can grow beautiful tasting healthy vegs and fruits, & it costs the price of a pack of seeds, and a bit of space and time.. Wel worth giving up a small potion of the garden for. For the cost of around 3 or 4 pounds we had potatoes for 3 months.


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## LeeLee (Jan 24, 2013)

I'm poor at the moment, with no income until I find a job.  I eat healthily, and spend about ?30 a week on groceries.  I don't waste anything!  I learned to cook from my Mum, who grew up in the war.  The same messages were given in the old Home Economics classes at school, now sadly defunct.


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## Northerner (Jan 24, 2013)

LeeLee said:


> I'm poor at the moment, with no income until I find a job.  I eat healthily, and spend about ?30 a week on groceries.  I don't waste anything!  I learned to cook from my Mum, who grew up in the war.  The same messages were given in the old Home Economics classes at school, now sadly defunct.



I'm in a similar position - very low income and spend about the same as you on food. Necessity is the mother of invention! Even cheap ready meals look expensive to me, considering what you get for your money. I go for the special offers or discounted prices on about-to-expire stuff (freeze it!), use any coupons I get and always make sure I know what my bill should come to by the time I reach the till (prices on offers change so often that sometimes you'll pick up an item expecting it to be cheap and get charged the full price, which you might not notice if you didn't have an idea of what you had spent).

I'm fortunate in that I only have myself to consider, so how I shop only has to please me.

Hoping to start growing some of my own veg this year!


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## bennyg70 (Jan 24, 2013)

Northerner said:


> Hoping to start growing some of my own veg this year!



Sounds like a new group / thread too me! Too be fair I could do with some tips leading into this year, although Id call last year a moderate success for a first timer, it wasnt great!


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