Here is an interesting article about some research into obesity as it relates to poverty. I don't think the results are definitive, but definitely interesting.

http://www.psmag.com/business-economics/how-inequality-creates-obesity

One of my "God and Country Projects" (my code name for pro bono work I do for the good of the community) was to help get a real grocery store on the NE side of Oklahoma City - which is prominently black and low income. One of the things I found when I did senior citizen meal delivery over there was the difficulty in getting fresh produce or anything besides high fat, processed food. So while I see the point in the article, there are other demographics and factors which can contribute to this problem.

On a good note, our mayor helped out and there is a major super market in that area now.

I didn't grow up poor, but I did grow up with lots of brothers, and I can tell you my eating habits were defined by that. I learned to eat as much as I could as soon as possible; there would be no chance to have any later. Sometimes I would even hide food under my bed so I could save it. Similar idea to the article--I learned to eat based on opportunity, not hunger.

My mother has MS and kidney disease. I grew up comfortably in terms of finances, but when she started getting really sick around when I was 7 or 8, we often didn't have food, or we would get food from a nice church or food cupboard, and you know how absolutely terrible that food is for you because it's all non-perishable. I learned to stuff my face as much as possible when we did have food, and at the same time my body and mind became addicted to utter junk, all right around when I went through puberty at ten and my PCOS symptoms kicked into high gear. Binge eating, starving, and eating complete sh*t when I could eat plus hormone disorder all adds up to severe obesity. Years after we went through our toughest times, I moved out and began shopping for myself and eating healthier, the majority of the damage was already done, as I was already in the upper 300s, lower 400s when I was able to afford decent food. All it takes is being in poverty for a few years to completely destroy your health, and it's even worse for people who happen to have health issues that make it possible for your body to just keep gaining and gaining and gaining... I will now spend the rest of my life dealing with the scars, both physical and emotional, left over from living in poverty.

I agree. I think our bodies and brains have long memories when it comes to any period of food deprivation.

I didn't grow up poor either but we had a relatively large family so if you didn't eat something, someone else did. There weren't a lot of leftovers. Plus, I was always on a diet from a very young age which I am convinced programmed me to eat when food was available not just when I was hungry.

I find this research methodology and conclusions pretty persuasive.

It's amazing (to me) how responses and emotions learned and experienced in childhood stick with us for life and can still trump the lessons we learn intellectually later in life.

Mindfulness (am SO interested in those practices lately!) can throw light on our automatic responses and emotions and give us space in which to consider how we really want to handle the instant situation.

Privilege comes in all forms, but mostly in the form of early childhood circumstances and experiences that bend us forever. Thereafter many / most of us have to struggle against some ugly angles along which no one would ever have chosen to be shaped.