Why Are People Malnourished In The Richest Country On Earth?

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“Why are people malnourished in the richest country on earth?” (McMillan 66) The author: Tracie McMillan starts out her article asking this question. This article’s main points talk about how and why Americans are malnourished. Whether it had to do with a financial issue or difficulties in their lives, this article mentions real life examples of both. Many people are struggling just to put food on the table and this makes it hard to eat nutritionally. As McMillan points out, people who are living in poverty tend to be malnourished. I believe more needs to be done and humans as a whole should search for a solution. The first real life example will pertain to Christina Dreier and her struggles. Dreier sends her son, Keagan, to school without …show more content…

Fresh fruit and vegetables are only eaten in the early days of receiving food stamp benefits. This is because fresh fruit and vegetables are more expansive than junk food. Further into the month you will start running out of money and will be forced to limit what you purchase. Towards the end of the month you will be purchasing cheap filling food. You will see people pocketing food from work and people skipping meals as common practice. “It can be tempting to ask families receiving food assistance, if you’re really hungry, then how can you be overweight (McMillan 78)?” People trade off food that is filling but lacking in nutritional value. This can contribute to obesity. The extra weight that result from a poor diet is very …show more content…

Why are people malnourished if they are living in a rich country? The answer for most people is money. When people are struggling to pay the bills on time, they will struggle with other things. Its hard to put any food on the table so their last concern is whether or not the food will be healthy. One of the many examples McMillan provides to support her point is about a woman named Christiana and her hardships with feeding her family. She and her family struggle to eat every meal and are forced to use other sources to eat. If her family wasn’t struggling to pay their other expanses they could put food on the table. The author provides these examples in an attempt to publicize the daily lives of millions of Americans. They are all having hardships and it is affecting their eating habits. The author also mentions how some people eat junk food because it is more convenient. They don’t have time or they are too busy to cook a healthy home cooked

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