Thursday, July 3, 2008
America: Hugest. Country. Ever. (11:37 am)
As we unfurl the patriotic bunting under the 2nd story windows and over-decorate the driveway with our miniature American flags this 4th of July, let us keep in mind that the act of decorating is a good thing, for it is, in its small way, an act of physical exercise. And holy crap does America need it.
The Consumerist reports today on the 2008 state-by-state obesity ratings calculated by CalorieLab, a website that “supplies a calorie calculator for generic foods, nutrition facts for brand name foods, a calorie counter for fast food chains, and nutritional information for table service restaurants.” And the most obese states in the Union are? All deep-fried Southern with a sizable side of Rust-Belt. But that doesn’t mean the rest of the country’s off the hook. See for yourself:
(Chart courtesy of CalorieLab).
Save for Colorado, home of the quite trim David Sirota, and a few others, 1/4 or more of the population of almost every state in our country is obese. I don’t think epidemic is too strong a word.
By the way, in case you’re looking for a way to burn calories that’s a helluva lot more enjoyable than building a float, CalorieLab provides another chart calculating the amount of calories you can burn without ever leaving your bedroom.
posted by Jarrett
Reader Comments
I celebrated in the most American way possible - binge and purge (although I prefer to think of it as shock (the body) and awe (the bathroom)
Screw it...I’m still eating brisket and brats this weekend.
posted by Brian Cook on 7-3-08 at 2:40 PM