Democrats Are Mentally Healthier Than Republicans But Are They Physically Healthier As Well?

Shoulda stuck to the tea at the Tea Party, maybe?

Vitamin Shoppe is a relatively inexpensive way to buy nutritional supplements and vitamins online. And they send a magazine with lots of ads and some interesting content from time to time. Last week I was looking at a list of the 10 best foods for weight loss, which includes beans, sweet potatoes, grapefruit, sardines, spinach, cayenne pepper, eggs, yoghurt, artichokes and fresh ginger. (They also suggest burning extra calories by kickboxing, racquetball, roller skating, cross-country skiing, riding a stationary bike and doing an hour of ballet. An hour of ballet burns 354 calories. An hour of hustling back and forth across the length of a mall for an hour will burn 384 calories. higher if you take stairs and not escalators. I'm not as sure of the mall crawl vs the ballet dancing as I am of the artichokes and sardines.

Artichokes contain a compound called cynarin that is thought to improve liver function and enhance weight loss. Consuming an artichoke also slows eating, giving your stomach ample time to send “I’m full” messages to your brain. Artichokes are also low in calories and loaded with fiber; one artichoke contains 10 g-- more than a third of the recommended daily amount.

...Sardines are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, which help improve transmission of serotonin and other neurotransmitters that regulate mood. Omega-3 fats also increase oxygenation of the blood, which further enhances neurotransmitter function. Other good sources include wild Alaskan salmon, tuna, walnuts, and flaxseed. Many fish oil supplements and liquids contain sardine oil and may promote weight loss by helping stabilize blood sugar and boosting mood (depression can lead to overeating).

Depression can lead to overeating... interesting, especially because overeating can lead to diabetes and diabetes is the main driver of increased medical costs in the U.S. The depression, though, may, at least in part, explain the results of a study on American obesity from Gallup this week. If you live in Colorado you're least likely to be obese. If you live in West Virginia, you're most likely to be obese. Take a look at the states in this chart. The variance is significant-- not just in terms of obesity, but in terms of depressing environments:

The national obesity rate remained steady at 26.2% in 2012, compared with 26.1% in 2011, but is still higher than the 2008 average of 25.5%. Across states, obesity rates were statistically unchanged in 2012 when compared with 2011, with the exception of four states. Obesity rates increased in New Jersey, Georgia, and North Carolina while obesity rates in Delaware decreased.

These data, collected as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, are based on respondents' self-reports of their height and weight, which are used to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) scores. Americans who have a BMI of 30 or higher are classified as obese. Gallup and Healthways have been tracking Americans' weight situation daily since January 2008.

Obesity rates continue to be highest in Southern and Midwestern states and lowest in Western and Northeastern states... Obesity is now one of Americans' top health concerns-- surpassing smoking and alcohol-- with nearly four in 10 Americans saying it is an extremely serious problem to society. With obesity rates up in nearly all age groups since 2008, it is a problem that requires the nation's attention. The economic impact to the U.S. carries a heavy cost-- the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that obesity alone costs about $147 billion annually.

Many of the states where ObamaCare is most resented are the states where preventive healthcare could be most useful. But take a look at the list of the highest incidences of obesity again. With the exceptions of Ohio, #8, a virtual tie, and Iowa #10, Romney beat Obama in all of them. Here was Obama's percentage of the vote in the ten most obese states, which also happen to be among the most "religious" states:

West Virginia- 36%
Mississippi- 44%
Arkansas- 37%
Louisiana- 40%
Alabama- 38%
Kentucky- 38%
Tennessee- 39%
Ohio- 51%
Oklahoma- 33%
Iowa- 52%

I'm not going to say anything. Just some food for thought... though probably not as good as the artichokes. Besides... in their guts, most Americans already know...