Thinner in the City?

Hello everyone!


I recently went to downtown Chicago, right in the busiest part of the city, and something struck me.  I noticed that there were hardly ANY overweight people there.  Why is that?  The answer may not be what you think.

While it is GENERALLY true that poorer people are fatter, income is likely NOT the reason that city people are thinner than others.  Studies have shown that people of the same income level living in different areas of the country vary in weight, the rich in the city are thinner than the rich of the suburbs. 

More likely to see this in the city than the suburbs, but why?

Maybe it's the food these people are eating.  Wrong again.  Surveys taken show that city dwellers actually eat LESS fruits and vegetables than those in the suburbs, or about the same - between 74-79% of Manhattan residents and neighboring suburbanites do not eat enough vegetables.

So if it's not income or nutrition, then what?

Here's my guess:  People in the city drive less in general than those in the suburbs.  People who live in the city don't really NEED a car. I should know, I used to live in the city myself and yes, I was considerably thinner then.  I walked everywhere. Walked to the grocery store, walked to the train, walked from the train to work, oh- and did I mention that not all train stations had escalators and elevators? That means stairs.  Climbing 2 floors worth of stairs to catch a train, for example. 

So, this further motivates me to keep up my walking program.  It's the most natural exercise humans can do, and apparently, it works!