Have you ever considered that where you live and the things that surround your home could be contributing to weight gain? According to a recent study, closer proximity to convenience type stores vs. supermarkets or grocery stores and the number of restaurants within a 5 minute walk both contributed to an increased body mass index (BMI) in women.
I would venture to guess that a lot of people (including me) view close proximity to convenience stores and restaurants as somewhat of a bonus when selecting where to live. I know I’m always telling everyone that one of the things I like most about where we live is that’s it’s so “close” to everything. The main reason I view this as a bonus is because it saves me time and is, well, convenient! There are definitely nights when we decide to run down the street to pick up Pollo Tropical or Chipotle instead of cooking dinner at home because we’ve both been working all day and it’s so quick and easy. I also have to admit that since they opened a small grocery section at the Target, which is within walking distance from our home, that’s where we go now instead of to the market that is a 15 minute drive away. I know that the market has a much bigger selection of organic produce and other healthy foods I like to eat, but Target is just right there.
But what if all that “stuff” wasn’t so close or access to healthy foods was made more convenient than access to processed foods? Would we plan our meals better and cook at home more often? Would we think twice about eating out because we had to get in the car and drive a little further? I think maybe that’s possible and it’s certainly something to consider. With experts trying to tackle the obesity problem from many different angles it will be interesting to see how this information impacts city planning and development in the future.
What do you think? Would living further from restaurants and having more access to healthy supermarkets impact the food choices you make? Would you take this into consideration next time you decide to move?
- Lauren
To read more about the study click here.
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Labels: healthy tips, Lauren
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