Fat America: Supersized Caskets!?
By John McGran, eDiets Editor-in-Chief
I hope the headline term "Fat America" didn't anger you. I thought it simply the best way to sum up a growing trend among U.S. businesses. From double-wide caskets to our XXXL clothing, these manufacturers are literally getting rich off the fat of the land.
For the most part, "Mr. Bad Food" (moi) can't blame the companies for catering to the massive-sized masses. The sobering truth, according to the Centers for Disease Control, is seven in 10 American adults are overweight. I am in the majority. Yes, I lost 32 pounds, but I could stand to drop another 20-25 to squeeze into the "normal" range on most height-weight charts.
So there really is a need for extra-large items such as car seats for our kids... doorways for our derrieres...clothes for all of us... and coffins for our corpses. Eek! That last one even sounded harsh to me!
Since spotting the news item referring to the wider coffins, I've been dying to share it with you. You see, while the common casket runs some 27 inches wide, these larger-than-life boxes now stretch up to 52 inches east to west. For the record, the thought of being buried six feet deep in a narrow, sealed box creeps me out
horribly. However, having a little elbow room in the hereafter eases that fright... well, just a little.
While obesity is a curse for nutritionists and health professionals, it is boon for others. Jo Weigel, director of communications for Batesville Caskets, says her company has seen a 20-percent growth in sales of oversized coffins in the past five years. Shrewd marketeers say it's "a little extra room for life's final journey."
According to one source, an oversized casket can cost twice as much as a regular casket. Mr. Bad Food could say the death industry is making a killing on our weight woes. But the big bucks don't stop there...
The AP story that caught my eye stated: "Doorways, furniture seat cushions, hospital examination tables and caskets are but a few examples from a long list of life's accoutrements that are getting bigger to accommodate bigger people.
"Even toddlers have joined the overweight ranks, with car seat manufacturers offering the 'Husky' -- which is 10 pounds heavier and 4 inches wider than the standard size." Hospital beds used to be built to hold up to 300 pounds; most now have a 500-pound load limit.
A clothes call
It wasn't that long ago that Lane Bryant held a choke-hold on the plus-sized clothing business. Not anymore. Mainstream retailers like Wal-Mart and Old Navy have seen the not-so-light and have begun rolling out fashions for the weight-challenged men and women.
A recent AP story proclaimed, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, is adding more racks of plus-size apparel in its George, Metro 7 and other lines because of increased demand, spokeswoman Linda Blakley said. And the larger sizes hang right next to the smaller sizes...
Other popular chains like Kmart and Kohl's -- and even a high-end clotheshorse Liz Claiborne -- have jumped on the broadening bandwagon to offer shoppers what they want and need: an assortment of plus-sized fashions.
While Mr. Bad Food applauds the initiation, he also can't help but sigh and shake his head over the need for this direction. The nation's health scale is so terribly unbalanced. Some 71% of us are overweight. Think about that number for a minute. In a room of 10 men and women, SEVEN will weigh more than they should. And some will weigh a lot more than what's considered healthy.
Here's my advice. Buy the larger-sized products, but please don't get too comfortable. Instead, come to grips with your plight and take action.
Heck, if a guy named Mr. Bad Food can drop 32 pounds, I KNOW you can too!
I hope the headline term "Fat America" didn't anger you. I thought it simply the best way to sum up a growing trend among U.S. businesses. From double-wide caskets to our XXXL clothing, these manufacturers are literally getting rich off the fat of the land.
For the most part, "Mr. Bad Food" (moi) can't blame the companies for catering to the massive-sized masses. The sobering truth, according to the Centers for Disease Control, is seven in 10 American adults are overweight. I am in the majority. Yes, I lost 32 pounds, but I could stand to drop another 20-25 to squeeze into the "normal" range on most height-weight charts.
So there really is a need for extra-large items such as car seats for our kids... doorways for our derrieres...clothes for all of us... and coffins for our corpses. Eek! That last one even sounded harsh to me!
Since spotting the news item referring to the wider coffins, I've been dying to share it with you. You see, while the common casket runs some 27 inches wide, these larger-than-life boxes now stretch up to 52 inches east to west. For the record, the thought of being buried six feet deep in a narrow, sealed box creeps me out
horribly. However, having a little elbow room in the hereafter eases that fright... well, just a little.
While obesity is a curse for nutritionists and health professionals, it is boon for others. Jo Weigel, director of communications for Batesville Caskets, says her company has seen a 20-percent growth in sales of oversized coffins in the past five years. Shrewd marketeers say it's "a little extra room for life's final journey."
According to one source, an oversized casket can cost twice as much as a regular casket. Mr. Bad Food could say the death industry is making a killing on our weight woes. But the big bucks don't stop there...
The AP story that caught my eye stated: "Doorways, furniture seat cushions, hospital examination tables and caskets are but a few examples from a long list of life's accoutrements that are getting bigger to accommodate bigger people.
"Even toddlers have joined the overweight ranks, with car seat manufacturers offering the 'Husky' -- which is 10 pounds heavier and 4 inches wider than the standard size." Hospital beds used to be built to hold up to 300 pounds; most now have a 500-pound load limit.
A clothes call
It wasn't that long ago that Lane Bryant held a choke-hold on the plus-sized clothing business. Not anymore. Mainstream retailers like Wal-Mart and Old Navy have seen the not-so-light and have begun rolling out fashions for the weight-challenged men and women.
A recent AP story proclaimed, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, is adding more racks of plus-size apparel in its George, Metro 7 and other lines because of increased demand, spokeswoman Linda Blakley said. And the larger sizes hang right next to the smaller sizes...
Other popular chains like Kmart and Kohl's -- and even a high-end clotheshorse Liz Claiborne -- have jumped on the broadening bandwagon to offer shoppers what they want and need: an assortment of plus-sized fashions.
While Mr. Bad Food applauds the initiation, he also can't help but sigh and shake his head over the need for this direction. The nation's health scale is so terribly unbalanced. Some 71% of us are overweight. Think about that number for a minute. In a room of 10 men and women, SEVEN will weigh more than they should. And some will weigh a lot more than what's considered healthy.
Here's my advice. Buy the larger-sized products, but please don't get too comfortable. Instead, come to grips with your plight and take action.
Heck, if a guy named Mr. Bad Food can drop 32 pounds, I KNOW you can too!
posted by Jacques Girard, Ph.D. at 12:32 PM
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