South Carolina residents love shrimp and grits. And, apparently, it shows

Among staple Lowcountry meals, shrimp and grits has to be included. In fact, WalletHub says that it’s South Carolina’s favorite comfort food. There’s even a shrimp and grits cookoff in Port Royal every spring.

Could this have something to do with WalletHub’s other finding about South Carolina? The website also ranked South Carolina 9th in a list of the “fattest states in America.”

WalletHub compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia using 19 key metrics, including the share of the obese population, consumption levels of sugary drinks and obesity-related health care costs, according to a news release from the credit score advisory website.

Which states topped the list: Mississippi was first, followed by West Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana.

At the bottom: Colorado was 51st, with Massachusetts, Utah, Hawaii and Montana trailing.

South Carolina’s 9th place finish is similar to a study updated in August from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. That annual “State of Obesity” report ranked the state 12th in adult obesity levels.

WalletHub says that, this year, Americans are expected to spend more than $68 billion on programs designed to help them shed extra pounds. And, the website says the U.S. spends in total nearly $200 billion in annual health care costs related to obesity.

 

Source: WalletHub

This story was originally published November 7, 2017 at 12:33 PM with the headline "South Carolina residents love shrimp and grits. And, apparently, it shows."