Where Does Michigan Rank in the US For Obesity?

Americans have a bit of a reputation (if you've spent any time on the internet) for having absolutely horrendous diets. In some ways we can't help it - healthy foods are too expensive, convenient foods are cheaper, all of our food is commercialized and way too much of it has added preservatives, chemicals and other additives that make everything you put in your mouth hole bad for you.

Some states in the US have it worse than others. Southern states really like red meat, which negatively impacts heart health (with overconsumption). The Midwest really likes alcohol. Some states have better health education and healthcare access to combat our bad eating habits as a nation, but others lack those resources.

With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, most Americans are ready to abandon their diets for giant family meals. Maybe those extra pounds are worth it, but they do add up.

WalletHub recently released a new study ranking each state in America by their struggles with obesity and inactivity to determine which states are most overweight. Overall, Michigan performed marginally okay, though far from the best giving plenty of room to improve.

The study analyzed each state's struggles in three key areas: Obesity and Overweight prevalence, Health Consequences, and Bad Food and Fitness Habits. In the overall rankings of all 50 states, Michigan ranked No. 21, putting the Mitten State in the top half of the most overweight states in the country. This was due to the state's middling performance in the number of overweight people, ranked No. 24, and those suffering from related health consequences, ranked No. 22.

Michigan performed horribly in regard to its food and fitness habits, ranking No. 5 in the country. Luckily this area of the study weighed the least among the factors accounted for, but it does help explain why Michigan ranks where it does and how it can improve. As it stands, according to the study, Michigan could stand to greatly improve how children are introduced to healthy food and fitness habits.

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The study also pointed out each state's favorite comfort food. Just in time for the cold of winter, Michigan's favorite comfort food is, of course, pasties, which pack a whopping 768 calories per serving. That's not even accounting for the gravy. Only four other defined single-serve foods were higher in calories: Wisconsin's cheese curds, Kentucky's hot browns, Pennsylvania's cheesesteaks, and New Jersey's ham, egg, and cheese bagels.

The study did list a separate ranking for obesity alone. In this regard, Michigan's ranking didn't change much, landing at No. 21.

For the overall rankings in other Midwest states, Ohio was the highest-ranked state landing at No. 14. Indiana was just one spot healthier than Michigan at No. 22. Illinois was the healthiest of the bunch at No. 32.