( CNN ) -- Over the past year we 've heard a lot about class warfare , the `` Buffett Rule '' and the tax code and so on . But if you want to see a blatant form of poor vs. rich , walk into a grocery store . Here we are forced to decide between what 's good for our kids and what we can afford to feed them . Ground beef that is 80/20 is fattier but cheaper than 90/10 . Ground turkey breast is leaner than the other two but is usually the more expensive . And many of us ca n't even begin to think about free-range chicken and organic produce -- food without pesticides and antibiotics that 'll cost you a second mortgage in no time at all . Recently Michelle Obama 's campaign to get healthier foods into poor neighborhoods came under new scrutiny because two studies found her notion of `` food deserts '' -- poor urban neighborhoods where access to fresh fruits and vegetables are supposedly nonexistent -- does n't quite jibe with the research . The studies have even found that there is n't a relationship between the type of food offered in neighborhoods and obesity among the children living there . That may be true . But it is also true that The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently published a study that found $ 1 could buy 1,200 calories of potato chips but just 250 calories of vegetables and 170 calories of fresh fruit . And it is also true that Mississippi , the poorest state in the country , is also the fattest . In fact , the five poorest states are also among the 10 fattest , and eight of the 10 poorest states are also among the 10 with the lowest life expectancy . I guess one could dismiss this as one big coincidence , but is it also a coincidence that half of the top 10 states with the highest median incomes are also in the top 10 in life expectancy ? Eatocracy : Buying food is a political act . I do n't know about `` food deserts , '' but I do know just as there is a link between education and poverty , there appears to be a correlation between poverty and health . In 2010 , the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated the weekly grocery bill for a family of four hovered at $ 134.50 ; in 2011 it was up to $ 141.20 . That $ 7 difference may not seem like a lot to some , but I remember my earlier days , when my family of five did n't have $ 7 . And when we did get it , it was used for the cheapest food available -- the fattest meats and dishes anchored by saturated fats and sugars . In other words the kind of diet that 's routinely linked to obesity and its byproducts : heart disease , diabetes and high cholesterol . Think it 's not your problem ? Think again . In 2008 , health care costs stemming from obesity were estimated to be $ 147 billion . By 2030 , 42 % of Americans are projected to be obese , with costs for health care at $ 550 billion . One in three adults making $ 15,000 or less is obese . What happens when they 're rushed to the hospital and ca n't pay their bill ? The government pays for it . And by government , I mean taxpayers . Today , hospitals are left with up to $ 49 billion in unpaid bills , and the government -- or rather we -- pick up 75 % of that tab . We have fought over Planned Parenthood 's $ 363 million budget . We 've squabbled over NPR 's $ 445 million budget . We have even seen the General Services Administration 's $ 1 million party in Las Vegas become a campaign issue . But nary a word on the campaign trail about the billions that are being spent each year due to this low income-obesity cycle that is not only potentially cutting short the lives of millions of poor Americans , but eating away at the paychecks of a middle class that needs that money to make healthier food choices for their own families . It 's a vicious cycle that has a tangible , long-term impact on our economy . The first lady was accused by Republicans of politicizing the healthy food conversation . I wish the topic were politicized -- maybe then Washington would talk about it more . President Barack Obama 's Affordable Care Act was characterized by many as `` socialized medicine . '' Well , why are n't those same critics leading the charge against the nation 's expanding waistline , seeing as how taxpayers pay the price when the cost comes due ? Instead , we 're debating whether or not Obama 's a foreigner and legalizing pot . Overheard on CNN.com : Do Americans take enough personal responsibility ? The rise of Type 2 diabetes in children coincides with the rise of child obesity and childhood poverty . I 'm sure to some that is just another coincidence . But to me that is as strong of an example as any of class warfare and what ails our economy . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of LZ Granderson .
LZ Granderson says it 's expensive to eat healthier food such as pricey organics . He says the real class warfare is when bad food options put the poor on road to obesity . Granderson says poor states tend to be fatter with residents who live shorter lives . Comment: he asks .