
Cheap Eats Needn't Mean Fatty Doom

By Jeff Stier, Esq.

Sally Squires' Washington Post article "The Cost of Compliance"
(February 22) dished a healthy dose of reality to those who suggest
that the obesity crisis in this country is the fault of big business
trying to dump cheap, unhealthy foods on an all-too-susceptible public.
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Obesity is a real problem and requires a reasonable and scientifically
sound approach we can all take seriously. Lawsuits against fast food
companies, efforts to restrict food advertising, and demonization of
soda (even diet soda) are all one big red herring.
Super Size Me viewers, or readers of Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation,
Marion Nestle's Food Politics, or Greg Critser's Fat Land: How
Americans Became the Fattest People in the World, will erroneously
conclude that the obesity problem is the result of the availability of
too much food, too many choices, and the low price of many items the
Food Police deem unhealthy.
However, as Ms. Squires demonstrates, the components of a healthful
diet are also easily available and low in cost -- it is up to the
public to choose to incorporate them into their diets. Add in the
missing ingredient, exercise, and we've got a recipe for success.
Jeff Stier is an Associate Director of the American Council on Science
and Health.
This information was found online at:
http://www.acsh.org/factsfears/newsID.513/news_detail.asp