Being educated on nutrition helped you lose weight, yes, but it wasn't what made you start counting calories. Your waistline getting tight is what motivated you to lose weight.

Children actually need to be MOTIVATED to care about their weight, health, and appearance. Nutritional education and being told they'll get heart disease when they're fifty (long way off) will not accomplish that.

I don't think education or calorie counting is the true issue... I believe as many may that price is the biggest factor on healthy eating... If I have 50.00 per week for my family of 3 I can tell you now that Pasta and processed foods are going to fill their belly's alot better then apple's bananas or fresh veggies. If a pound of fresh veggies where .99 of course I would choose those over the .99 pound of pasta. Price better I believe people would eat better... c'mon a bag of Raman is about .08 but you wanna talk salt OMG

I've been saying this for eons. Obesity is an ECONOMIC issue. Unhealthy, overly processed food is cheap, cheap, CHEAP! It's damn expensive to eat healthy. I can go to McDonalds and get 2 hamburgers, two small fries and a large (32 oz) sweet tea for about 5 dollars. I should go to Subway and get a turkey sub but all I can get there for 5 dollars is a small sub with no chips, no soda, no nothing. If I'm really hungry, where do you think I'm gonna eat if I got a limited budget? Not that it matters, I usually brown bag it, but still: the bottom line is healthy living is expensive living.

Warhammer - don't waste your breath. People are going to start listing the cheapness of a few veggies, pasta, and meat and then lecture on how you can get a few meals out of it.

When I say eating healthy is expensive, I mean it in a way where if we want to get a lower sodium or fat-free version of something, it's more expensive. Sugar-free juices, gluten free items, "natural or organic" things are all more expensive. At our Giant Eagle grocery store they have a big section of "Health Food" where you can get snacks and boxed meals that are "healthier" so when people are told to eat "Healthier" they think that means natural Hummus and gluten-free chips and then they see the prices, and just go for the normal stuff that is cheaper. That's what is behind everyone's thinking because that's pretty much what is advertised and washed into their brains.

EXACTLY! I like iced tea. I typically brew my own. I also love Splenda. But to sweeten my drinks with Splenda to keep it at zero calories costs a lot more than plain ol' sugar. And for processed drinks, sugar is way more expensive than high fructose corn syrup! If I wanna reduce the calories, I have to pay for it.

Splenda to keep it at zero calories costs a lot more than plain ol' sugar.

EXACTLY. It's a better choice, and they know America is freaking out right now so they will charge a lot more knowing people are going to make the switch to better themselves. So lame they do that to us!

PGH, eating healthy doesn't mean eating from the "health food" section of the store. I agree that is expensive and also unneccessary unless you have specific dietary needs, e.g. gluten-free.

Eating healthy can easily be done from the regular part of the grocery store, and inexpensively as well. Typically a bag of frozen vegetables, if you are content with the store brand (arnd they are typically all the same), is a dollar or less. Shop what's in season and what's on special from the fresh produce section. Buy meats in bulk, store brand, and freeze the extra to use as needed.

I believe it is not the price that drives folks to fast food - because even fast food is more expensive than buying "real" food and preparing it at home - but time, because shopping, cooking, planning all take up precious time which is a hard thing to find in a busy family. That doesn't mean it can't be done - you just have to make it a priority, and also plan ahead for the week so that you can do most of the prep work when you are less busy and have stuff - healthy stuff - to grab or make a quick dinner and you race through your week.

I understand this, myopinion, I was saying that the "health food section" prices are what drive people to say "It's expensive!"

Though if you do want an item or two to have as a snack - it's more expensive most times for the low-fat or fat-free brand. Like Weight Watcher brand ice cream - almost $6 for a couple bars.

I know the WW stuff is ridiculously expensive - but if you read labels, you can treat yourself without blowing calorie count or budget - for instance, store brand "fudgsicles" are something like 50 calories a piece and pennies compared to brands like WW.

Lets have a a study on how other studies study how they study their study results.

Seriouly, I can't believe how stupid this is.

Laziness is what makes eating healthy expensive. It's faster to grab something pre-packaged (and in most cases notably less healthy once you figure in all the preservatives and sodium) than to actually go to the effort of cooking from scratch. I'm as guilty as anyone else on this- I try to cook decent meals from scratch as much as possible but with an hour commute bookending my workday it's tough to get a from scratch dinner in before the 7:00 cut off most "Experts" recommend as healthiest for those on a 1st shift schedule so I reach for packaged sides. Still a lot cheaper to buy a box of Rice A Roni that will feed 2 of us dinner and give me leftovers for a lunch or 2 and better than fast food though. We choose what gets our time by what is most important to us- for many, cooking decent meals at home is not the first choice. THAT is what has to change.

This is surprising? I was a skrawny kid and super active. If someone told me my favorite meal was 2,000 calories, I would have said "So, what's your point?" and eaten it anyway. I was active enough that calories did not matter. That's the problem with a lot of children today, they don't know how to move. Sit and play on the computer, sit and play a video game, sit and watch TV. They just need to get up and move. We played outside from sunup to sundown in the summer and in the winter, I skated after school until supper time and after supper until bedtime.

teens don't care because they can eat whatever they want at that age. the pounds don't come until their metabolism changes in their 20's! then they are in for a rude awakening....maybe someone should teach them about that!

beer - there are a lot of overweight teens, that's not true for everyone. Sure some girls you went to highschool with pack on the pounds after they go to college, but some stay thin and some were bigger in high school to begin with.

But taste has NOTHING to do with obesity. I would also argue that healthy vs unhealthy food has nothing to do with obesity. Obesity is caused by eating too many calories. Body could care less if the food tasted better or was healthier.

Labeling is a big part of the solution, calorie education is the other part.

I disagree. While taste is subjective, I bet a whole lot of people would argue a Big Mac tastes infinitely better than the grilled chicken sandwich without mayo (although I usually pay a little extra to get a pack of honey mustard to put on the chicken). Can ya guess which has more calories? If taste is driving my choice and that choice has a higher calorie count, I'm going to get fatter faster than if I eat the lower calorie sandwich (assuming both fill you up equally after consumption).

Taste has everything to do with obesity. It is a huge factor. People eat food because you have to. When eating food, they eat food that TASTES GOOD. If it tastes good, they eat more. Eat more = gain weight.

You can put labels all over stuff as much as you want, the only people that will care, are the ones that cared before you slapped labels on everything. Its a waste of time. If you want to affect the eating habits of people, get healthy food to taste better, and reasonably priced, and convienent.. Short of those things, people will continue to ignore labels, or calorie education or whatever else people *think* is going to help. It wont. 1) Taste 2) Price 3)Convienence. Those are the things that non-health nut types care about. Until you address those things, nothing will change - except wasted money trying to do everything except address those issues.

Yep... Another shocking report from Captain Obvious. He's having a good week.

Missing my point. I did not say people would rather not eat things that taste better.

I was stating that one can eat ANYTHING and not gain weight IF AND ONLY IF they don't consume more calories than they need.

It can also be said you can each only carrots and be obese, the difference being you would have to eat a whole lot of carrots.

Same can be said for exercise, you can exercise for hours each day and gain weight if you are eating too many calories, just as you can lose weight and not exercise at all by eating less calories than you need.

Taste, expense, conveinience, etc are all just excuses to the fact that a body only needs so many calories. Eat more (doesn't matter if not tasty, expensive or inconvenient) calories that your body needs it is going to store it as fat.

Kid's today (and obviously many people here) have not connected the dots are why they are obese. Kids don't want to be fat. Teach them while they are young, give them the knowledge they need and lets quit making excuses.

portion control...still eat the tasty foods but don't stuff your faces

Perhaps if my taxes weren't increased or used to "cure Obesiety" we could afford to feed our children healthy foods at home where it starts.

With Obama, it's "do as I say, not as I do". If he wants to promote better choices in food, maybe he should start setting an example by not eating the fast food junk that he consumes that we often hear about on the news. Also, what about smoking? That is another major contributor to heart disease. So, we have a president who smokes and eats fast food crap who is telling the rest of us that we need to alter our diets and limit what we consume. Oh, that's right. We taxpayers provide him, his family and Congress with a health care plan that is superior to that which we common citizens have.

Have you seen him at a McDonalds? Do you know for a fact he eats fast food? Oh, and fast food once in a while is not bad, they just want to stop the Mon-Fri drive-thru parent and have them choose a Whopper without mayo to reduce a few calories.

OH and he stopped smoking a year or two ago. I'm glad we as Americans have the freedom to spread false information whenever we want.

Here's the thing, though. You blame the government for being intrusive and telling you what to eat and what choices to make. Thing is, there are no laws telling you MUST eat this or you MUST buy that (well, except for insurance which they are going to force you to buy). They are simply making suggesting and trying to make sure consumers are WELL INFORMED. Frankly, I'm glad there are calorie counts. I want every eatery to provide them so I can make better choices for myself. I don't see why that's an issue. It HELPS the consumer. Whether or not they take advantage is another story all together. The problem for me is that folks who still make bad decisions and live unhealthy lifestyles have an ADVERSE EFFECT on YOU and ME! When they get sick because of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes, they put a strain on our health system. They cost more to treat, take care of and maintain. That digs into insurance company profits. How do insurance companies make up for that? By raising rates on EVERYONE, healthy or sick. This would be avoided if folks maintained better lifestyles. So people's "right" to eat what they wanna eat and live how they wanna live, infringe on everybody else in society. Kinda rude, doncha think?
Don't get me wrong, though. I freely admit (and have posted elsewhere) that eating better is not easy or cheap. So I don't blame these folks for eating like they do, not until eating healthy becomes more affordable for most people. But placing blame on the government that hasn't a single law on what you can eat while not looking with the same critical eye at individuals who strain the healthcare system is not a fair or balanced argument.

PGH - as a matter of fact, there have been repeated news stories showing Obama eating at fast food restaurants and coverage of how he loves junk food. In addition, there is an episode of "Man vs. Food" in which the featured restaurant, which serves BBQ and other fatty foods, has named a booth after him because it is the one at which he sat when he dined there. The National Post, among others, featured an article entitled "Obama smokes, eats too much junk food: president's physician". Google it and read it for yourself. The following is a quote from the article.

Now comes word that Mr. Obama has another addiction that’s potentially compromising his health: a weakness for pastry and junk food. "Put the potato chips down,” Robert Gibbs, Mr. Obama’s spokesman, quipped on Monday

Also, the White House menu that was served during the Super Bowl was publicized and criticized for being loaded with fat. The menu included:

- Bratwurst
- Kielbasa
- Cheeseburgers
- Deep Dish Pizza
- Buffalo Wings
- German Potato Salad
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Snyders Potato Chips and Pretzels
- Chips and Dips
- Salad
- Ice Cream

Don't want to believe me? Try Googling "Super Bowl White House Menu".

His addiction to smoking has been publicized since the 2008 election campaign, but he is able to control where he smokes and censor the media enough that there are virtually no photos of him smoking that reach the general public. Try paying attention to the news occasionally and you will see these reports.

War only a matter of time for that law to try to makes it's way through :)

scales - it becomes clear once you've been on Newsvine for a while that people read different news. If he "is able to control where he smokes and censor the media enough that there are virtually no photos of him smoking that reach the general public" then how the hell do you know he is still smoking? Because some "news site" told you so? You do realize news and tabloids make sh!t up, right? Stop believing everything you hear! Jesus.

Why does it matter what was on the Super Bowl Menu? So you can complain about a President you dislike and accuse him of things? So one Sunday they have these items - does that mean he eats them DAILY!? Is anyone saying you can't sit down to a treat, or fast food meal once in a while? If he was trying to shut down fast food companies and then seen eating at them, THAT'S when you can start the hate speeches. Just because he enjoys some not-so-healthy food once in a while, doesn't mean our thin president is some gluttonous pig. The point the Obama's are trying to make is that some people eat fast food on a daily basis. Bring it home to their children every day after work. They aren't saying you should NEVER EVER EVER eat it..they are saying we are becoming a nation relying too much on it.

WarhammerThree - the problem with people like you who want to blame the personal habits of others for increases in insurance premiums and other matters is that you are overlooking the fact that every taxpayer on record is paying for something from which he reaps no benefits. For example, why should I have to pay to educate your sniffling nosed brats when I don't have kids? Why do parents receive a federal tax credit for each kid when people who don't have young kids receive no such credit? Why is a family membership at the local YMCA almost the same price as an individual membership when a family membership covers an unlimited number of kids while the individual membership covers only one person? Life isn't fair, so get over it and stop complaining about how other people impact your insurance premiums. Those same people will be covering expenses that you or your family incur when you become ill.

PGH - you obviously have a HUGE chip on your shoulder where Obama is concerned. I never commented one way or the other on how I feel about Obama nor did I include "hate speeches". That is something that you read into my comments because that is what you wanted to hear. I commented on his eating and smoking habits, which are known to most people who read or listen to the news. My news does not come from tabloids but from sources such as NPR and national news programs such as "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric", and "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" that are not known for fabricating stories. It was reported on one of these news sources within the past few days that Obama is still smoking and finding it difficult to quit. So, yes, according to news reports that were issued no more than seven days ago, he is still smoking. You obviously put Obama on a pedestal and are in a state of denial when it comes to vices that he has.

In addition, if you reread my first response to you, you will see that it was Obama's own spokesman, Robert Gibbs, who quipped "Put the potato chips down". In addition, Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, the White House physician, commented that your "thin president" has borderline high cholesterol.

scales67 - RE your post about children... I see what you're saying but the difference I can see is that children are expected to grow up and become productive members of our society. It's assumed that they'll eventually give back, so maybe that's why it's considered "okay" to pay for them. People with preventable diseases, on the other hand, got into this position on their own and are costing society money that didn't need to be spent on this, since there's really no benefit to society. It's not a perfect answer, but that's how I see it.

Scales,

The issue is simple and you may choose to see it or not. Educating people to live a healthier live is in fact cheaper than the cost on society created by people not eating right. That cost includes higher insurance premiums and lost productivity. If you don't believe it, there are plenty of case studies of companies that have run health programs for their employees and saved hundreds of millions of dollars in healthcare cost alone. One such case is PG&E whose ROI on one such program was about 100%.

So in essence, you are going to pay either way. It is your choice to pay less for educational programs or face the hidden+ higher premium costs of obesity.

Edwardt -- You said what I was trying to say, but much better. Kudos :)

Jayzus! You people will blame Obama for everything! Too, too, ridiculous and pathetic.

Edward your theory is sound but execution is a problem. It doesn't take a genius to realize this stuff isn't good for us but many are being raised to think of it as a normal dinner, not an occasional indulgence. More and more people don't bother to ever learn how to cook for themselves either because they never had an example or because they never took the time. We push kids into so many activities there's hardly time to sit down for a meal between school, activities, homework and bedtime for many households. As long as these things continue, all the information in the world isn't going to make people follow it.

Kinda makes me miss Home Ec class- at least we learned some basic life skills

Actually, Scales, after re-reading my post, I did not explain myself properly. I was saying that folks complaining about the government being intrusive, being all nasty, making restaurants post calorie info, won't equally blame private citizens who choose unhealthy lifestyles and intrude on us as well. What I was really trying to get at is there is lots of blame to go around.

Including on me since I send my kids to public school and ask you to bear the burden of their education so they can grow up and be productive members of society; maybe eventually someday becoming your doctor or your nurse, your lawyer, your policeman, your pharmacist, your mechanic or carpenter.
Catch my drift? Or y'know what? Maybe I should pull them outta school and spare you the burden and have them live off the welfare you pay for. That sound like a better plan?

Face it, pally, no man is an island. We are all dependent on somebody else in some way. Heck, we're all dependent, every second of our lives, on tons of people we don't even know. And if you don't think it's true, then I would love to see you try.

Go out in the woods, chop down trees to build your house, but put together an ax first. Can't buy one. That means you would be depending on someone else to manufacture it for you. So yeah, build an ax, then cut down trees and build a house. Dig a pit for your outhouse too since you can't have any plumbing since that would be depending on the public sewer system. Of course, you'd have to make some sort of digging implement first, unless you plan to just squat behind a tree. In that case, be careful where you're walking when you need to cut down more trees for firewood, since you'll need fire to keep warm cuz you can't be tied into any utilities like gas, oil or electricity unless you can somehow drill your own, make your own pipes and wiring and such. And of course, you'd have to figure this all out on your own since no one would be able to teach you because, after all, teaching people is far too much of a financial burden for people like you to bear.

Is that right?

Boomer I don't see this as a responsibility issue? Doesn't seem like many adults are into having the gov't step in on this.. I take responsibility for what my children eat.. but you cannot control everything if you think you can you're a fool.. when your 15yr walks over to the local BK after school you can't order for him.

The thing I find funny in Newsvine is any time there is an article about weight and children everyone goes "Oh my son loves his veggies and exercises and doesn't even like chocolate!" or "I am very strict about my children and be sure to feed them healthy stuff" or "I NEVER take my kids to get fast food! NEVER!"

Well I call bullsh!t because if even half of you told the truth, there wouldn't even need to be studies like this. I doubt that all 500 of you that end up commenting on this article are raising perfectly healthy, anti-sweet, veggie loving children and you actually let your children drink pop and eat candy and you serve them fast food every now and again.

Some parents do a good job of giving kids the food they need, and the majority just don't care and don't worry because they themselves don't care about their own health, or are to busy to care. Stop trying to be saints and look at what you do - I bet there are flaws in your perfect lifetsyles. Ever look at the sugar content in childrens juices?

Right ON! I was at a kids birthday party. My 4 yr old is overweight. He is a very picky eater. He is also quite obviously growing out of it like his older brother. We have a lot of healthy food in our house and we always offer it and he has his favorites but will eat it half the time and if we are lucky he will try something new. At this party, a friend of his is one of the no sweets, they don't like candy sorts blah blah blah. That kid was hawking candy and cake etc. like no tomorrow. My kid, who we direction into good choices but don't really forbid items, ate reasonably. They looked at me with a little judgment, but my kid had healthier hair, eyes and complexion. It is an economic issue, high quality food=better health. My oldest son willingly abides with a one pop rule and although he has what he wants as a snack, eats good meals. In other words they are not out hawking the forbidden foods. Of course if you go out once or twice a month you are going to get what you want at a restaurant. My oldest is active in sports and anticipate the same of my younger. If we restrict everything, we will be a country of eating disorders.

You have to remember - some parents don't care any more than the kids do. What do I see at the grocery store? A cart full of boxes of Mac & Cheese, bags of Lipton Pasta Sides, Ice Cream, Cookies, Hamburger Helper, etc. It's all about the ease. Plus some parents like that food too so why cook a big meal of veggies and skinless chicken? WE on here say "we need to teach our kids" or "kids need to eat better" or "parents should be doing this" but if we have to have articles like this in the first place - then a lot of parents aren't doing too well themselves because they are raising big children, causing these "Studies" and "Programs."

PGH Hamburger helper no meat 2.39 (with meat 6.00).... fresh veggies and chicken 8-9 dollars... three meals or one...?? hmmm not a tuff choice for someone with no money.

The problem is that too many parents bend over backwards to give the little dears exactly what they want. We didn't have a choice when I was growing up. We ate whatever my mother prepared and we almost never ate at restaurants or fast food places. Fortunately, my mother believed in well balanced meals and set an excellent example for us to follow as adults. However, we also had classes on nutrition in school, which I have a feeling are lacking in today's curriculum.

Lyndanne - did I say anything about money? I was talking about EASE. Parents are too busy so they go with what is easy. Either mostly boxed crap and just add some meat or go through a drive-thru.

Scales - I was in highschool in 2000-2003, we took a health class the first and/or second year and they taught nutrition. Then we'd go to lunch and there was the daily pizza, fries, chicken sandwiches, cheeseburgers; special of the day; chips and little debbie snack rack; cookies that were sold in the morning by the lunch ladies; pop machines...kids have too many choices.

AB NEVER EVER has an item that is bad for you... Glad your not my mom a cookie here an there should not warp your children into a lifetime of eating problems.. there is nothing wrong with a mixture... Sorry but when My son and I go the circus every year it's a big deal.. we stop at Arby's for lunch and he get cotton candy and italian ice and a soft pretzel or whatever else his little heart deisres... he is actually smart enough to know that his is a special occassion not a daily occurance.. and the following night right back to what Mom cooks.

Lyndanne, I think AB means when you are doing dinner, don't give in when your kids screams "McDonalds!" every day. Or if you do take them to McDonalds, don't let your 3 year old get a Big Mac. He's not saying completely ban cookies or fun traditions. Chill out.

PGH and I'm saying it's not always about ease... it may be about money!

I thought you were trying to correct me about something I said which I hadn't said, but yes, a lot of people argue cheapness. They pretty much argue cheapness so they don't have to confess they don't want to take the time to cook!

I thank goodness everyday for my crockpot.. getting home at 6:30 in the evening is not alot of time to do homework cook a good meal get my son bathed and have time for something fun :) Throw in Karate two of those nites and CCD one night and it has the makings for fast food run amok... but I sincerely try not to go often maybe 3x a month. then it's chicken, apples and milk... (thank god my son prefers milk to anything else)

PGH - I have to agree with you that school lunch programs are abhorent and a major source of the problem. Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution USA" was a real eye opener when it comes to the menu that public schools are allowed to offer students. When were students allowed to have a choice of flavored milk rather than plain white milk? Why are they fed fried tater tots, hamburgers, fried chicken and pizza? Why aren't parents complaining and doing something to change the situation? It's their taxpayer dollar that is being used to pay for the food that feds their kids.

Lyndanne - no one is criticizing you for allowing your son to have Arby's, cotton candy, Italian ice and a soft pretzel once a year when you go to the circus. It's special days like that that form great childhood memories for kids. Plus, no one is stating that an occasional splurge is not a good idea.

Sorry PGH maybe a misread...

but AB "I have a better idea. How about parents don't allow your children to order items that are not nutritionaly sound for them"

Don't allow to me would be never.

Lydanne, you are quite the literalist aren't you. Now, I myself don't eat fast food crap. I am a type 1 diabetic and am quite careful about my diet. (ie remember all before someone says it, my type of diabetes is not to being overweight)

In addition, my family keeps kosher and I can assure you that fast food restaurants are not kosher.

Though as someone pointed out, the real problem is that many parents give in to their childs whining for the crap they see on tv. If you teach a child from the beginning about good nutrition and how good "real food" tastes then they are on a path to much greater nutritional sucess in life. Do my child and husband get snacks, of course but I can assure it isn't an all out junk food fest in our home.

As another pointed out, I also find it discusting when in a store and you see an entire family overweight loading down their cart with soda, cookies, cakes and other junk. You may think that is awful for me to say, but really how in this day and age people can't realize what they are doing to themselves and their families is insane.

It's funny I prefer taste too... and I'm not a kid LOL

He quit smoking a year or two ago...

I would just like to point out that the government didn't get involved until those nutbags started doing those documentaries where they would eat fast food til they puked then blamed the restaurant for making them fat. That was what kicked off the whole regulating of fast food enterprises thing. It's not like the government just came up with it one day. It was in response to pressure by private individuals and interest groups. That is how our government is meant to work. Of, by, and for the people, ya know? Blame the idiots who made the movies.

Robbie - you're right. I can't stand those people that try to sue fast food chains or make bans on them or certain aspects of their business because they are overweight, or spilled hot coffee on themselves. No one is putting a gun to your head to eat there. Many people eat there as a treat, while more tend to eat there as a lifestyle. It's YOUR fault if you can't stop eating there. It's YOUR fault that you didn't handle the hot coffee well and spilled it on yourself. (referring to the incident in the 90's I think it was, a woman ordered coffee, spilled it on herself, got burned and then bitched that it didn't have a warning it was hot on it, I think the dumbass got money but really, do you need to eat the candy to know it's sweet? This was before iced coffee was a thing.)

I watched that Supersize me documentary. It was gross, not because of the information I "learned" and kind of already knew, but because this guy was deliberatly eating at McDonalds every day. I hear a lot of it was fake anyway. Eating it every day is not good for you, but really, who does that?

Jason - while i agree with you in the sense of dont tell me what to do, the problem is, it has become everyone's problem. When people eat their 10,000 calories they inevitably end up with health issues. That tab gets picked up by 1 of 3 peoples. 1) The person who has eaten themselves unhealthy. This is prolly the least common of the 3. 2) Insurance Companies - Who in order to protect profits, increase premiums for all, to make up for the added expenses of the unhealthy individual. 3) The Govt. - When the person has not money or insurance, the medical bills still need to get paid. Who do you think pays this bill?

So while i agree with you in the sense - im a big clown, i can make my own choices so butt out. I cant agree with that we can do nothing. Doing nothing isnt an option.

What i would like to see, is instead of wasting money on worthless exercise or labeling campaigns, spend that money on research and find ways to make healthy food taste better, at a lower cost. Or even help make the unhealthy food, healthier. But people are not going to eat what doesnt taste good - doesnt matter how many labels, PSA's, or whatever other non-sense politicians come up with to do otherwise.

Agree with BoBo. Eat all you want until I have to start paying for it! Unfortunately, obesity affects everyone.

Also want to mention that a taste for healthy food can be acquired. Trust me, I enjoy sweets and salty snacks, but I was forced to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables throughout my childhood and still love the taste of most of them. In college, I got into the habit of eating McDonalds too much -- I found that the more I ate it, the more I enjoyed it and wanted more. My wedding is coming up and in an effort to slim down, I completely cut out McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, etc. A few months later, I'm finding I don't want it anymore.

I feel like a huge problem is that we make it too much of an all or nothing concept. It IS possible to eat lots of healthy, fresh foods, and enjoy a cheeseburger every once in a while.

That being said, I'd love some lessons on how to preserve fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat. It always seems to go bad before I have a chance to use it all!

I have been on Weight Watchers for the past two years to lose a little and help me become a better athlete for the roller derby team I skate for. I've done pretty well and was never an avid fast food eater but when I started really paying attention to ingredients and SERVING SIZES, I was stunned. It's amazing how much we grossly overeat without even thinking about it for a split second.

I think you are missing a big one - convenience and lack of time. Why grab a fast food burger for dinner for the kids? Because mom gets home from work at 5:30 and has to have kid A at practice by 6:30 and kid B at rehearsal at 7 and kid C at tutoring at 8. We all know how that goes.

Not that this is a great excuse - with planning you can have healthy foods on hand pretty much all the time - cook when you aren't busy, freeze it or have it on hand in the fridge when you need to grab something on the go. If you find yourself heading the FF route more than once a month or so, it's time to consider how you can rethink how you do things to make healthier choices for yourself and your family.

And if you do really "need" to do FF, there are plenty of healthier FF options available also - it doesn't have to be a Big Mac, it can be a Subway sandwich or a grilled chicken sandwich or even a salad with grilled chicken and low fat dressing - even McD's has that available, at least they did last time I was in one!

Gemini John - Bush was in office for eight years. His father was in office for four. If you don't know how to spell his name by now, then you shouldn't be commenting on how shallow the gene pool is.

Isn't that the spelling of the beer brand? Maybe he's from the sticks and a product of a shallow gene pool...

Not to brag, but I gave up salt, sugar, desserts and coffee back in the 70's. I smoke a LOT of pot.

I haven't been sick a single day in 34 years, since the summer of '77. How many peeps can say that?

Dear God, here we go.

1. Obama has no control over the gas prices. The oil companies do. AND the resource overseas where they get their oil is raising their prices, so we have to also.

2. Obama also cannot create more jobs. Unless they are hiring for a White House janitor or something, what can he do? He can't go to Yahoo and say "hire more people right this instant!" When they are doing poorly compared to their competitors and don't have the money to hire people.

WE are the ones that need to fix the economy, the government has a few things they could do, but the People need to shape up and quit being pieces of crap also. Government is coming into the food battle because the People have asked them to. Maybe YOU haven't, but there are crazy @!$%#s out there whining and complaining that they and their children are fat because of fast food restaurants. Instead of taking responsibility for it and changing themselves, they deny any involvement and start screaming that McDonalds and Burger King are shoving food down our throats, when in reality, WE are choosing to eat there. Nobody forces us to. Until the American People can stop being a bunch of whiny crybabies and try to fix things for themself instead of relying on the government (by banning, restricting, and handing out Welfare) for everything, those of us that ARE trying to work and live healthier, will have to continue to hear about this stupid crap.

Do your part and make sure you and your friends and family know what I said above and try to better themselves everyday. In a way you're kind of doing the same thing as the majority because you're sitting here expecting the government to create jobs FOR you, and expecting the government to lower gas prices. Not everything is in their control. They can make promises, but it's not always things that they are able to do.

"VIOLATING IT WITH KETCHUP!!!"

This wins.

SO now you're expecting the government to make parents shoo the child outside if they play video games? I thought we didn't want government involvement in health, but we wanted them to create jobs.

The government also has no control over company pricing on food. WE the people in America are on this health food craze. So any company that is claiming to have a healthy product, is going to gouge the price because that's how business works.

And the government is not expecting children to read the labels. People bitched and whined about fast food making them fat so they demanded the government force fast food chains to be like other food companies and display nutrition facts, which they did. This was so that the PARENTS would make a better choice for their children. Instead of letting a 3year old down a Big Mac, they'd opt for these apple slices or something. But some parents just aren't that responsible.

You're 19, it's ok that you don't understand this stuff. And your metabolism won't be fast forever, so start getting into good habit now, and maybe stop commenting on this stuff since you can't make up your mind on whether you want the government to help or not.