Why It's Simple to Over-Eat

Image by Identity Photogr@phy

In a May 7, 2012 article in Newsweek,"Why the Campaign to Stop America's Obesity Crisis Keeps Failing,"

Gary Taubes writes:

"The problem then—as now, across America—was the prevalence of sugars, refined flour, and starches in their diets. These are the cheapest calories, and they can be plenty tasty without a lot of preparation and preservation. And the biology suggests that they are literally fattening—they make us fat, while other foods (fats, proteins, and green leafy vegetables) don’t...

"...If this hypothesis is right, then the reason the anti-obesity efforts championed by the IOM, the CDC, and the NIH haven’t worked and won’t work is not because we’re not listening, and not because we just can’t say no, but because these efforts are not addressing the fundamental cause of the problem. Like trying to prevent lung cancer by getting smokers to eat less and run more, it won’t work because the intervention is wrong."

As I browse through my local grocery stores, the cost of fresh produce and snack foods is unbalanced. What we should eat more of (fruits and vegetables) is expensive, and junk food is cheap. Depending on where you live, a pound of oranges, apples or grapes can be $1 or more, and maybe serves a couple of people. On the other hand, an eight-pack of snack cakes is about the same price (or cheaper), and has eight servings. If you're on a budget and want a quick snack, the junk food might seem like the obvious, cost-effective answer.