Three Million to Figure Out Why?

In the local paper, we find the Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan went to North Carolina State University to bestow a grant to develop an obesity prevention program. The researcher Sarah Bowen "will work to gain a better understanding how the "food environment" affects patterns of obesity.

Haven't we done this before? Does it take $3,026,939 taxpayer dollars to figure out that too many calories, too little exercise, food laden with crap and a neighborhood filled with fat people turns our little kids into fat people too?

Ask a senior. This is easy stuff. For $1,000 I will write an entire book on the subject. Not like every magazine on the rack doesn't offer a new diet, new exercises, new recipes to get us back on the lean track. Studies show if you hang out with fat friends, you tend to get fat yourself. Its accepted.

Dr. Oz, http://doctoroz.com

is constantly showing us more ways to move our collective butts, eat better, and how the food we scarf today will affect the way we enjoy life tomorrow.

Bring back the garden! Doctor Oz tells us we need more vitamin D. Free from the sun.
Get some good vegetables coming out of the earth. Have kids learn how to plant, pull weeds, harvest, shuck corn. Bring back the block baseball teams, the playing tag in the front lawn.

I don't think more money is needed to study anything. We need commitment as role models. Check out our food misconceptions. Every family gathering is full of buffet tables and the stuff is available. Drawers are full of "goodies". Skip that. Bring back the fruit bowl, or just regular meals.

Our portions are out of control.
Commitment to be the best role models we can be.
The information is already out there.