No matter how you slice it

MANIFESTO

The obesity epidemic in the US is due solely to increased food intake.

Now this might seem to be a no-brainer, but the recent report from the European Congress on Obesity points out that

"The food industry has done such a great job of marketing their products, making the food so tasty that it's almost irresistible, pricing their products just right, and placing them everywhere, that it is very hard for the average person to resist temptation. Food is virtually everywhere, probably even in churches and funeral parlors."

Indeed, as one who's salivated at the displays of M&M peanuts (in best LBI) in a Home Depot, I know what's being referred to here.

I know I'm fortunate that my metabolism remains such that I can eat about as much as people my age and still not look like John Madden, but it's certainly a challenge.

As Oscar Wilde so famously put it, "I can resist everything except temptation." Given the marketing, taste, and pricing described above, it's clear that many Americans find themselves in the same situation.