America: the land of the free... and the fat. In the nation's more-is-more eating culture, three in five Americans are officially considered overweight -- and kids are no exception, one in three of whom reportedly eats fast food on a daily basis. But waistline-watchdog MSNBC has culled a list of "20 Worst Kids' Foods in America," to shed light upon some particularly fattening kids'-meal culprits.

Categories range from "worst homestyle meal" (Boston Market's Kids' Meat Loaf with Sweet Potato Casserole and Cornbread, which packs a whopping 890 calories into a tiny TV dinner), to "worst beverage" (the super-saccharine SunnyD Smooth Style, which boosts 60 grams of sugar into one measly cup -- triple that of a cup of Tropicana), to the "worst kids' meal in America": Uno Chicago Grill's Kid's Combo with French Fries, a monochromatic carb-fest cramming kids with cheese sticks, chicken nuggets and fries, a monster of a meal weighing in at 1,250 calories and 2,850 milligrams sodium.

It's no wonder that 16 percent of today's youth, aged 6 to 19, is overweight or obese with the gut bombs like those listed in the regular meal rotations, according to the report. Shockingly, "today's children may turn out to be the first generation of Americans whose life expectancy will actually be shorter than that of their parents" because of obesity-related health problems, Michael Pollan writes in "The Omnivore's Dilemma."

What do you think is to blame for the rise of childhood obesity -- is it fair to blame fast-food providers or the parents?

[Via MSNBC]

Gourmet's Barry Estabrook finds that the latest nutritional studies are at odds with what some manufacturers' campaigns might have us believe. The following is an excerpt of his findings published on Gourmet.com.

Nothing spoils a good marketing campaign as surely as solid, scientific facts. So I imagine the folks over at the Corn Refiners' Association-who have recently spent a fortune on PR and advertising to convince "moms and healthcare professionals" that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was no better or worse for us nutritionally than sweeteners such as table sugar and honey-were shocked when they opened the latest issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

It contains a paper by a group of researchers at the University of Texas who report that fructose, the primary sugar in HFCS (which finds its way into just about every non-diet soft drink sold), made subjects of a study fatter than glucose, another sugar.

"Our study shows for the first time the surprising speed with which humans make body fat from fructose," said Elizabeth Parks of the Southwestern Medical Center.

It also may explain why the current obesity epidemic in this country dates back to 1980, the year HFCS entered our diet. Starting from zero, Americans now gulp an average of 66 pounds of the stuff each year.

And it shows.

The story continues at Gourmet.com: Politics of the Plate: How Sweet It Isn't

According to recent reports and contrary to popular belief, French people can, and do, get fat. In fact, the French government is worried enough about the problem that they're considering raising taxes on food that are higher fat, sugar, and salt.

According to this report on MSNBC.com, the French government has been worried about obesity, especially childhood obesity, for a while now. Some campaigns they've tried in the past have been to encourage commuters to take the stairs instead of the escalator and to put prominent warnings on junk food packaging.

With a huge hole in the state health care budget to plug,though, some officials want to put higher taxes on unhealthy foods. The question that remains to be answered is, what constitutes "unhealthy"? Will the new taxes, up to 19.6% from 5.5%, apply only to processed junk food with high fat and sugar contents? Or will Frances traditional high fat cheeses and foie gras be included?

These questions are yet to be decided, but I personally cannot see the French government slapping high taxes on traditional foods for which the country is famous. How will it look when the French can't even afford their own cheese? Not only that, as Elastic Waistband points out, taxes don't dissuade that many people from doing, or eating, exactly what they want. Do you think the French government will put high taxes on its traditional foods?

It makes sense that NYC would follow LA's desire to ban fast-food. Just this past March, a report from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene revealed that in just two years obesity and diagnosed diabetes increased by 17 percent while the rest of the nation experienced just a six percent increase. An article from New York magazine reports that, according to the Sun, NYC Councilman Eric Gioia wants to impose a one-year ban on new fast-food restaurants. Considering the gravity of this health crisis, this desired measure hardly seems as puritanical as New York magazine describes.

The BBC explains that local policians in LA want to implement laws that would ban fast-food businesses from opening up in South LA where 32 percent of adults are overweight. In cities with high rates of obesity, these measures seem crucial. Personally, I think these bans would encourage businesses to offer affordable healthy food. At the same time, it would bring back the traditional ways of enjoying and cooking food.

What do you think?

CalorieLab recently released their list, which ranks US states from fattest to thinnest, for 2008. For the third year running, Mississippi is the fattest state in the nation, with 32.6 % of that state's population coming in overweight or obese. CalorieLab determines the fattest state rankings using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System database maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rankings use a three-year average in order to correct for statistical irregularities.

Rounding out the top five fattest states are West Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana and South Caroline. They've found that overall the fattest states tend to be in the South and Rust Belt, while Northeastern and Western states are a bit slimmer. The only area to lose weight in the last year is Washington, D.C. Colorado remains the nation's fittest state.

It's disheartening to see that with all the attention given to diet and exercise, these numbers continue to climb. With the cost of food is going up these days, mostly in relation to rising gas prices, the cost of eating healthfully is also increasing. How would you address this issue?

Boy, the mayor and city council of New York City really want you to eat healthily. First they banned trans fats, then they made restaurants post calorie counts on menus, now they're making a push to get more vegetables on the streets.

New York is getting ready to issue about 500 licenses to food carts that sell only fresh fruits and veggies. Mayor Bloomberg says that while he respects the hot dog cart as a New York institution, he hopes that the vegetable cart gets just as much respect. He also hopes that by making fresh fruits and vegetables more available, especially in lower income areas, New Yorkers will lose some weight and reduce skyrocketing levels of obesity-related diseases.

The move has its critics, of course. Mainly the critics say that just because the fresh produce is available doesn't mean people will it it. What do you think about New York's veggie cart plan?

"Hey, your kids are obese!"

Out of politeness, we normally don't point and scream such obvious statements to the people around us, but we just might have to. It seems that many parents are in total denial about their own children's obesity.

Research firm Knowledge Networks conducted a survey of 2,060 adults then collected height and weight measurements on the children from their parents to calculate body mass index. The comparison of what parents said about their children's weight -- "about right," "slightly overweight," "very overweight" -- was different from what the research firm calculated.

That's slightly alarming, given that obese children are susceptible to diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol problems. Overweight children are likely to grow up to be overweight adults with the same issues. What's more alarming is that children are open to changing their dietary habits to improve, but if their parents don't help them because they can't even see a problem, well, then, that's a problem.

Do you and your children live in the "fat belt?"

According to a new report by the nonprofit Trust for America's Health, "F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America," the fat belt stretches through the South and into the Southwest, but the heaviest children are found in Washington D.C.

Is it surprising? Not really, since we are well aware of nutrition and physical activity levels of children. Nonetheless, it's still pretty disturbing. According to the Washington Post, which reports the story, "today's children are likely to be the first generation to live shorter, less healthy lives than their parents" if the obesity rate doesn't turn around.

In recent years, genetic predisposition has been used to partially explain the world-wide obesity epidemic. However, scientists in New Zealand and England think they have discovered a link between a mother's diet during her pregnancy and the chance of that child becoming an obese adult. However, even if a mother eats poorly during her pregnancy (my own mom just admitted to eating ramen noodles while she was carrying me) all is not lost, because those same scientists have found that good nutrition during a child's early years can reset their bodies and prevent a predisposition towards obesity.

It seems to all go back to the ability our bodies have to adjust to times of scarcity. If a woman doesn't get sufficient nutrition during her pregnancy, she is programming her child's body to store fuel effectively. This is terrific in times of famine, but not so good in these days of cheap and easy empty calories. It's an interesting new facet in the nature verses nurture debate.

Do you live in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan, or West Virginia? Congratulations, you're the fattest people in the country!

That's the findings of the CDC and the BRFSS. Over the past 20 years, the waistlines of people in those states have increased 25% or more (the data is from 2004). But people in other states shouldn't feel so superior. Every state has increased in the past 20 years. The only state that didn't was Hawaii, and that's because they don't have any data for Hawaii. But come on, poi donuts and Macademia nuts? I bet they're getting bigger too.

Also check out the fittest cities, fattest cities, and how you can stay fit.

That's the latest theory on why we're so fat: we're addicted to food.

Now, if by "addicted" they mean "I need to eat it in order to survive," then yeah, I'm "addicted," but I don't think that this is true for most people. Not only do people eat too much in general, but they eat too much of the wrong foods, don't exercise and go on diets that ultimately fail. However, I think the theory is a twisting of the word "addiction." To compare it to drug addiction is strange. After all, in a normal, healthy situation, we don't need cocaine to live. We do need food and drink, so I think they should focus their research on something else.

There is a meeting at Yale's Rudd Center this week to explore this theory more.

We've heard this for years about all kinds of black and green teas - not just Oolong - but now there seems to be even more medical evidence that it's true: drinking tea can help you lose weight.

Not to get all technical, but it seems that the polyphenol compound in tea enhances the function of fat metabolism, which helps you lose weight. Researchers in China have been studying this for five years, paying special attention to how it affects kids. And Oolong seems to work the best.

I wonder if the obesity-fighting is hurt if you add a lot of milk and sugar?

After a study, British researchers have concluded that food-related TV commercials make kids fat.

60 kids, aged 9 to 11, were studied, and researchers discovered several things. A child's weight influenced what they ate (wow, really?), obese kids consistently chose chocolate over healthier foods when given the choice (you don't say!), and all kids wanted to eat more after they saw TV commercials featuring sweets and other food.

Whenever I see a commercial for Viagra, I want to have sex.

On a related note, it's TV Turnoff Week!

France is jumping onto the ad-restriction bandwagon, joining the US and the UK before them in making an attempt at using warnings to curb the climbing obesity rate in the country. Currently, about 30% of the French population is overweight and 10% is obese. The increasing size of the population is being blamed on processed foods and fast food, both of which encourage unhealth, on-the-go eating and are popular with the "youth" of the country. In an attempt to curb the climbing obesity rate in the country, France is jumping onto the ad-restriction bandwagon. Following in the footsteps of the US and the UK, France will be restricting what its viewers can and cannot see in food ads. All food ads are now required "carry cautions to stop snacking, keep active and eat fruits and vegetables." Specifically, the warning will have to include one of the following statements:

• "For your health, eat at least five fruits and vegetables a day."
• "For your health, undertake regular physical activity."
• "For your health, avoid eating too much fat, too much sugar, too much salt."
• "For your health, avoid snacking between meals."

The policy applies to "advertisements on television, radio and billboards and the Internet for processed, sweetened or salted food and drinks." Any advertiser who does not include the health-messages with their ads will be fined a percentage of the cost of the ad.

How long does your average meal last? Is it more like 5 minutes or 45? A recent survey conducted in Britain found that the average dinnertime lasts just 14 minutes and 27 seconds, which is a decrease of more than 50% over the 33-minute mealtime recorded two decades ago. Only 1 in 10 diners have meals that regularly last over 30 minutes. On top of the shorter, speedier meal time, more people are eating alone and swapping home-cooked food for take out food and prepackaged goods.

Nutritionists can't help but link the diminishing importance of meal times with the growing obesity rates, citing the facts that 8 out of 10 people regularly eat in front of the TV and 1 in 5 eat at their computer as examples of mindless eating that proves people no longer pay attention to what they put into their bodies. The statistics support this position. 20% of all Britons are now clinically obese, with 25% of all British women falling into the obese category.