Convenience + Low Cost = Overweight

It seems pretty obvious to me why the American public is overweight; food is so easily purchased (both cost and access) and so convenient to get (you don't even have to get out of your car) that no one gives it a second thought. At the drop of a hat, individuals can get as little as a cup of coffee to a full meal and never get off their rear end! In fact, people eat everywhere-at school, in the office, on public transportation, in their car, on their bikes-as long as they can manage to put something in their mouth, they will do it. Why? Because they can! Imagine if you actually had to walk a mile to get the milk you needed for the next day? Or, had to harvest the corn you were going to have with your dinner tonight. Would you do it? The fact is most families don't sit down and make their dinners at home, they pick them up on the way home. And they can do it because now almost everyone can afford to "eat out" which in previous generations was a special event. Additionally, grocery stores provide a multitude of already prepared foods for the eating, so you don't even have to slave over the stove to produce a meal. Try this for a week--every time you wanted a meal, you have to prepare it yourself. No fast food, no pre-packaged or frozen entrees, no carry-out, no drive through, no home delivery, no vending machine--you get the idea. See how much less convenient eating becomes and you may forgo certain items because of the effort necessary to produce it. My guess is you will stick to the basics that are simple to make, not processed, and more healthy for you. Just think about how much easier it is to eat an apple than to make (not purchase) an apple pie. Would you really go to all the effort to make a pie, if you had to for a piece? I didn’t think so.