Who made America fat?

In the cover article by Julie Flaherty, the Fall issue of Tufts Nutrition magazine collects one piece of the puzzle from each of five of my colleagues at the Friedman School (the issue is out in print, but not yet at the online site as of this writing). Jim Tillotson, who knows the food industry from the inside, blames bad policy and the food industry at least in part. Katie Tucker raises questions about processed foods and simple carbohydrates. Susan Roberts addresses variety, "one of the things that makes people overeat." My boss, Eileen Kennedy, raises some of the same issues as Jim and Susan, but perhaps gives somewhat greater emphasis to exercise and personal responsibility: "If I had to rank priorities, I would say it is harder to get anywhere near a balance with the low levels of physical activity we have in both adults and children." And Jeanne Goldberg exonerates one of the suspects sometimes mentioned. Her recent article in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association is: "The Obesity Crisis: Don't Blame It on the Pyramid."