Fat Land

Law.com reports Part of Parents' Obesity Suit Against McDonalds Revived.

Texas State Senator Leticia Van de Putte has introduced a bill (SB205)which would require public schools to report student's body mass index (BMI) on report cards.
Link: CNN.com article

I just finish reading Fat Land: How Americans became the Fattest People in the World by Greg Critser. The author, correctly in my opinion, points to the prevalence of high fructose corn syrup in our diet as one of the main causes of "where the calories came from". The book also explores something that I have long known - that large restaurant portions are a product of the economics of food service - but brings out another point, and that is "nutrient control." In other words, when I eat out at a restaurant, I have no idea what is in the food I am eating (as long as it tastes good) or how it is prepared. Nor do I care especially. If I am cooking from scratch, I know that the yummy brownies I just made contain four eggs and twice as much sugar as flour. So I make decisions, perhaps not even fully conscious ones, to bake them a little less often than more healthful treats, and to eat smaller portions, because am aware of their caloric density. Anyhow, a good book if you are interested in such things.