Furthermore, registered dietitians are not reimbursed for a diagnosis of strictly "obesity." Insurance reimbursement for the regisitered dietitian comes for very few diseases, if at all. Of course, almost all of the chronic diseases in the western world are obesity-related: diabetes, high blood pressure (and thus stroke), heart disease, most gastrointestinal problems, many cancers and osteoarthritis. Most doctor visits are thus obesity-related, with nary a word about weight causing lifelong disease.

My daddy taught me that "Dogs bark. Money speaks." When we really get serious about tackling obesity, we'll tax high-calorie, low-nutrient foods. We'll build "inconvenience" into our lives - we'll have to walk more, not use drive-up windows, use stairs, etc. We'll reimburse registered dietitians and physicians for counseling about weight issues. We'll restructure grocery stores so they do not promote disease-causing foods. We'll subsidize all produce so that we're not paying $2 or more for a pound of fresh fruit or vegetables. We'll restructure restaurant meals and pricing. We'll not feed kids in school food we wouldn't give to our dogs. Generally, we'll follow the Kaiser Permanente ads about making obesity a thing of the past.

This will all take public will, some thoughtful legislation and money. But it will be infinitely cheaper to do these things now than to suffer the consequences of no action.
Remember, 33 percent of white kids, and 50 percent of Hispanic kids born in the year 2000 will get diabetes, the supreme disease of obesity and lack of muscle mass.

- Mary E. Farkas, Fillmore
(The writer is a registered dietitian. - Editor)