9781422285732

10

“Ugh, I’m fat. I need to go on a diet.”

You have probably heard someone say this. You may have said it yourself. But was it really true? Our beliefs about eating and weight can be confusing. On the one hand, more food is available to more people than ever before. Magazines and TV shows about cooking are very popular. Chefs are celebrities. Some people are so interested in fancy dishes that they are called “foodies.” On the other hand, Americans are also eating more unhealthy food than ever before. There are so many overweight people that doctors talk about an “obesity epidemic .” This means that more people have weight-related health problems too, like diabetes or high cholesterol.

American attitudes about food are confusing. On the one hand, chefs and fine dining seem to be a national obsession . . .