Alleine...I agree with you to a degree. I don't think going after McDonalds is going to solve the problem. They need to revise the food pyramid and quit giving bad nutritional advice...

I don't blame the spaghetti, bread, and rice companies for my weight. I blame the dietician who told me (12/1996) that I should eat that way to be healthy. I blame those who pass off bread and other hi-carb junk as "healthy." At least McDonalds doesn't have people believing their food is healthy.

That reminds me of a sad thing I heard once...I was in a restraunt and this little girl was ordering food a few booths away. She said she wanted the hamburger, but without the meat...just the bun and toppings. The USDA/AHA have convinced this generation that meat is bad for them and bread is good for them. It is no wonder that people are so fat...

I believed it for too long myself. For 6 years, I thought that ordering pasta instead of a steak and baked potato without Butter instead of french fries. You could order a "healhy hi-carb" side of pasta with your meal instead of those "unhealthy fatty" french fries. I took this option more than once. I never used butter on my bread, because I thought butter was bad for me...when in fact, it was the bread.

Here is how to solve the Obesity epidemic:

1) Flip the damned food pyramid.
2) Approve Stevia as a sweetener.
3) Quit hiding sugar in everything.
4) Quit putting Aspartame in all diet foods.
5) Replace Hi-Carb school lunches with nutritious green veggies, fresh fruits, and unprocessed meats. Heck, you can't make them taste much worse.

We need to stop telling people to load up on bread to get their nutrients. Many green vegetables have more fiber, folic acid, etc...than whole grains. But, alot of people think you have to have bread to get your nutrients.

In japan, where stevia is approved as a sweetener...it controls the majority of the sweetener market...far surpassing even sugar. If we can give people a natural, safe alternative to sugar...we can get them off sugar, which is the single most damaging (health-wise) food out there.

Sugar adds nothing to the taste of Bacon, Hot Dogs, etc...so, why keep adding it. We even add sugar to steak and eggs in the form of steak sauces and milk. meat, eggs, etc...do not need sugar to taste good. In fact, I ordered a steak a while back and it came out slathered in sauce so thick that I couldn't even taste the damned steak. I probably should have sent it back. Why do we as a nation insist on adding sugary sauces to EVERYTHING ???

The number one reason many people drink regular cola over diet is Aspartame. It tastes horrible and people such as myself knew from the getgo that it is bad for you and would never drink it. My parents drank Crystal Lite all the time after it first came out...and they both got migraines, dizziness, etc...which went away when they stopped drinking it. I wasn't even aware they made soda with anything other than Sugar or Aspartame until I went on Atkins and discovered Diet Rite.

Here is an example of a "nutritious" school day:

Breakfast --

Low-Fat Milk
Sugar-Laden Cereal (Fruit Loops were Especially Popular)
White Bread

They served eggs when I first started school (1980s)...but, they seemed to replace them with sugary cereal and white bread about the late 80s/early 90s or so.

Lunch --

Pizza, Hamburger, Corn Dogs, Spaghetti, Sloppy Joe, Jamaican Beef Patty, Chicken Nuggets, etc...None of which actually tasted like real meat.
Mashed Potatoes or Tater Tots.
Overcooked, soggy vegetables and only a few tablespoons worth at that.
Sugar-Laden Juice Bar

Snack (Younger Children) -- Something Laden with sugar such as fruit juice or yogurt.

On top of that, they rewarded students who spent the entire summer indoors reading rather than out getting exercise...with coupons for free Personal Pan Pizzas. Now, there's a good way to encourage healthy living...

I almost forgot...we need to stop thickening everything with flour or corn starch. I've always preferred unthickened gravy. But, I ate chicken soup (even after going on Atkins) figuring it was ok to eat until I discovered it caused weight gain. I looked it up and it had 20 something grams of carbs. Since it is nothing but water, carrots (very few), artificial chemicals, and chicken...the only possible source of that many carbs is the thickening agent. They may have also added sugar for all I know.