I have a very simple solution to the problem of obesity, but it is probably impossible to implement.
We simply need to price foods according to calorie content. This thought came to me as I enjoyed a Subway sandwich one day and read the comparisons they print on thier napkins. Basically it would boil down to something like this:
A Subway Veggie sandwich would cost about $3 bucks while a Big Mac would be $6.00 Add a side of carrot sticks for .50cents or a side of fries for $3.00.
Starbucks is already appropriately priced, I'm afraid.
BAsically what this would accomplish is a healthier diet based on economic factors which is the only impulse people will respond to over the long run. It would put things like pizza into the "special occassion" category where it belongs rather being the "weekly staple" it is for so many families today. Dessert will become a treat instead of a regular course at every meal.
As for prep time, people will spend time doing whatever they need to do. If they don't have the money for a fast-food meal that pulls 30 or 40 bucks from the budget instead of 10 or 15, then they will start finding the time to prepare something they can afford.
Piece of cake, eh? :drool: (pardon my pun)