The United States of America has become the most overweight nation in the world (per capita) during the last 30 years. Busting waistlines give only a superficial idea of the impact our diet is having on our bodies.

Layers of fat put pressure on internal organs, especially lungs and heart. Clogged arteries also create problems. It all adds up. You end up taking shorter breaths because your lungs are unable to expand fully, less oxygen can flow to your heart because of the small passageways, and your unhealthy heart is left with nothing to pump. If people continue their poor eating habits, obesity will surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable deaths in America. For having so much pride in our nation, our people as a whole don’t have much to show for it.

Ray Kroc may be accountable for the beginning of the madness. Observing the success of the McDonald brothers’ Speedee Service System and dreaming of its potential, Kroc bought the business in hope of developing his own fast-food chain. Little did he know, he was about to unleash an empire. The appeal of grabbing food on the go caught on quickly as one McDonald’s led to two to three - and now there are 30,000 restaurants around the globe with 2,000 opening each year. The restaurant stresses the importance of making the customer happy, which seems hypocritical when Happy Meals serve heart disease and clogged arteries with a toy.

Ironically, our role models in magazines and on TV have slimmed down. In Marilyn Monroe’s time, her curves were idolized and coveted by every woman in America. Now the ideal woman is 5' 5", 110 pounds - a drastic difference.

School cafeterias aren’t helping the problem. Salad dressing packets, at 220 calories, condemn a meal when added to deep-fried chicken. In that case, even the bed of lettuce can’t save you. Cafeteria lunches often contain more than 1,000 calories. Following the recommended 2,000 calorie per day diet, that’s half of your daily allowance.

Lunch menus with fruit and vegetables have been implemented in correctional schools. These students have experienced better moods, higher grades, and better attention in class. The best part about these plans, though, is they cost about the same as the fattening menus. Schools have not implemented these practices, however, because they are persuaded by the name-brand companies to keep their foods in schools so students will recognize their brands. Exploiting students is against everything schools say they are about, and it causes major distractions in the learning environment.

When 96 percent of our children can recognize Ronald McDonald, we should know we have a severe problem. Drastic actions must be taken - and fast.