A discussion of, « Fed Up! winning the war against childhood obesity « .

"Fed Up!" traces the obesity epidemic through the lives of children, families, teachers, and researchers. Examining the origins of the obesity epidemic, Susan Okie, a family physician and journalist, covers the distance between the "toxic environment" and the family. Sodas, juice, portions, fast food, television, school lunches, and sedentary lifestyles are all environmental factors that parents and families must confront in their efforts to stop the obesity epidemic. This book gives a closeup view of obesity's effects on children's lives by recounting children's and adolescents' daily struggles with body image, school snacks, the pull to inactivity, and families' efforts to change lifestyle and behavior. In particular, Okie puts a face on the epidemic–the girls in the fifth-grade class and the articulate teen who struggles with weight. Tracing the "thrifty gene" hypothesis–that such a gene allows storage of calories during times of plenty that can be expended during famine–Okie discusses the interaction between genetics and environment and puts obesity research into action.