YOU are what YOU eat.

When considering America’s biggest health crisis, obesity, I don’t believe the blame can be placed on any one person, entity or industry. Rather I believe it’s our society’s collective change of lifestyle that has brought about this issue.

We used to eat meals as a family, we used to work (literally) in the fields for our food, kids used to play outside for fun—not watch TV or play video games. The term “home-cooked” meal didn’t even exist because every single meal you ate was cooked at home.

But people slowly moved away from the farm and into the neighborhood, or should we say the neighborhoods moved into the farms? Everyone had a car if not two, and a desk job became the best thing for your family. Our schedules quickly became filled with commuting, chauffeuring, and the convenience of drive-thru dinners.

But all of this is irrelevant—what matters at this point is how we as a society move forward now that the fat cat is out of the bag. The American palate is getting back to basics and craving more Better for You foods. And the food and restaurant industries, as well as the federal government, recognize this and are taking appropriate actions to address the issue (i.e. nutritional labeling on restaurant menus, reduction in trans fats, sodium reduction initiatives).

So, as with anything in life, I view this public health issue as a lesson to be learned. Ignorance is bliss, but it’s time for consumers to stop passing the buck. At the end of the day, we are each responsible for what goes into our mouth.