Two researchers in the areas of obesity and psychology have a new recommendation for slimming Americans down: reduce the variety of food choices that are available in this country. Researchers Hollie Raynor and Leonard Epstein are well-known in scientific circles for insisting on increases in physical activity (and decreases in TV time) for overweight children. This latest study, however, effectively suggests that governments take a role in eliminating certain “bad” foods entirely, in order to intentionally limit adults’ dietary choices. “Dietary Variety, Energy Regulation, and Obesity” appears in the May 2001 issue of Psychological Bulletin, the journal of the American Psychological Association. Raynor says Americans “have an increasing variety of foods,” but adds that “[u]nfortunately, it isn’t in fruits and vegetables.”
