Though most children scream out “dada,” my first word was apple. There are many pictures of 1-year-old Molly clutching an orange (apparently I preferred it to a teddy bear). In the McGrath household, we never had access to soda or potato chips. Healthy eating was emphasized from an early age. Unfortunately, for many parents this lifestyle is impossible. There is a frightening gulf in obesity rates between the middle class and those living below the poverty line. Contrary to popular wisdom, the issue isn’t wholly one of education, but instead of access. If we truly wish to alleviate the obesity epidemic among lower-class Americans, we need to implement changes in the means by which food is distributed.

In his book, “Fat Chance: Obesity Epidemic,” pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Robert Lustig shares an alarming anecdote. In an attempt to treat an obese child, Lustig questioned his mother about the eating patterns of her family. He discovered that the mother was a recipient of the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutritional program. The family received nearly a gallon of orange juice from the program. This woman’s son was drinking nearly five cups of orange juice per day. Orange juice is metabolized in the exact same way as soda. When the boy cut the WIC-approved beverage out of his diet, he dropped the excess weight and reduced his risk for early-onset heart disease and diabetes. If we are going to mandate federal guidelines for WIC programs, it behooves everyone to base these guidelines on sound science instead of contracts with food corporations.

In addition to government programs that perpetuate obesity, many families are unable to find a supermarket offering fresh produce in their area. Supermarkets are apparently unwilling to set up shop in many economically depressed urban areas, leaving families with the options of Cheetos from 7/11 or pizza from a deli. I grew up less than 10 minutes from the closest thing to heaven on Earth: Wegmans. I took for granted the aisles and aisles of produce and freshly prepared entrees. Only when I was deserted in Binghamton University without a car did I come to understand the predicament of others. Imagine a world in which you could only access and afford food from the Nite Owl. Freshman 15 would soon spiral to Freshman 50 and so on and so on, with the body slowly becoming accustomed to excessive amounts of sugar and fat. This is the reality faced by millions of Americans. Unless we give supermarkets incentives to cater toward lower-income families, the trend will continue.