America is the adiposity capitol of the world, and there are few major actions being taken to begin to bring this growth to cessation. It is time for America to take a step forward, rise above sloth and excess and start taking care of its health.

The past 50 years have been explosive in technological and informational innovation and availability.

These changes have contributed to a socio-environmental shift that has allowed for less room in the waistline. The amount of technological advancement has made just about anything you can think of easier.

We can micromanage our time on our cell phones so we don’t miss a minute of “The Walking Dead,” yet we are missing out on the largest threat to obesity — energy expenditure.

Technology has decreased the amount of time and energy needed to complete even the most simple of tasks. The time we save increasingly is being allocated to screen-based media consumption.

It doesn’t help when the energy intake is being put toward sitting down to watch TV or browse the Internet at your desk. Even with light to moderate exercise, the average American’s energy intake still is in excess of their expenditure.

Energy intake has risen so much because the foods we eat for convenience are an excess themselves. The lack of balanced meals and reasonable portion sizes are going straight to our waistlines.

Even here at MSU, I have been shocked to see multiple cafeterias putting the fruit baskets behind the counter.

I understand the “health risks” of having food out where students just grab it with their bare hands. I get why that is a real concern.

But did you ever think how many people touch the fruits in the grocery store? I bet those fruits and veggies have been handled much more than those in the cafeteria.

What you are doing by placing the fruits behind the counter, and reprimanding students who try to grab the fruit themselves, is discouraging healthy eating habits.

The students who go up to ask for an apple/banana/orange are the ones who already are practicing healthy eating habits. What you should be doing is serving less fries and burgers and making the healthier “alternatives” the primary choices.

For many students like me, who rely on meal plans, the choices we are presented with are disgustingly illustrative of the problem with America’s consumption habits. I appreciate the various choices and am glad there are a good amount of healthy choices available; however, I would like to see gradual changes in the cafeterias on campus.

The healthy choices need to become the main choices. There need to be more vegetables in core lines, fewer sugary sauces and oils and less red meat.

Fried foods and ever-available pizzas need to be placed behind the counter and made per request. Making pizza and fried foods available on a request basis significantly would cut down the amount consumed. Students don’t have time to wait in long lines between classes. The eating habits we develop and sustain are based off convenience and time. Tailor preparation and health into a readily available mix.

Make fruits and vegetables readily available and the priority when restocking food items.

This means putting the fruit back out from behind the counter. I cannot stress that enough.

Bananas and oranges have peels — at least leave those out. The “touchable” surfaces are discarded, ergo, less “health risk.”

My outlook on the cafeteria might be severe; however, when more than 15,000 students live in the dorms and rely on the dining services, there needs to be shared responsibility.

Physical activity needs to be on the minds of students on and off campus. Exercise combined with healthy eating habits will make the MSU community that much better.

The benefits of a healthy lifestyle will carry on throughout the rest of your life. Keeping a proper routine and habits will be something you will never regret.

It is time for America to make some changes.

Why not start on campus?

Nick Bruewer is a guest columnist at The State News and a media and information sophomore. Reach him at bruewern@msu.edu.