A few changes that could make us healthier

In “Why Calories Count: From Science to Politics,” Marion Nestle, a professor in the nutrition, food studies and public health department at New York University, and Malden Nesheim, professor emeritus and former director of the division of nutritional sciences at Cornell University, offer a smart, thorough survey of the history, science and politics of the calorie. We live, they say, in an eat-more world, but it doesn't always have to be this way.

Here are some of their suggestions for real change that could help all of us “eat less, eat better, move more.”

Goal: Healthier food environments

Public education

• Improve calorie labels

• Expand calorie labels on restaurant menus

• Restrict misleading health claims on food packages

• Provide clear, unambiguous dietary advice

• Provide nutrition education in schools

• Provide cooking instruction as needed

For children

• Restrict food advertising and marketing aimed at children

• Make healthy kids' meals the default

• Provide healthier school lunches

• Get vending machines and junk food out of schools

• Teach kids to grow food

• Teach kids to cook

For adults

• Ask restaurants to provide incentives for ordering smaller portions and provide incentives to restaurants for • doing so

• Provide insurance incentives for healthier diet and activity patterns

• Develop pricing incentives to buy fruits and vegetables

• Provide access in inner cities to farmers markets and stores selling fruits and vegetables

Goal: Healthier activity environments

For children

• Establish sidewalks and bike paths

• Develop walk-to-school programs

• Reintroduce school physical education

vEstablish safe places to play

For adults

• Create bike lanes in city streets

• Open stairwells in buildings

• Establish workplace “instant recess” programs

• Create automobile-free zones in cities