by Diane Sagers

CORRESPONDENT

Dieting has become a national pastime. Who needs a hobby when we can spend so much time and money trying to be thinner?

Unfortunately, despite our national pre-occupation with weight control, as a group, we are not winning. The rates of overweight and obese people are skyrocketing. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner reports that the problem has reached what he termed as "epidemic proportions" among children and adults. Sixty percent of American adults are either overweight or obese, 19 percent of our young children are obese and 17 percent of adolescents are now obese. That rate is two to three times higher than it was just a couple of decades ago. Overweight is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 to 29.9 while obesity is any BMI over 30.

If you haven't already, you will soon be seeing or hearing from Mowgli and Balloo, characters from Disney's "Jungle Book." In a cooperative effort between the U.S. Ag Council, USDA and Disney, these "Jungle Book" characters are to tout the importance of proper eating. It all starts with the right balance of being active and eating well. The ads admonish everyone to eat a little from every food group every day and to start with small steps. This is not recommending a crash diet. What they are looking for is a more active lifestyle. They hope to help people make gradual positive improvements to their eating habits.

Mowgli and Balloo will be talking and singing about the "Bear Necessities" of healthy living through a balance of food, activity and eating well. The campaign is designed to help stem what Conner sites as "a staggering rise in obesity rates in this country."

The campaign targets primary caregivers to encourage better nutrition and physical activity -- the key that is essential to stem this troubling trend. They are aiming their campaign at parents, because their data shows that at a very early age, children model their eating habits and activity based on what they see their primary caregivers do. If they can change the habits of adults, they can change the habits of the children.

Some of the information in the ads is centered on the "My Pyramid" nutrition model -- a model that was revised from the earlier Food Pyramid model. The new model is based on the old with adaptations for age, gender and lifestyle. It is designed to tailor the eating program to you. You type in a few facts about yourself to generate a personalized plan of the exercise and nutrition that will be best for you.

A visit to mypyramid.gov will provide you with lots of practical advice on tailoring healthier diet and lifestyle to your particular situation. It also has games for the kids to help educate them about healthy eating.

Their promise is if you visit the Web site at mypyramid.gov and use information there, you will be healthier.

"A good balanced, healthy lifestyle is what we are calling for," Conner says.