Living In USA

Fortunately, there is a counter-trend to combat obesity. In the past decade, there has been a rise in the availability of healthier food in the form of organic (grown without pesticides or herbicides) produce and whole foods. Every city has at least one healthfood store, and there are even some supermarket chains (e.g., Freshfields, Wild Oats, Bread and Circus) that specialize in healthier, although costlier, food. Organic food is more widely available than ever before, often found at regular supermarkets as well as at specialty stores. There is also a "slow-food" movement to counter the prevalence of fast food. Begun in Italy in 1986, there about 80,000 members of Slow Food International worldwide (about half of them in Italy), a nonprofit organization designed to preserve and support the pleasures of the table. The international movement was founded in Paris in 1989, and Slow Food boasts more than 70 chapters throughout the United States. Consult www.slowfoodusa.org/ for information on a chapter near you.

The same Men's Fitness survey mentioned above also names the fittest cities in the U.S.: Honolulu, San Francisco, Virginia Beach, Denver, Colorado Springs, Seattle, Boston, Portland (Oregon), and Tucson topped the 2004 list in this category.