You must be this size to ride......

The title of this blog usually refers to roller coaster rides and riders having a minimum height requirement. Recently, this has been taken to the next level at the new Universal Studios' Harry Potter themed park in Orlando, FL. Potential riders were turned away from the 'Wizarding World's' ride because their girth was too much for the safety restraints to secure them. This Yahoo! post exclaims the predicament.

Most people remember the feeling of not being tall enough to ride an amusement park ride, but some would-be riders of the signature attraction at Universal Studios' new "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" theme park in Orlando are being turned away because of their girth. The ride, "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey," employs individual restraints to keep each guest tucked in to his or her seat, but the restraints aren't large enough to accommodate heavier riders.

The article goes on to state a growing problem in the US, people are becoming significantly overweight (quote link does not work).

That's all fine and good, but considering the average weight of an American man is 191 pounds (and rising: in 1960 it was 166 pounds), "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" could be turning away quite a few potential revelers.

I am not going to make an outright political statement here, but I am going to make a cultural critique. This effect is not limited to the US anymore just to point out the problem's extent. Everyone argues why the world is getting larger, I have a theory below.

We as Americans are getting larger due to two main reasons, lack of exercise and diet. The lack of exercise makes a person unhealthy. Before the exercise craze of the 1980's, most adult Americans did not exercise significantly. In the past average Americans were not the healthiest around, but at least the majority were not overweight. This leaves one last culprit, poor diet. I truly believe what is packing on the pounds is an overload of sugars in the diet. The easiest sugar sources to remove would be soft drinks and snacks. Even if one accomplishes that goal, the amount of sugar found in food sources such as cereals and other processed foods are enormous. Go to a supermarket and look at the amount of sugar in "healthy" cereals? Most tend to have a minimum of 19 grams per cup and the second ingredient on the box is sugar!! Multiply this amount through most of the foods we eat. Sugar has little nutritional value and creates body fat if a significant amount is consumed. Excessive amounts of consumed sugar is the problem.