THERESA: Big, troublesome news this week: Government research shows that obesity is fast overtaking smoking as the leading cause of death in America. Poor diet and inactivity contributed to 400,000 deaths in the year 2000, approximately 16 percent of the nation's total. An estimated 129.6 million Americans (64 percent of the population) are overweight or obese. Yikes. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson has just announced a public relations push to urge Americans to lose weight, starting with small steps like walking an extra block from the bus stop or taking stairs instead of elevators.

That's healthy advice, but should the government take more aggressive steps to battle obesity in America? Should fast food restaurants and companies that produce junk food face the same kind of attention, legal actions, higher taxes and limits on advertising that have been imposed on the tobacco industry in recent years? Some of us laughed when a guy last year sued Kraft Foods because of the transfats in the company's Oreo cookies, but that case helped highlight the dangers of transfats and Kraft and other companies have since resolved to make healthier products. Are more lawsuits inevitable over this issue?

We do live in a toxic food environment. Healthy food is hard to find amid the pile of bad choices at grocery stores and restaurants. What do you all think it's going to take to get America eating healthier and exercising more?

APRIL: I think the basic problem with the fast foods and unhealthy foods is a simple one: they taste so much better than healthy foods and they're easier and cheaper. I do think that companies need to be more accountable for the ingredients they are allowed to include in some of these foods.

THERESA: Yes, fast, unhealthy food is cheaper and easier, but I disagree that it tastes better than healthy food. We're just not used to eating healthy food. I believe it is possible to change our appetites and develop a taste for fresh ingredients, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats. I was on a trip to northern California some time ago and couldn't believe how delicious and healthy the food seemed to be in every restaurant and grocery store. But preparing good food takes planning, time (which none of us have) and is more expensive than just stopping at a drive-through for a Big Mac and fries.

WENDY: I also think a big part of this is that fresh, natural food is harder to deal with. It doesn't have preservatives, it needs washing and chopping and cooking -- which is something a lot of us don't have time for. A good alternative, I think, is frozen food -- no, it's not as fresh-tasting, but it is easy to store and use, and usually does not have preservatives (though it sometimes has additives). I don't know how I would cook without frozen, chopped onions and peppers and without individually frozen chicken breasts.

LAURIE: It was telling that McDonald's stopped its "Super Size" promotion after that documentary came out about a guy ate just fast food for a month and gained so much weight. There was a great interview in Jenice's column yesterday, too, with Oprah Winfrey's chef. He says weight loss is all about how much we eat. Anybody have some simple calorie-burning suggestions to incorporate into everyday habit? Like, always taking the stairs, things like that. Do they really help?

JENICE: Wendy, here's something I didn't have space to mention in my column today about Oprah Winfrey's personal chef. Art Smith is a big fan of frozen vegetables. He told me, "Some people will thumb their nose at frozen vegetables...(but) you can find some very high quality frozen vegetables that have juast many nutrients in them as things you find fresh." So, you see, maybe even Oprah's eating frozen veggies.

APRIL: I prefer frozen veggies to canned veggies. They are crisper and cook up much better.

THERESA: We do a fair share of grocery shopping at Costco, which saves me time and money, usually with pretty healthy results. No, we don't buy those jumbo-sized jars of cheese puffs or cases of Pop-Tarts, but we do pick up low-priced turkey sausage, chicken breasts, fish, all easy to pack into small portions to freeze. I like to stock up on canned soup and frozen veggies (it's nice to supplement a pot of soup with a handful of frozen carrots and broccoli) and they also sell heavy-duty multigrain bread that is really delicious and satisfying.

We also like snacking on baby carrots, cherry tomatoes and cottage cheese. And I eat air-popped popcorn (without much butter) with absolutely no guilt. A far better choice than chips and dip...

I hate grocery shopping, so I try to stock up on lots of healthy stuff when I do shop. When my cupboards are bare, I'm more likely to run down to Wawa for a hoagie, and when I do that, I'm not usually disciplined enough to order a plain turkey hoagie, no cheese, no mayo, no chips, know what I mean?