Diet Wars

Frontline correspondent Stephen Talbot, who doesn't look heavy, finds he's at the high end of his physician's Body Mass Index listing for being overweight, and therefore moving toward the obesity column. Talbot, who played Gilbert on Leave It to Beaver, is concerned about health, not appearance; his friend and fellow child actor Jerry Mathers (the Beav), on the other hand, has developed diabetes due to his weight. The Frontline episode Diet Wars compares how Americans used to cook, eat, and live in the 1950s with culinary and lifestyle habits today, and explores the most famous popular diets, from Atkins to the Zone. Talbot attends a Weight Watchers meeting, visits the Pritikin Longevity Center, and interviews many successful “losers,” while examining the growing problem of childhood obesity and rising public health costs from contemporary Americans' sedentary/overeating lifestyles (the funniest moment comes during the USDA's 2000 summit of diet experts, where Dr. Ornish and the late Dr. Atkins get into a verbal catfight). Talbot's conclusion: all diets are gimmicks that draw people in with promises of quick weight loss, but unless people make the necessary lifestyle changes (eating nutritious food in smaller portions combined with regular exercise), the weight will come back (similar conclusions were recently published in the January 5, 2005 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association). The only downside to this great production is Frontline's rather generic-looking packaging, which won't attract nearly as many public library patrons as would a nicely illustrated cover. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: J, H, C, P. (R. Reagan)