If you took the contents of a typical American supermarket and distilled it down to its essential ingredients, you’d end up with a pond-sized pool of corn sweeteners, a pile of starch, a pile of sugar, another of salt, and a mound of flour. The rest would mainly be brightly painted cardboard.

Here in Thailand, fresh fruits and vegetables are cheap and abundant. If I go to the market, I can buy enough to eat healthy for a week and spend only about fifteen dollars. Unfortunately for the local populace, they’re sick of healthy fruits and vegetables and are instead lured by the siren call of advertising to eat at KFC and Donutland. Obesity, diabetes and other disorders related to eating sugar and flour are affecting many Thai children, who by puberty are twice the size of their parents.

I’m trying to change my life for the better, so I’m starting with what I eat and eliminating Coca-Cola. Something seems to be working, because lately my pants are too big for me, and I have to tighten my belt to keep them up.