Obesity rates in America are at epidemic numbers; and so is the amount it costs our healthcare system. Healthcare costs in the USA as many of us have experienced are out of control. So are obesity rates in America according to the NY Daily News. The Daily News recently reported that Obesity has increased healthcare costs by 29%. Obesity rates run from 22% to 38% depending on the state you live in. American eating habits are improving slowly, however Obesity is hard to turn around, since the condition can involve the flora in the gut, hormone levels, genetics and overall conditioning that began when we were children carrying around the snacking container filled with Cheerio's cereal. The 80's USDA food pyramid that enticed us to eat fat free foods without realizing that sugar was being replaced with fat in many of these foods was a less healthy way to eat, while also recommending a diet high in grains and cereals. Diet cokes and supersized meals didn't help either. Years later, the levels of people who were diagnosed with diabetes skyrocketed as well as those with other metabolic diseases. Many years later, today's food pyramid suggests that many of the fats we have avoided are good for us and they belong in a healthy diet. Read this guide from Harvard Health to get a better understand what should be in todays diet. Check out the article in the Daily News below U.S. health care costs up 29% because of obesity The overall cost of health care in America is up 29%, varying greatly among states, according to a new report from Cornell University. "We have, for the first time, estimated the percentage of health care spending that is devoted to obesity, using microdata for each state," the research's co-author John Cawley told Science Daily. Cawley said that the study found states including New York, California, Arizona and Pennsylvania devoted 5% to 6% of their total medical budget to obesity-related treatments. But other states, like North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin, spent more than twice that amount — over 12% of all their health care dollars went toward taking care of people with complications from obesity. Read more