As the obesity epidemic hit America a couple decades ago, more research was being done in laboratories and studies across the nation. More and more money is being put into these studies in an attempt to determine the main causes that lead to obesity in our society.

Many people began taking an individual role and started seeking dietitians and nutritionists to help them adjust their diet regimen, which also coincided with a rise in the number of gym or fitness center memberships nationwide. The public appeared to be actively seeking ways to reduce their weight and move towards a healthy lifestyle. 

Is paying it forward real?  Are people capable of empathy? Does it have an impact? A friend of mine from the University of Minnesota Duluth recently told me a story that made me believe in compassion and that everyone has the capability of feeling and doing it.  

When you pay it forward, the beneficiary is a third party.  My friend had a few ideas including buying coffee for random strangers or classmates and leaving it on their desks before class. She also thought about paying for the orders of people behind her in drive-thrus or restaurants.She really wanted to do this experiment, but did not know where to start or how to come up with the extra money to do such gestures for others.  After all, she is only a poor college student.

Some people might not think that food and nutrition are paths towards compassionate acts. However, I have found that this is quite the opposite.

I recently started reading a text called Human Nutrition in the Developing World, by Michael C. Latham, professor of International Nutrition at Cornell University in New York. The published work discusses many of the nutritional problems that affect millions, if not billions, of people every day. The book also describes potential solutions for this suffering and ways to get involved.