These days, I’m constantly amazed by how much and how quickly our culture has changed its attitudes toward tobacco. And with obesity poised to overtake smoking as the leading preventable cause of death among Americans, I find myself imagining a world where soda costs twice as much as milk, exercise takes priority over must-see TV, and the salad lovers outnumber the french fry addicts. I believe it will happen, eventually, but unlike the war on tobacco, this battle will be tougher, longer and much more complicated.

Just look at what the public health experts are up against. If Big Tobacco was an obstacle, what of the ubiquitous food industry, which is so bound up in conglomerates and mergers that it probably has a connection to Kevin Bacon. Add to that the ever-growing weight-loss industry, and you’ve got a formidable adversary.

And that’s just the first problem with this complex battle. In the tobacco wars, the message was clear: "Don’t smoke or use tobacco products."

In the battle to change the way we eat and live, there are many recommended do’s and don’ts, and we’re bombarded with confusing information: contradictory studies on the health benefits (or hazards) of products such as butter, eggs, juice, coffee and wine; clever claims and pretty packages used by marketers who know that even though all the nutritional information is right there on the label, most people won’t read it or fully understand it.

I’m more health-conscious than the average person, and I’m surprised by mixed messages on a regular basis. At the supermarket the other day, my daughter talked me into buying a cer-eal called Berry Burst Cheerios. I wasn’t surprised that the "succulent slices of real, ripe strawberries and bananas" turned out to be freeze-dried pieces of fruit resembling bits of red and white Styrofoam. But I never would have guessed the cereal would have less sugar per cup than my own Smart Start.

And who would expect Subway, home of low-carb wraps, fresh veggies and that guy who lost more than 200 pounds on a diet of low-fat subs, not to offer milk in its kids’ meals? The chain recently changed its Kids’ Pak to "increase its nutritional content," offering juice and a fruit roll-up instead of soda and a cookie. Technically, these new choices are healthier — but they still offer what amounts to two servings of sugar in a lunch that, to truly be called "healthy," should include low-fat milk and a piece of fresh fruit.

Then, too, there is the problem of the "victims": a gullible public that refuses to give up on the quick fix. The reality is that for the individual, it takes thousands of small steps – whether they’re up the stairs or down the produce aisle – to get and stay healthy. So, too, will go the cultural war, as we try, step by step, to rein in the nation’s bulging waistline.

Some things have improved since I last wrote about obesity three years ago. Fast-food restaurants are offering more salads and fruits, schools are doing more to promote nutrition and fitness, and the health care industry is starting to act as a positive role model with actions such as the Cleveland Clinic’s decision to evict Pizza Hut and McDonald’s from its main hospital building.

But it will take many more tiny steps, and maybe even some bigger ones like a tax on soda or a daily gym requirement for elementary schools, to reform a nation of couch potatoes and junk-food addicts.

We can hope the new USDA Food Guidance System, due out this year, will clear up some of the confusion and set us on a healthier path. The updated version, which will replace the Food Guide Pyramid created in 1992, will reflect new government dietary guidelines — including a recommendation that people exercise for at least 30 minutes most days.

I’m eager to see what the government comes up with in the new food guide.

Meanwhile, I’ll just trust in my common sense and keep adding fresh strawberries and bananas to the Berry Burst Cheerios.

Lisa Miller is a freelance writer who lives in Oneonta. She can be reached at lisamiller44@hotmail.com.