John Taylor at Fresno Community Hospital has discovered that the crossroads between the energy crunch, fast food, obesity, disease and city planning lies right in his neighborhood -- and perhaps yours as well.

The folks at Metro Ministry have been raising red flags on this issue for years. City zoning laws that allow too many fast food outlets and liquor stores have a direct effect on the health of the people in those neighborhoods.

Here is an excerpt from John's recent blog posting:

I can now buy beer, beef jerky and a toy that too closely resembles an AK-47 at my cluttered Valero station, where the owner is desperately trying to sell something that makes him money 'cause the dollars spent on gas don't.

The energy chaos comes while I'm reading a UCLA Center for Health Policy Research study that says California's skyrocketing obesity/diabetes rates disproportionately affect low-income communities that have higher ratios of fast-food and convenience stores. They created something called a Retail Food Environmental Index to separate bad from worse neighborhoods.

People who don't have cars or easy public transit to supermarkets that sell fruit, low-fat and higher-nutrient products tend to gobble high-calorie, high-fructose food sold nearby. So, what happens as gasoline prices soar? What will be the impact on diabetes and obesity?

Read his full blog by clicking here.