Let them eat what they want, and they’ll stick to their five basic food groups: soda, chocolate milk, pizza, chips and cookies.

Sadly, most of today’s kids do get to eat pretty much whatever they want–and a new study shows what happens when they do: Up to 40 percent of the daily calories now consumed by children between 2 and 18 years old come from sugars and solid fats.

The study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that of 2,200 daily calories consumed by the average American kid, 433 of them are from solid fats and 365 from added sugars–or nearly 800 in total.

Unlike the mainstream, I wouldn’t panic over the phrase “solid fats” on its own–there’s nothing wrong with fresh, natural animal fats.

But I think it’s pretty safe to say that there’s nothing fresh or natural about the solid fats at the heart of the children’s diet today. Instead, they’re getting those fats from fast food, donuts and ice cream.

And that means the future is darker–and heavier–than ever.

Breaking it down into the “new” food groups, the researchers say an average of 173 calories a day come from soda and fruit drinks. That’s nearly 10 percent of the daily calories, conveniently delivered in a straw.

Grain snacks and desserts–sugar-loaded garbage such as cake, cookies and granola bars–account for 138 calories a day, while kids gobble down 136 calories a day in pizza.

Someone’s keeping Papa John busy!

This isn’t limited to high school kids old enough to make their own bad choices–because the study also found that many kids get off to such a bad start so early that they never had a fighting chance in the first place: The top sources of energy for kids between 2 and 3 years old were milk (probably chocolate), juice and pasta.

I’m guessing many of them have already had their first Happy Meal by then.

And it’s all downhill from there. Fast food and sugary drinks at the age of 2 lead to vending machines and convenience stores at the age of 15… and if you want to know what it does to adults, just look around.

All the evidence points in one direction: Our kids are fat because they eat some of the worst foods ever invented.

And they eat these things every day–often for every meal.

But some people are still looking for a different direction they can point–and one group of researchers say maybe obesity isn’t being caused by all the sugar and starch in our diets after all… but a virus in our bodies.

I’m not buying it… and I’ll tell you why in a moment. But first, let’s take a look at the new study I found in the journal Pediatrics.

Researchers tested 124 children–67 obese kids, and 57 normal-weight ones–for adenovirus 36, one of more than 50 types of this common and highly contagious virus.

While most of the other forms of adenovirus cause temporary conditions like respiratory infections and diarrhea, researchers say AD-36 may leave a more lasting legacy– because the kids who had it were far more likely to be overweight.

In fact, the study found that 22 percent of obese kids had antibodies to the virus, versus just 7 percent of the normal-weight kids.

The mainstream is undoubtedly thinking of ways to turn this into the next great vaccine, but that’s only going to result in a lot of very disappointed people with sore shoulders to go along with their big guts and butts.

After all, the study also found that 68 percent of the obese kids didn’t have the virus… they got fat all on their own. Meanwhile, 4 of the 19 kids with the virus–more than 20 percent–managed to keep a normal, healthy weight.

Other studies have also found links between obesity and AD- 36… but like this one, they’re also far from conclusive. One study on animals found that it might help make already- fat ones even fatter.

Forget vaccines–you can bet the cattle industry is already looking for ways to “infect” their herds and flocks.

And an earlier study on adults found that AD-36 may cause weight gain for up to three months after infection.

But then, like it does with many other viruses, the body builds resistance to it–so even if it does lead to a few extra pounds, what happens after those three months is entirely up to you.

And when we get fat, that’s where we have to point the finger first.

Baked, grilled, fried, smoked, broiled or boiled, there’s no wrong way to serve salmon–it’s even delicious raw, as sushi and sashimi.

There’s just one way you don’t want your salmon, and that’s genetically modified.

But GM fish could soon be the catch of the day… and if the FDA has its way, you won’t even know when you’re eating it.

The feds are pushing forward with a plan to approve a new kind of salmon–a miniature sea monster with borrowed DNA that allow it to grow faster, using less food.

And worse yet, the feds say that if and when they approve it (bet on “when” and not “if”), it won’t be labeled.

Regardless of how you feel about GM foods, that just has to rub your scales the wrong way.

If nothing else, consumers should have the right to know what they’re eating, and the ability to decide for themselves if they want to eat it–especially when doing so means taking part in one of the biggest mass health experiments in history.

And that’s because no one can say for sure if these fish are safe or what will happen when millions of people start eating them.

Of the four studies disclosed by the FDA, one is from nearly two decades ago, and the three others are very small studies provided by the company that designed the fish.

Let me guess: They think the fish are just great.

What’s more, the feds won’t even share all the data they have on these fish. They say they need to protect the company’s intellectual property… so just trust in your government to make the right decision for you.

You’ll have to pardon me for not playing along–and I’m not alone. Even members of the FDA’s advisory committee are having a hard time swallowing this one.

“I do get heartburn when we’re going to allow post-market surveillance to finalize our safety evaluation,” committee member Michael D. Apley, a pharmacology expert at Kansas State University, told the New York Times.

And if he gets heartburn thinking about it… imagine what could happen to the people who actually eat these things. All the antacid in the world may not be able to undo the damage.

Analysts believe these fish could reach the market within two years… and the clock starts ticking now.

In the meantime, be sure to enjoy your salmon while the real McCoy is still available. Ounce for ounce, it offers the healthiest bang for your seafood buck.

Salmon is naturally high in the omega-3 fatty acids your body needs. In fact, most fish can’t come within a fin of it when it comes to omega-3–just four ounces of salmon can even top the amounts in many fish oil supplements.

Better still, it’s got some of the lowest mercury levels of any fish.

You might say good health is in its DNA… no tampering necessary.

Old MacDonald had a farm… or did he?

Next time you’re at the farmers market, you might want to ask just to be sure–because it turns out that the only thing some farmers can grow on their own is a neckbeard.

In fact, some farmers market vendors have been caught red- handed buying their “farm fresh” vegetables from the same kinds of warehouses that supply your local supermarket.

There are no statistics on fake farmers yet, but an NBC-LA news crew went undercover at markets around the Los Angeles area, bought some fruits and vegetables, then ran some tests and tried to track down the “growers.”

They found “organic” berries covered in pesticides… farms with only dirt and dry earth instead of rows of vegetables… and an avocado grower caught “picking” his fruit–not off a tree, but at a local warehouse.

Some of the farmers busted by the news crew had even been cited by the state’s agricultural department for lying about the origins of their veggies, but it seems that’s done little to stop them since they’re still in business.

The good news is that the investigation also found that most farmers–and their foods–were exactly as advertised.

But wherever there’s money to be made, you’ll find a few shady characters–and there’s plenty of money to be made in farmers markets.

In recent years, they’ve exploded–going from countryside curiosities to a cultural phenomenon. The number of markets has tripled over the past 15 years, with a 19 percent jump last year alone.

With growth like that, even supermarkets are starting to take notice… and take action to protect their own bottom line.

At least two chains–Safeway and Albertsons–have been setting up fake farmers markets within or just outside of their stores. The Wall Street Journal says Safeway had to change the name of its effort from “Farmers Market” to “Outdoor Market” after the farmers from the local markets complained.

Let’s hope they were actual farmers–and not the types of hucksters caught in the NBC-LA report!