The problem of obesity is well-known, however the molecular mechanisms underlying concordant poor health outcomes are still poorly understood. We know that diet, in both the makeup of nutrients and the quantity of calories can dramatically affect processes at the cellular, organ system, and organismal level; moreover, even small differences in early life diet can lead to lifelong shifts in health outcome. Finding biomarkers of early dietary composition is a focus on my research and has been since 2006 when I first studied with an obese mouse model for gene expression shifts that foreshadowed dietary-induced obesity.