Obesity and being overweight

Globally, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults, and at least 300 million of them suffer from obesity. Both have reached epidemic proportions worldwide and both are major contributors to the global burden of chronic diseases and disabilities.

Obesity rates have skyrocketed since the 1980′s, up to three-fold in certain areas of the U.S. along with other industrialized nations, but it is also increasing exponentially in developing nations.

Why is driving the obesity and overweight epidemic?

The obesity epidemic reflects profound changes in society and in the behavioral patterns of society over recent decades. While genes are important in determining the proclivity of weight gain, it is dictated mostly by the energy balance between calorie intake and physical activity. Economic growth, modernization, urbanization, and globalization of the food industry is a major driving force behind the overweight and obesity epidemic. At the same time, there has been a movement towards less physically demanding work complemented by the use of automated transportation, time-consuming telecommunications technology in the home, and the pursuit of more leisurely past times. All of the above are factors in combating obesity and being overweight.

How bad is the problem?

Currently, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults. 300 million of them are clinically obese. Obesity levels range from below 5% in China, Japan, and some African nations, to over 75% in urban Samoa. But even in the lower spectrum of obesity, such as China, some cities boast obesity rates of over 20%.

Childhood obesity is also a driving factor. Worldwide, up to 22 million children under five are overweight. In the USA, according to the Surgeon General, the number of overweight children has doubled and the number of overweight adolescents has tripled since 1980.

Obesity accounts for 2-6% of total health care costs in several developed countries. The true costs are probably much greater as not all obesity-related conditions are calculated.

What can we do about it?

Prevention, weight loss and weight maintenance are the most important long-term strategies for fighting obesity. Other key elements include:

1. Creating a supportive environment through public policies and personal goals that promote the intake of a variety of low-fat, high-fiber foods, and opportunities for physical activity. (No more sitting on the bench for an entire phys-ed class.)

2. Promoting healthy behaviors to encourage, motivate, and enable individuals to lose weight, namely, through a better diet.

3. Mounting a clinical response to the existing burden of obesity and associated conditions by lawmakers and health care providers to ensure effective support and prevention for those most prone to becoming overweight.

Prevent Obesity

We all know the dangers of obesity and overweight. While it is true that being a little overweight is extremely subjective to body-type (higher levels of abdominal fat is worse than fat that is evenly distributed throughout the body), obesity and overweight contributes to an already bursting health care budget. Overweight and obesity are associated with an increased risk for some types of cancer. An overweight person has a 20% greater mortality rate from associated conditions than a normal weighted individual while someone suffering from obesity has a 70% greater chance and someone who is suffering from morbid obesity has a 200% greater mortality rate. Statistics have revealed that two of the most commonly associated diseases with obesity and overweight, stroke and heart failure, are also the two principal causes of death and disability among people in the U.S.

In addition to the above, obesity and overweight have been attributed to various mental illnesses such as depression, social anxiety, and even Alzheimer’s.

There are probably too many healthy foods out there to list and although it would make for an important topic, so let’s focus on the most common bad foods and how to avoid them.

The typical American diet is chock full of the following:

1) Refined sugars
2) Hydrogenated and refined oils
3) Chemicals and preservatives

The above have been increasingly added to our diet over the last several decades and has had an enormous effect on overweight and obesity.

The following food categories are often the most common ways we gorge ourselves into obesity and overweight on those three unnecessary substances:

1) Processed and Junk Food – Any food that has chemicals, preservatives, hydrogenated and refined oils, and refined sugars is not good for you. Fast food is high in all of the above. Pay attention to ingredients labels and avoid foods with high sugar, hydrogenated or refined oils, and dyes or colorings.

2) Avoid The Processed “White Devils” – This would encompass white processed flour, many processed wheat products, white bread, non-whole grain pasta, white rice, crackers, cereals, and non-whole wheat pizzas. These products are highly processed, high in sugar and carbohydrates and low in nutrients.

3) Avoid Refined Sugar – Refined sugar is often called a “poison” by nutritionists. It holds zero nutritional value and is merely empty calories. If you can do away with one substance for your life, it should be refined sugars.

Instead, anyone suffering from obesity or overweight should consider the following:

1) Lean meat – Whether it’s beef, pork, lamb, or chicken, they are all excellent sources of protein and do not contain large amounts of fat

2) Protein-rich foods – Protein rich foods appear to trigger mechanisms in our brain telling us we are full.

3) Pasta, rice, rye bread, and other whole grain foods are useful because they contain complex carbohydrates and have a low calorie count. These foods are digested slowly and lead to a gradual rise in blood sugar levels, unlike the spikes caused by fast foods, and leaves the stomach feeling fuller for longer.

4) Yogurts and fruits make good snacks because they help keep the biochemistry of the blood balanced. They can also be combined to make a pretty delicious snack. Be careful of taking in too much refined sugars though.