Obesity in America
Information on Obesity – Why People Are Obese
Sep 13th
Nearly two thirds of Americans are considered overweight or obese. Obesity numbers have risen from 15 percent of our population to 31 percent in only 20 years. This means that 93 million Americans are obese. Even more alarming is the fact that 17% or over 9 million US children over the age of 6 are considered to be overweight. What causes this terrifying trend? In this article we will examine three factors that are at the root of the problem. The first is our lack of physical activity. Next we will discuss our eating habits and the rise of convenience foods. Lastly we will look at emotional problems that make the situation worse.
The amount of food we eat and high calorie levels were not as much of a problem when we spent more time exercising. Farming and even blue collar jobs required us to work long hours and perform physical tasks. Today most of our jobs are sedentary, sitting in an office cubical, only getting up for another cup of coffee or a trip to the conference room for a meeting. At home, between computers, video games, and TV we get very little exercise and this lack of physical activity is having a major effect on our weight.
Convenience foods have become a staple in the American diet since the end of World War II. It is very tempting to eat meals and snacks that can be prepared in the microwave or need no preparation at all. We all know that fast food has too many calories, sometimes our total recommended daily intake in one serving of a burger, fries, and a coke. Food companies who market convenience foods spend millions telling us how wonderful their products are. Their ads are hard to resist. But studies show that these products contain 20% to 25% more fat and sugar than are recommended and this is leading to a national epidemic of obesity. We need to go back to homemade meals and healthy snacks with low salt, low fat, and high fiber.
Our emotions also affect our weight. For example, a new study shows a link between depression and obesity. If an individual is already obese, the messages our society gives him can result in a bad self-image and lack of confidence. “You’re never too rich or too thin” is our mantra. The resulting depression produces a chemical imbalance that causes the body to store more fat. On the other hand, the same study shows that people who are not overweight but suffer from depression are at a higher risk of becoming obese for the same reason. The psychological stress produces the same chemical imbalance that causes the body to store fat. Treating the depression relieves the stress and helps depressed people to overcome their feelings of hopelessness.
Right now the CDC says 300,000 annual deaths are attributed to obesity but the number could be much higher. Solving our national epidemic of obesity will not be easy but each step toward more physical activity, eating a healthy diet, and addressing our emotional problems is a step in the right direction.
How I Lost 76 Pounds Without Obesity Surgery – Stop Eating Dairy Products is My Second Key
Sep 13th
I can still remember the day I hit 294 pounds back in January 2010. In fact, the needle on the scale was a little over but I couldn’t bend low enough to see the exact number. But 294 was close enough for me and it was like a slap in the face.
Eating enough food to hit 294 pounds isn’t easy. It took a lot of emotional eating and eating the wrong foods coupled with quitting to smoke to get there.
My first key was getting rid of all the processed food in the house and not buying anymore.
My second key was cutting out as much as the dairy products I eat as I could. And actually, dairy products are processed foods but because there are so many and they are so harmful to anyone, I consider dairy product as their own group.
Dairy includes all grades of milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream and any of the other products. The way dairy products are processed is enough in it’s self not to eat them. When you include the way the dairy cows are raised, I don’t know how anyone can disagree that dairy products should be off the menu immediately.
If you must eat dairy, find a store that sells organic dairy products. If you are dieting, because of the calories contained in dairy products, how much you consume should be drastically reduced and the extra cost for organic should be evened out because you won’t be eating as much.
Back to the way diary cows are raised. I’m hoping this description will help you stop eating diary. Of course the cows are crammed in very small barns standing in their own waste for hours at a time. Most people think the dairy cows are in a meadow somewhere eating grass all day.
On small organic farms they may be. But most of our dairy products comes from corporate farms or farms contracted to corporations and to make money, the cows are fed feed they shouldn’t be eating and kept in conditions they shouldn’t be kept in.
Because of these conditions, they must be fed antibiotics to keep them a live. And they are given hormones so they continue to produce milk. Both antibiotics and growth hormones end up in our own bodies if we eat dairy and exactly what’s going to happen to us is clearly unknown.
Even though I like to gamble, I won’t gamble that dairy products contain healthy ingredients. The only dairy I still consume is about 2 tablespoons of non-fat milk I use in my coffee every morning. What’s really interesting, when you don’t eat dairy for as long I have, it doesn’t taste right. It has an UN-natural feeling that leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
And if nothing else, think about your children. The commercials with the milk mustaches are written by great copywriters who could sell ice in Alaska. Don’t let them fool you into thinking that drinking milk is actually healthy.
And if your going to feed your children milk or other dairy products, switch to organic.
