Obesity in America
Why America Is Obese
Sep 10th
Obesity is a disease that affects more and more Americans every day. There are many things that can contribute to obesity such as overeating, various diseases as well as lack of exercise. However, one of the main reasons why America is obese is due to the fact that people are overeating with the wrong foods.
So-Called Healthy Foods
Most people are taught that meat, dairy, eggs, bread, and cereals are good for you, as they contain many essential nutrients. However, what you may not know is that it all comes down to marketing tactics. I am not saying that these foods do not contain essential ingredients, but, what they fail to tell you is that they are of little use to your body.
Take meat for example, studies have shown that your body does not need all the proteins that are offered in meat. So what does your body do with the extra proteins? It either eliminates them, or they become toxic in your body and thus are stored in fat cells.
A lot of foods that you have been led to believe to be healthy contain a lot of unnatural ingredients such as food additives, preservatives, colorants, hormones, antibiotics and many other substances that are foreign to the body.
Junk Food Cravings
All of these so-called healthy foods can lead to various different nutritional deficiencies. When your body is depleted of nutrients, then it is also depleted of energy. So you reach for the foods that will give you energy fast. These usually are refined and processed sugars that your body can use instantly.
In other words, your body starts to crave for junk foods that offer you a quick boost of energy, but no valuable nutrients. Thus the cycle continues, and the end result is overeating and obesity, and you never get your energy back.
Lack of Exercise
Exercise takes energy. But if the foods that you eat do do supply you with the right nutrients to give you energy, then you won’t feel like exercising. As a result the fat burning process slows down and you begin to gain weight even though you don’t eat that much.
The Cure
The best way that you can overcome and prevent overweight and obesity is by sticking to a clean and healthy diet which consists of lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs, nuts and seeds. These foods contain all the nutrients that your body needs so that you can overcome and control food cravings, and maintain your energy levels.
Should the Government Mandate Body Measurements?
Sep 10th
Should the government have a say in how much you weigh, or what your maximum BMI is, or how large your waistline is allowed to be? How many personal freedoms would you be willing to give up in order to have a chance to lead a healthier life, reduce the risk of diabetes and other degenerative diseases related to weight loss and to reduce the strain on the nation’s health care system?
For the Japanese, this is not a rhetorical question. At their annual checkups, Japanese men must have a waistline less than 33.5 inches around, and women must have a waistline of no more than 35.4 inches around. If they fail to meet those guidelines, then they need to have a second physical 3 months later at which time they are forced into taking a class on dieting and after six months may need to take further education on how to lose weight. Companies with overweight employees may face additional taxes if they can not maintain a healthier balance.
As a general rule, the Japanese are much better about portion control than Americans are and there are far fewer overweight people in their culture than there are in the USA. I think that the only reason that this may affect a significant portion of their society might be because the guidelines are so strict. The guidelines were determined by the recommendations of the International Diabetes Association. For Americans, they recommend that men have no larger than 40 inch waistlines. The National Center for Health Statistics claims that the Average American man has a 39 inch waistline.
So how would you react if the United States instituted a similar law? I have no doubt that there would be an outcry, but would the effort be worth it? Or would it cause more problems than it would solve due to over-prescribing medications and hurting people’s feelings?
I don’t personally believe that a similar law could be very successful in the United States. People would rebel against it, and corporations would not want to take part in something that might subtract from their bottom line.
If something similar were to be implemented, I think that it would be better done at the grade school level. If a child were overweight or obese, it would make more sense to educate the child and their parents at an early stage so that they could have the opportunity to lead life at a healthy weight.
Targeting children has its own problems, though. In our age of political correctness, school systems aren’t allowed to make children feel bad about themselves. Any child that did have to go through dieting education would be subject to ridicule. And because children don’t work, their employers are not conveniently taxable to pay for the program.
