An oncoming epidemic

Obesity is not a global epidemic and has every government worried about its effects. The World Health organization has already issued warnings that the medical system of most countries would be overburdened pretty soon. The crumbling medical infrastructure and rising medical cost will make this one of the biggest problems we will face in our lifetime. The good news is that most of this is because of lifestyle that we lead today. Our food contains too many processed items and sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup. We are eating more fast food than ever before while the size of soft drink containers has gone up. Although healthy food options are available either they are very costly or not as tasty as the junk food options. There have been numerous programs that have been created by the US government to address these issues. From the ban of super sized cola in NY by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to the Let’s Move initiative by first lady Michelle Obama. But those have not been able to make a major dent in the
problems.

Solutions for you

The first thing that needs to be understood about the obesity problem is that it cannot be solved by forcing solutions on people. Education is the biggest weapon against this epidemic and people need to be made aware of the possible consequences. We do not mean that there needs to be a fear campaign about the ill effects of obesity. It needs to be a scientific discussion of the available medical facts and the effects it will have on the people. More importantly they need to be informed about the ways they can fight fat. They need to be taught about portion control and the importance of exercise in losing weight. Most people believe now that if they have a gym membership and exercise two to three times a week they will be able to remain lean. Exercise is actually a small part of the solution. The biggest part is what you eat, when you eat and how much of it you eat. A big change that needs to be made in our diet is the proportion of macro nutrients. Our diet today contains too many carbohydrates and fats and little of protein. The fat that is in our foods is the Trans fats that are not found in nature widely but are found in large quantities in junk food.Ideally a diet should be rich in proteins, healthy fats and just enough carbohydrates.

Weight Loss

Weight loss is one of the most desired targets for people. The most popular New Year resolution is to lose weight. As a result gym memberships skyrocket around the New Year. But most people neglect correcting their diets. The only way to lose weight and keep it off is by changing your diet habits. Snacking on junk food like chips and cookies while watching TV can destroy all the good work you have done in gym and all the diet sacrifices you have made.