Obesity Can't Be Ignored

ARE YOU THE CAUSE OF YOUR CHILD’S OBESITY AND POOR HEALTH

The percentage of overweight children in the United States is growing at an alarming rate, with 1 out of 3 kids now considered overweight or obese. From 1980 to 2008, the prevalence of obesity in children aged 6 to 11 years tripled from 6.5% to 19.6%. The prevalence of obesity in teenagers more than tripled from 5% to 18.1% in the same time frame. Why is this happening?

What causes obesity
The causes of obesity are complex and include a number of genetic, biological, behavioral and cultural factors. To simplify things, obesity occurs when a person eats more calories than the body metabolizes. If one parent is obese, there is a 50% chance that the children will also be obese. However, when both parents are obese, the children have an 80% chance of being obese. Although certain medical disorders can cause obesity, less than 1% of all obesity is caused by physical problems. Obesity in childhood and adolescence can be related to:

• poor eating habits
• overeating or binging
• lack of exercise
• family history of obesity
• medical illnesses (less than 1%)
• certain medications
• stressful life events or changes (separations, divorce, moves, deaths, abuse)
• family and peer problems
• low self-esteem
• depression or other emotional problems

What are risks and complications of obesity?
There are many risks and complications associated with obesity. Some of the physical consequences include:

• increased risk of heart disease
• high blood pressure
• diabetes
• breathing problems
• trouble sleeping

We see it every day, on the news, in magazine and newspaper articles, there are countless informational sources that bring this problem into the spot-light. It is a national problem, and as we are now beginning to realize, obesity is not limited to the older sedentary population, the overworked middle-age population, and isn’t limited to a specific group of the adolescent population. It has become a national epidemic.

The question of how did we get here, is one that is asked often, but rarely answered. How did we go from being one of the most physically fit nations in the world, to wasting away due to fat related illness and disease?

Over the last 30 years, food nutritionists and the food industry as a whole have embraced the idea that we need to lower our fat intake. This was a direct result of the information published by the governmental agencies and so called “experts” that claimed if we ate foods that were fat free, we couldn’t get fat, a statement that couldn’t be further from the truth. As individuals began to jump on the “fat free” band-wagon, doctors came to the conclusion that fat was the contributing factor in cholesterol related problems. The logical conclusion then became; fat must be bad for you. This led to an entire generation being raised and taught to believe that foods that were considered “fat-free” were healthy. This generation grew up believing that fat was what made us fat, clogged our arteries, and generally caused ill-health. The store shelves were stocked with processed foods with Fat Free labels, and individuals thought they were making correct food choices in an attempt to be “healthy”.

What really happened however, carbohydrates were added to foods in massive quantities to make up for the loss in taste that occurred when the fat removed, because in many instances, fat is what gives many of our foods their delicious taste. When you remove the fat, the taste must be artificially injected into the food; the end result is a food that is higher in carbohydrate content, but lower in fat. We now had store shelves stocked with processed foods with labels displaying the fact that they were “fat free” without mentioning the fact that level of carbohydrates in those very foods were astronomically high. Lowered fat was touted as the “magic pill” that would create a population of slim, trim, healthy people; an idea that couldn’t have been further from the truth. As it turns out, healthy fats are a necessary part of our metabolic processes, and something that is needed in order to properly utilize many of the vitamins and nutrients we consume on a daily basis.

It is estimated that within the next 8-10 years, more than 75% of our population will be considered obese. Now, we have an entire generation of individuals, who have because of their high carbohydrate food choices, have become a nation of obese adults. Never before has a nation recorded the kind of obesity problems this nation is currently experiencing. The problems are not just visible by looking at an individual’s outward appearance either. These individuals are experiencing low self-esteem, weight related health problems, and a whole host of emotional problems that many fail to understand.

According to the guides published by the USDA, and anyone that has even a basic knowledge of nutrition, calorie needs vary from one individual to another, one age group to another, and are also gender specific. So how do you determine what your individual needs are? There are book-store shelves, and magazine articles full of ideas on fad diets that claim they are the answer that will automatically help over-weight individuals return to full health with little to no effort. Sprinkling “magic powder” on your food, restricting calories to ridiculously low levels, and endless other ideas that are presented to take advantage of those who are desperately looking for an answer to their health problems is not going to reverse the negative trend that continues to plague our nation.

The best thing any of us can do for our health is seek the help of professionals that have the education, training, and knowledge to help you as an individual set and achieve goals that are specific to you. There is no “cookie cutter”, “one-size-fits-all” method that is going to help you get off the roller coaster of yo-yo diets that lead to frustration, discouragement, and eventually, a feeling that there is nothing that works. If we want something bad enough, we will make the time, and do what it takes to ensure nothing stands in the way of getting where we want to be.