The biggest problem of being obese is that it saps your energy. Having to carry all that excess weight around is just too big a burden for
your body to carry. On top of it you are probably not feeding your body with the necessary nutrients, and it is simply not able to cope, and
therefore tends to break down in the form of disease and depression.
More and more people worldwide are becoming obese nowadays. There are an estimated one billion overweight adults in the world today, of which
approximately 300 million are obese. The numbers keep on growing.
These people all suffer from conditions brought on by the overweight or obesity, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer.
Obesity is a very real, although a preventable health problem. It is everywhere, and it is expensive to treat. A lot of disease and disability in
the world is caused by obesity.
With the economic growth, modernization and globalization in the world today, changes have taken place in eating habits and lifestyles. It is
no longer necessary for a person to earn his living by the sweat of his brow. Physical activity is no longer a part of everyday life.
Unfortunately a lot of people eat as if they need the energy for physical activity, but yet they lead sedentary lifestyles. This leads to
consuming more calories than can be expended, and the results are first overweight and eventually obesity.
The fast food culture exacerbates this problem. Fast food is usually high in fat, sugar and refined starch, all components that are not
healthy for a human body to consume in large quantities. To maintain a state of health the human body needs mainly fresh fruit and vegetables,
with lean protein foods, dairy products, unheated oils and wholegrain cereals added in small quantities.
Because of globalization, the US fast food culture has spread everywhere. This is obvious by the fast food outlets all over the world. With
the fast food culture the problem of obesity was introduced, as well, as can be seen in Japan, for example, where obesity was non-existent until
fast food became available.
The obesity epidemic has to be stopped, and the only way we will be able to do it, is by educating our children about healthy living and
weight management. We will only be able to educate our children by our own examples, and that means that we as adults will have to change our
lifestyles. We will have to include physical activities into our lifestyles, and make better food choices.
Solving your obesity problem starts with yourself. Change the way you look at food and exercise and encourage your family to do the same. In
that way the influence and necessary changes will be in ever increasing circles and the detrimental effects of obesity on our society will be
decreased and hopefully eradicated.