Download What Causes Obesity

What Causes Obesity?
The key to the obesity problem is calories—too many of them. Excess calories come largely
from fat and sugar. Overweight happens when you eat more calories than your body can use.
Whether calories come from fat, protein, sugar or starch, the leftovers are turned into fat. Some
of this fat floats around in the blood, plastering and gradually plugging vital oxygen-carrying
arteries.
The rest of the leftover fat ends up in the body’s central fat bank, located around the midsection.
Embarrassing branch offices often pop up in other parts of the body. For every 3,500 excess
calories received by the body, one pound of fat is placed on deposit.
Would Becoming Less Obese by Losing a Few Pounds Do Any Good?
The answer is yes. Excess fat relates so directly to health that a little bit of reduction goes a long
way. A 10% weight reduction in men 35 to 55 years of age will result in a 20% decrease in
coronary heart disease. On the other hand, a 10% increase in weight produces a 30% increase
in coronary disease. This is just one example of many such relationships. And here is another:
Every pound in excess shaves off about 1 month of life. You see, every pound counts, one way
or the other.
Improving your health and energy is a more successful motivator over time than wanting to get
thin for a wedding or college reunion. Personalize the risk of being overweight. Pay attention to
your blood pressure, your blood cholesterol, your triglycerides, and your family history of
disease. Losing just 10% of your body weight can significantly improve your health.
Dealing with Obesity
What are some positive ways to deal with obesity? The strategy for successfully controlling
obesity is threefold:
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Eat more food “as grown,” simply prepared, without all the sugar, grease, and salt.
Increase the rate at which calories are burned by increasing physical activity and muscle
size.
Make these two lifestyle practices a permanent part of life.
Begin by eating generous amounts of high-fiber foods like whole grains, vegetables, fruits,
potatoes, yams and beans. Omit as much fat and sugar from the diet as possible. Cut back on
refined and processed foods and snacks. These engineered taste sensations are stuffed with
calories and depleted of nutrients.
Use animal products such as meat, eggs, ice cream and cheese very sparingly. They have no
fiber and are loaded with fat. You really don’t need them at all!
This kind of eating plan, plus a brisk daily walk, will help you lose one to two pounds a week.
You can fight creeping obesity, push up your energy level, improve your digestion and feel good
every day—beginning right now!
Overweight: 10 Basic Habits to Weight Control
1. Eat lots of foods "as grown." These are the complex
carbohydrate foods, high in fiber and nutrients, yet low
in calories and price, and devoid of cholesterol.
2. To help prevent becoming overweight, never skip
breakfast. A hot cereal with fruit is great.
3. Eat 3 meals a day at regular intervals will help prevent
becoming overweight.
4. Take time to enjoy your food and eat slowly.
Overweight people often eat fast and on the run.
5. Have fruit for dessert. End your main meal with a
piece of fruit. Save desserts for special occasions.
Sugar is a friend of the overweight.
6. Skip snacks and night munchies. Eat a piece of fruit
or some raw vegetables. "Crinkly bags" and not being
overweight are opposites.
7. Drink water instead of juice. Again, sugar is a friend of
the overweight.
8. Move your body daily for 30 to 60 minutes. Most
overweight or obese people never exercise regularly.
9. Stay away from harmful substances—tobacco,
caffeine, drugs, etc. These substances will help keep
you overweight and will hamper your weight loss efforts.
10. Develop hobbies like music, books, sports, etc. People
that aren't overweight have healthy hobbies.
Eat More Fat-Free Foods; Lose Extra Pounds
Over and over you've heard the same advice: Change your lifestyle to prevent heart disease,
stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and a host of life threatening diseases.
Why do all these problems have the same solution?
Because a diet of whole-foods, very low in fat, salt, sugar, and cholesterol is not a gimmick or
fad. It's the diet your body was designed for!
It's no surprise: the same diet that keeps your arteries clean and reduces the risk of cancer, also
helps you to lose weight, to reverse much of diabetes, to lower cholesterol and blood pressure
and to lessen angina—and it will help you to keep the weight off.
A gram of fat contains more than twice the calories of an equal gram of protein or starch.
Calories Per Gram
Fat
9
Esau's Pottage
(Genesis 25:34)
1/3 c. brown rice
4 c. water
Alcohol
7
Sugar
4
Starch
4
Protein
4
1 c. sauteed onion
1 c. lentils
herbs to taste: marjoram,
thyme, Mrs. Dash
Add ingredients to Crock pot
and cook until tender. Add
herbs shortly before serving.
Garnish with parsley and
slices of red bell pepper.
Your Challenge
You don't have to eat less to control or cut calories. If you choose foods high in fiber as
found in unrefined complex carbohydrates and low in fat, you can actually eat more than ever
and still lose weight. Foods high in fiber as found in unrefined complex carbohydrates are whole
grains, like brown rice and whole multi-grain breads, tubers like yams and potatoes (but without
the toppings), and beans and peas.
Your challenge is to check the labels when you go shopping. See how much fat, sugar, starch,
fiber, and protein the foods you buy actually contain. Choose foods that are high in unrefined
complex carbohydrates and low in calorie-dense fats. If you eat products that contain most
of their weight in fat and sugar, you will become obese.
Obesity in Children
Childhood obesity is rising dramatically in America! Eight million youngsters aged 5 to 11 have
serious weight problems, and the number of super-obese children has tripled over the past 25
years.
That’s hard to believe. Isn’t our culture more health-conscious now? Aren’t fitness clubs
booming?
Physical fitness is a trend among adults, but not among children. It’s grownups who are out
running, walking, jogging, and joining fitness clubs and aerobic classes. It’s the older people
who flock to wellness lectures and examine menus at restaurants for healthier and leaner foods.
But don’t schools have health courses, physical education, and sports activities warning
against childhood obesity?
Yes, but because of budget cuts, overcrowding, and teacher shortages, many schools have had
to cut back on these childhood obesity programs in recent years. In some cases they’ve
eliminated physical education courses and requirements altogether. Health classes are often
unpopular with students, and now relatively few youngsters actually qualify for team positions in
school-sponsored sports.
Isn’t childhood obesity mostly inherited?
Genes do play a role in a person’s weight, but they aren’t the whole answer. Environment plays
the critically important role—as shown by the fact that the percentage of obese Americans has
increased steadily over the past 25 years. Our gene pool can’t change that fast! That takes 300
plus years!
We now have an environment that supports childhood obesity. Once upon a time children raced
home from school to change clothes and go outside to play. They climbed trees, rode bicycles,
skated, played games and dribbled basketballs. Today’s children average five to eight hours a
day watching television! Our entire culture promotes less physical activity and more eating. No
wonder childhood obesity is rampant!
Children learn what they see!
Adults can have a powerful influence over children through lifestyle and eating habits that they
demonstrate. You can help reduce childhood obesity—or at least reduce childhood obesity in
the children you influence
Obesity in Teens
What are the chances of an obese teen becoming an obese adult?
About 80% of obese teenagers will remain obese as adults. The marked increase in teen
obesity will have serious consequences in the future. And dieting is not the answer. “Some 80%
of American girls begin a regular cycle of dieting by the time they are just 11 years old,”
according to William Rader, MD.
Does obesity produce disease in teens?
Being overweight predisposes a teen child to heart disease, gallstones, diabetes, hypertension,
cancer, and full-blown obesity later in life. Obese teens have more orthopedic problems and
upper respiratory diseases. And that is only one side of the story. They often suffer major social
and psychological problems. The rapid increase of serious depression, eating disorders, drug
use, suicide, and violence among teenagers is frightening.
Teen Weight Trends: Going the Wrong Way!
By age group, 22% of children under age 12 are overweight, but the total goes to 57% for teens
13 to 17. Many parents do not perceive the problem, and more than 80% believe that their child
is physically fit.
Thousands of school-age children have serious weight problems that affect their health, their
ability to perform, and their peer acceptance.
To these children and their families, obesity is a curse. To do nothing is to sentence them to a
possible lifetime of social misery, rejection, and a significantly higher risk of developing early
major health problems.
Monitor your child's emotional life. Some children eat when they feel nervous or unhappy;
others when they are alone or neglected. Problems may start during a divorce. Look for unmet
emotional needs. Above all—make your kids feel loved, unconditionally.
Obesity Prevention in Children and Teens
What can be done about preventing obesity in children and teens?
The major causes of obesity in children are the same as for adults—a sedentary lifestyle, TV
viewing, the snack and soda habit, and the popularity and availability of highly processed and
concentrated foods. Many major medical centers are developing weight-control programs as a
means of obesity prevention for children that involve the whole family. Proper eating and
lifestyle habits are a family affair, and a youngster especially needs the support of the family.
Even when the rest of the family is not overweight, everyone benefits from a healthier way of
life.
Seven Secrets of Obesity Prevention in Your Child
Clinical psychologists and pediatricians feel that nearly all obesity in children could be prevented
if children were taught the following sensible basic habits early, before they have free access to
food and become addicted to TV:
1. Three meals a day. Eat at regular times with lots of
whole grains, legumes, fresh fruit, and vegetables.
2. Control the cupboards. Get rid of tempting junk foods.
Offer fruit and fresh veggies for snacks.
3. Drink plenty of water. Limit sodas, juices, and other
beverages.
4. Excercise. At least an hour of active exercise daily,
preferably outdoors.
5. Less TV. Regular, quiet study and reading times to
replace the hours spent watching TV.
6. Plenty of rest. Many children are chronically tired. Put
them to bed early enough so they awaken naturally, in
time for a healthy breakfast.
7. A wide range of interests. How about library visits,
music lessons, arts and crafts, and family outings.
A body is a terrible thing
to waste.
With 9 of 10 Saturday morning food advertisements on the networks hawking processed foods,
high in sugar, fat, and salt, television significantly influences the food preferences of children
from their early years. Teach your children and teens about preventing obesity and eating
health.
The Wise Man once said:
“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6