Recently in our world, the childhood obesity rate has sky rocketed and is becoming a problem. Nationally, obesity rates of children under the age of fifteen and under is averaged to 20.6% which may not be a high number but in reality, it is. In 1980, obesity rates were at a low of 5% and since then has quadrupled. The key to a healthy lifestyle is summed up in one saying, living a healthy life is 90% eating healthy and 10% of physical exercise.
Nationally, obesity has affected the lives of all. There is a total of two hundred and fifty million obese people in the United States and the number is rising every day. That number is projected to be at three hundred million by the year 2025. There are many factors leading to obesity in our country, such as the fast food industry. Fast food brings unhealthy meals to the table which is not good for the human body leading to gaining weight and losing control.
Eating isn’t the only reason for the growth of obesity. Some of the other reasons are diseases, lack of exercise, and diabetes. Obesity is such a severe problem is because it takes a toll on one’s body. Obesity can cause diseases, but also can cause far worse. It can limit the length of one’s life. Cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems, and an increase in cancer likelihood are the three main causes. Studies by Harvard have found that it is more likely for a young male has a higher chance of gaining more weight than women. While knowing all of this information, there is still more to fear. Mental health is another huge factor paired with all of the other reasons listed. Depression especially affects the person because of being self-conscious about their body. More studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison showed that out of 2,931 patients, very high obesity (BMI=35+) had the highest form of depression. Clearly, obesity is not a good thing to get into because it can lead to worse things in the future and could change your life.
Although obesity makes someone’s life harder, there are so many different ways to change that. Healthy eating, sometimes called clean eating, has been the best advice for most people. “A healthy diet is a solution to many of our health-care problems. It's the most important solution.” -John Mackey CEO of Whole Foods. As said by one of the most prestigious grocery store owners, healthy eating is the true medicine of the world. The outbreak of all these different fast food restaurants makes Mr. Mackey’s saying hard to fulfill. Many people grow up eating at all of these very greasy fast food joints which makes it tough to keep a balanced healthy appetite. Fruits, vegetables, meats, and grains are all such amazing options. It is important to start healthy habits.
One of the main advocates for the fight of childhood obesity was former first lady Michelle Obama. Her “Let’s Move” campaign moved on to be somewhat of a success although falling off a couple of years ago. Her goal was the most influential part and some of her actions helped a lot. She created the Task force on Childhood Obesity urging school lunches to give the key nutrients that kids need. Moving away from the ways to eat better, calorie intake is something everybody should watch. It’s harder to burn calories than to gain them in a day. What a lot of people don’t know is that there are different kinds of calories. Good calories come from vegetables and fruits, but bad calories are sugars and fried fats. Healthy eating is the best way to fight obesity and one of the easiest ways.
The other greatest way to fight the obesity epidemic is exercise. Exercise is the way you burn all of the calories and fats from the paragraph before this. Although many people dread the idea of working out, it’s only a good way to help you. It is a way to better yourself mentally and physically while having fun.
There is a theory dealing with losing weight that has been used so often that it gives amazing results. Lots of fitness experts and Health experts would say the same. If you put the balance of eating and exercise into an equation, it would be about 90% eating healthy and 10% exercising hard. Even if someone is obese, that doesn’t prevent them from trying. Obesity is just a term given to someone who may have gained a couple extra pounds more than they have wanted and, in some cases, it might not have been their fault. Finally, there are other miscellaneous treatments. Prescribed medicine, nutritionists, and therapy are other major components that can aid someone through all of the process.
The United States isn’t the only country in the world dealing with obesity. Physical activity and tracking the things we consume is just one way to prevent it. Everyone should work together to get that 20.6% obesity rate back down to how it was in 1980 at a small 5% rate.
References
- As overweight and obesity increase, so does risk of dying prematurely. (2018, June 22). Retrieved February 8, 2019, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/overweight-obesitymortality-risk/
- Bray, G. A., & Macdiarmid, J. (2000, February). The Epidemic of Obesity. Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1070754/
- Collingwood, J. (2018, October 08). Obesity and Mental Health. Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://psychcentral.com/lib/obesity-and-mental-health/
- Harvard Health Publishing. (n.d.). Harvard researchers continue to support their healthy eating plate. Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/harvard-researchers-launch-healthy-eating-plate
- Online Master of Public Health. (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2019, from http://onlinemph.unr.edu/resources/articles/what-has-the-impact-of-lets-move-had-on-childhood-obesity/
- Obesity. (2015, June 10). Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseasescoditions/obesity/diagnosistreatment/drc-20375749
- The State of Childhood Obesity. (2004). Retrieved February 10, 2019, From https://stateofobesity.org/childhood/
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