The American Obesity Problem is a growing in the United States. Over the last two decades the obesity rate among adults in the United States has more than doubled. It is now regarded as the second leading cause of preventable death in the nation after smoking cigarettes and most health experts believe that the obesity problem will soon surpass cigarette smoking and become the #1 cause of preventable deaths in America.

Researchers believe that among the consequences of obesity is an increased risk of diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep disorders, and cancer. The president of the American Obesity Association has said that “Obesity is killing 300 thousand people a year, so that’s an epidemic, it’s a serious problem.” Indeed, as other countries prosper, we see the same phenomenon.

Medical experts have concluded a long time ago that it is caused by a combination of genetics, overeating, and lack of exercise. Just look at the size of the servings at a typical American reataurant! There is also one another theory which is gaining great momentum in the scientific community and it is that certain viruses may be responsible for some cases of obesity. Scientists are also of the opinion that this has been proven in animals and not yet in humans. The virus theory put forth by some scientists is controversial. And has also charged up the debate over whether to classify obesity as a disease and how much tax-payers should be paying to treat it.

The best way to treat the American Obesity problem is through proper education. The inhabitants of the nation must be made aware of what type of food is best for them. Proper nutrition should be a part of school programs and there should only be healthy foods served in schools.

The restaurants should also come up with smaller meal portions which would be healthy for their customers. The people of the nation must also study and know what are carbohydrates and saturated fats related to the bodies so they can opt to choose and select a correct and healthy meal for themselves. Their must be a greater awareness of food not as entertainment but as fuel for the body. Think about it this way, would you put a gallon of mud in your car instead of a gallon of gasoline? No, of course not. So why would you put sugars and fats in your body instead of protein? It makes just as little sense. Our bodies run on the food we put into it. Put good fuel into it, and you’ll run better!

Another huge issue in this country is people not getting enough exercise. This should start in the schools with mandatory Physical Education for all students. We have become more and more sedentary nation. Many of us work all day in offices and then go home and watch TV all night. Where’s the physical activity? This has a direct connect with our metabolic rates and how we metabolise the food we eat.

Obesity is calculated by the Body Mass Index (BMI) which is basically weight divided by height. While BMI is quite accurate for most people it is not accurate for very muscular people as muscle weighs more than fat. An example of this is that Michael Jordan at his peak playing condition would be considered overweight by a BMI calculation although he clearly had very little in the way of fat on his body at this time.

Mandie Zoot is a contributer to the Natural Weight Loss Blog where you can follow the “Token Fat Girl” as she loses weight the all natural way without diet pills or fad diets.

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