The Solution to Healthy Weight Loss
Marilyn Pokorney

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The overweight and obesity epidemic is a worldwide problem.
There are no official statistics for spending on diet
products, but estimates vary from $40 to $100 billion in the
US alone, much of that on scams and fad diets that promise
the impossible.

Research shows that 95% of people who have lost weight find
that they regain it back when they return to their normal
eating habits.

According to the Center for Disease Control’s Chronic
Disease Center, in 1991 in the United States, only four
states had an obesity prevalence of 15 percent to 19
percent. In 2003, 15 states had an obesity prevalence of
15 to 19 percent, 31 states had an obesity prevalence of 20
to 24 percent, and four states had a prevalence of 25
percent or more.

Major medical problems associated with obesity include
gallbladder disease, high blood pressure, high blood
cholesterol, diabetes, and osteoarthritis.

If that isn’t incentive enough to lose that excess weight
statistics show that overweight people are usually given
lower paying jobs, get lower salaries, receive little in
raises, and are, as a whole, looked down upon by 40 percent
of fellow employees and employers.

In 2002 The American Heart Association reported that more
than 10 percent of US children ages 2 to 5 are overweight.
That is up from 7 percent in 1994. The situation is
probably even worse now, said Dr. Robert H. Eckel,
president-elect of the heart association and professor of
medicine at the University of Colorado.

The obesity problem among children has increased with
school-age children as well. Four million children ages 6
to 11 and 5.3 million in age group 12 to 19 have increased
by 75 percent from 1991.

Food habits adopted in childhood can be hard to change. As
a result hypertension and high cholesterol leading to heart
disease, strokes, and diabetes are going to become the
nations top health problem with people of all ages within 10
to 30 years. These are ailments that usually afflict the
middle age to elderly population. More than a million new
cases of diabetes are already being diagnosed each year,
says the American Diabetic Association.

Nearly 30 percent of American adults are overweight and
another 30 percent are obese, according to University of
Minnesota researchers. Obesity is usually described as a
weight 20 percent greater than the persons desirable weight.

A study by the Obstetrics and Gynecology department at the
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle revealed
that 60% of overweight women, and 70% of obese women, are
likely to become pregnant while taking the pill. The
researchers suggest that a higher metabolism is the reason,
causing the medication to be effective for a shorter length
of time. Or, that the drug interacts with the body’s
hormones in a way that the drug becomes trapped in the body
fat instead of circulating in the bloodstream.

Studies with obese pregnant women show they are 50% more
likely to die during pregnancy than those of normal weight.
Complications such as miscarriage, gestational diabetes,
hypertension, pre-eclampsia, pre-term labor, and stillbirth
are also more common. Preliminary evidence shows that
babies are also adversely affected, and are more likely to
be obese themselves in later life.

Fast foods: Studies show that people who frequent fast food
outlets twice a week or more gained 36 pounds over the
course of 15 years compared to 26 pounds for those that
frequented them once a week or less.

A major factor for the obesity crisis is a sedentary
lifestyle, not enough exercise, and the eating of high
calorie fast foods in place of nutritious natural food
products.

Fast food is designed to promote consumption of the maximum
number of calories in the minimum amount of time. This
upsets the body’s normal metabolism. One solution is to eat
smaller, more nutritious, meals more frequently throughout
the day.

Physical activity reduces the effects of being overweight,
but healthy eating habits have to be followed to prevent
disease associated with poor nutrition according to an
expert of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School
of Public Health.

The new diet guidelines set by the Health and Human Services
and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is basically a
balanced diet and good old fashioned exercise. They stress
more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and limit fats, sugar,
alcohol, and salt.

Many supermarkets are open 24 hours a day making a choice of
healthy food available at all times.

For more tips on how to lose weight safely see The Secret to
Weight Loss at:
http://www.apluswriting.net/diettips/diettips.htm

*****************************************
Author: Marilyn Pokorney
Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the
environment.
Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading.
Website: http://www.apluswriting.net
*****************************************

About the Author

Author: Marilyn Pokorney
Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the
environment.
Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading.
Website: http://www.apluswriting.net

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People Stuggle to Eat Healthy
Brian Clancey

Most people struggle to eat healthy foods throughout the day and
at each meal, according to results of an Ipsos-Reid poll for
Canada’s President’s Choice label.

The poll found 94% say they just can’t live without a favorite
food, while 7% concede they almost never make healthy food
choices.

“Canadians want food choices that help make it easier to eat
better and live healthier without giving up the foods and
flavors they love,” says Paul Uys, Vice President, Loblaw Brands
Limited. Most surveyed do understand the importance of reducing
the salt content of their diets and increasing fiber, Uys
noted.

These results “suggest they’re not eating as well as they could
because of their must-have meals,” say officials at Presidents
Choice. “In fact, 59% say they’d like to eat healthier but don’t
want to give up their favorite foods, with 40% citing comfort
foods like macaroni and cheese or pizza as real weaknesses.”

Finding Time a Priority — Doing It Hard

Despite these findings, the survey found people know it’s
important to eat well. Roughly 82% say finding the time to
prepare and eat healthy meals is a priority, yet half still find
it difficult to make healthy food choices.

“There are a number of other perceived barriers to healthy
habits other than favorite foods that may explain why eating
well can be a challenge,” Presidents Choice said in discussing
the survey results. “Time of day certainly seems to be a factor,
with more than 80% of Canadians finding it hard to eat properly
at some point.”

A quarter find it hard to eat healthy snacks during the day,
with 30% of woman falling prey to temptation, compared to 17% of
the men surveyed. Men, by contrast, struggle with breakfast,
with 24% saying they do not start their day with a healthy
breakfast, compared to 17% of women. This works out to 21%
finding it hard to eat a healthy breakfast. Fewer people have a
problem eating healthy meals the rest of the day. Even so,
eating a healthy lunch is a problem for 16% of people surveyed
and 15% find supper a struggle.

Cost, taste, and choice

The perceived cost, taste and overwhelming number of choices
when it comes to healthier food products also seem to be
barriers for many. In fact, 60% feel that the costs of eating
healthfully have increased, while 54% say their family would eat
more healthfully if the nutritious options tasted better.
Furthermore, 59% indicate they can be confused by the many
different things they’re supposed to look out for when shopping
for healthy foods.

“Canadians do recognize that specific foods are important in
achieving a well-balanced diet,” says Uys. “Interestingly
enough, the Healthy Eating survey found that 68% think it’s
important to incorporate sodium-reduced foods into their diet,
and 58% of younger Canadians aged 18-34 agree with this
statement. This is an age group that typically loves their salty
foods, so the fact that they’re aware that it’s important to
choose foods that offer responsible sodium levels is
encouraging.”

About 40% of those surveyed would like to incorporate more fibre
into their diet, but find it difficult. “There are so many great
and easy ways to add fibre to your diet – yogurt with a
high-fibre muffin and a handful of almonds is a perfect
breakfast to take on the go,” says Uys.

The Joy of Soy

The Healthy Eating survey found that just 29% of Canadians
incorporate soy protein into their diet on a regular basis.
While overall, soy is just one component of healthy eating
towards lowering cholesterol and cardiovascular disease risk,
evidence continues to be strong on the benefit of soy protein
compared to animal protein sources.

Not only is soy a great source of vegetable protein and so low
in saturated fat – but many soy foods can be a source of omega-3
polyunsaturated fatty acids and a good source of calcium.
Despite this, 27% of Canadians feel they get enough protein from
other sources; 25% aren’t familiar with soy protein; 20% say
they’re not interested; 18% don’t like the taste; 13% don’t know
how to incorporate it into their daily diet; and five% don’t
know how much they should eat.

Nutritionists recommend consuming 25 grams of soy protein each
day – about eight grams per meal. “When you consider that just
one glass of PC Soy Beverage contains about a third of your
daily requirement, it’s easy to swallow,” says Uys.

Resources

Rachael Ray’s
30-Minute Get Real Meals

About the author:

Brian Clancey has a long standing interest in health and an
active lifestyle. This was the inspiration behind creation of
the http://www.thehealthyweb.com< /a> website, offering daily recipes and discussion of food and
health issues.

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