When we discussed the overweight/obesity epidemic in class, I thought it was interesting how many factors went into the development and cause of it, not to mention all of the effects it has on us on an individual, familial, community, and national level. We learned that there is a difference between overweight and obese that is based on your BMI. Overweight means your BMI is between 25-30 and you have an excess amount of body weight. Obesity means your BMI is greater than 30 and you have an excess amount of body fat.
This topic is interesting to me not only as a Consumer Foods major which obviously has a huge focus on health, but also as the daughter of two parents who would be categorized as overweight. Learning that obesity has been shown to have a genetic component is good for me to know because I can be aware that I am at a higher risk and need to be careful. However, I think learning about the reasons why obesity has become so prevalent is even more interesting. It obviously has a nutritional component and as more highly processed, high fat, high sugar, low nutrient dense foods are made available by the food industry, the rates of obesity in this nation have begun to skyrocket. But it is not just nutrition, our increasingly sedentary lifestyles mean we are not acquiring nearly enough physical activity. So many of our jobs require us to sit behind a desk most of the day instead of being up and moving. The increasing number of fast food restaurants and restaurants in general, and the increasing number of times we eat out every week, is a huge contributing factor. When we eat out, we are much more likely to consume unhealthy foods that are cooked using methods high in fat, salt and added sugar. Also, the portions are 2, 3, sometimes even 4 times larger than the Dietary Guidelines recommend.
It is obvious that obesity is affecting our country. Obesity makes it hard for parents to get out and play with their children, which means the kids are not encouraged to go outside. This is leading to staggering rates of childhood obesity. The overweight/ obesity epidemic is leading to increasing rates of diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, and a number of other diseases that impair our health and wellness. The overall enjoyment people have with their lives is decreasing because these diseases inhibit you from living normal lives, especially if they are serious enough to put you in the hospital.
I would like to learn more about who is petitioning the food industry to make healthier foods and how it has been changing since this obesity epidemic has been made such public knowledge. There are lots of organizations trying to encourage increased physical activity, but I would like to learn about what the big companies in the food industry believe their role is and if/how they are going about trying to combat it.
I agree with this post. My reason for saying that is most people in the U.S. today is obese. And the only way they can solve this problem is to get out and do some type of physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day. If people get more active then the risks for being over-weight will decline.
ReplyDeleteI'm very interested in Catherine's post because I am a health promotions major. She informed me things that I never even knew about, for example: when we go out to eat we intake 2 or 3 times more than the amount recommended. Which I now realize to be very true. I always leave a restaurant completely stuffed with not necessarily healthy ingredients might I add. I like how Catherine uses a personal example to relate to the topic and says being informed of the genetic factor helps her realize she needs to be careful. With the increase of fast food restaurants, not only can obesity affect those who are genetically prone, but it can affect the entire country as well, and it has. The obesity in our country has been increasing and long with it many diseases are increasing as well. This can be prevented by living a healthy lifestyle and avoiding bad food choices with the help of public health advertising.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this article because obesity is a serious issue in America. But who is to blame? We are constantly teased with $1 burgers at McDonald and watch fit and rich celebrities on television who have the money to afford a personal trainer. I feel as though as a whole the media and government is doing a poor job in advocating healthy alternatives for the nation. I really liked how Catherine used jobs in her article. Come to think of it, most jobs are extremely sedentary and require little physical activity. Children are taught to eat sweets because it is the candy with all the colors and cartoons on them. Have we ever seen a bag full of carrots with Bugs Bunny on it? Why not?
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