subject: Obesity -- A Growing Trend [print this page] Obesity -- A Growing Trend Obesity -- A Growing Trend
Obesity is a growing trend, even though Americans are more health conscious than ever. Studies estimate that two-thirds of all Americans are overweight, and one-third of those are "obese."According to the Center for Disease Control, here's what's going on.1. We're eating less fat, but consuming more calories. While it's true that the percentage of fat in our diets has decreased (from 41% to 37%), the total calories we consume has increased by between 100 and 300 per day.You can cut calories the easy way by using low-calorie substitutes. Try using olive oil instead of butter for baking and cooking to cut fat from some of your favorite recipes. Easy substitutes are applesauce for half the oil in muffins and oatmeal cookies, non-fat yogurt blended with Dijon mustard in place of mayonnaise, and extra egg whites instead of whole eggs for whipping up light fluffy omelets and scrambled eggs.Keep in mind that fat isn't the only ingredient that has calories. Many "diet" foods have almost as many calories as their regular counterparts. Food processors add sugars to their products to make up for the loss in taste and texture that result when the fat is removed.When "sugar" is listed on food labels, it means table sugar; however, lactose, sucrose, fructose, dextrose and maltose are all forms of sugar, and if you add up all the forms of sugar a product has, the total amount can be quite startling!2. We're too sedentary. With our packed schedules, there often not much time to fit in even a half hour of exercise. To get your recommended 30 minutes of exercise a day, break up your workout into smaller increments throughout the day. You could spend 15 minutes on a stationary bike in the morning, walk during your lunch break at work, and finish up your exercise program in the evening.3. We're too busy to plan healthy meals. Unfortunately, it's easier to opt for fast-food than more nutritious meals. Eating healthy requires planning and shopping and preparing meals ahead of time to ensure you always have nutritious food available. You can cut down on the amount of time it takes for grocery shopping by taking a couple of hours during the week to plan your menus for the upcoming week.4. We're overwhelmed by the idea of long-term dieting. People who need to lose 30 pounds, or more, are often intimidated, and thus never get started. The obesity growing trend can be curtailed by focusing on losing five pounds at a time, then worrying about losing the rest later.
