It was way back in 1997, that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared obesity a global epidemic. According to WHO, approximately 1.9 billion people above the age of 18 are overweight, and 650 million of these are obese.
With the exponential manner in which obesity rates are increasing, by 2025, over 1 billion adults will likely be affected by obesity.
Why Is Obesity Considered an Epidemic?
An obesity trend documented by Harvard noted that in 1990 15% of the US population was obese. In two short decades, almost 36 states recorded obesity rates of 25% or higher. Today, one in three adults, which is roughly 69%, are either overweight or obese.
The World Obesity Database documented an obesity risk of greater than 8 for both adults and children living in the US.
These numbers showcase how obesity has risen to epidemic status making it a public health crisis. Additionally, obesity substantially increases the risk of medical conditions such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, heart disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, cancer, and the overall risk of early death.
This in time lays a burden on the healthcare system. This has been recorded by the CDC as almost 150 billion dollars, which is 10% of US medical costs allocated just for tackling obesity. Primary strategies are aimed at managing underlying medical conditions as well as medical and surgical attempts to reduce obesity.
While many might want to divert attention to possible genetic links to the increase in the rates of obesity, the primary cause is eating in excess, especially nutrient-deficient diets, and little to no movement to compensate for calorie consumption.
10 Ways To Prevent and Manage Obesity
While obesity seems like a straightforward problem to solve, a lot goes into tackling the obesity struggle individually. While it might seem late, it is never too late to change your lifestyle to include healthier choices.
1. Limit Diets Rich In Fat and Simple Sugars
Fast-food chains are sprouting up all over the country. They are viewed as an economical way to tackle the time crunch with limited time for cooking. However, a lot of the food prepared among these chains has minimal nutrients, are high in trans fats and simple sugars. These have been linked to a higher risk of obesity and related medical conditions.
2. Skip The Processed Food
Similarly, processed food, those that come packaged and available easily at any grocery chain, are equally responsible for increasing obesity rates. One such example is packaged soft drinks which contain copious amounts of sugar. Carbonated drinks are linked with increasing cardiometabolic risk factorssuch as obesity, high blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.
3. Opt For Fruits, Veggies & Healthy Fiber
Fruits and vegetables, with minimal preparation, are the best sources of nutrition and should make up a significant portion of any meal consumed. Additionally, these are natural sources of fiber, which means they fill you up for extended periods. This is because they take longer to digest, limiting the need to eat consistently. Green leafy veggies and fruits like bananas also facilitate the growth of good bacteria in your gut.
4. Always Stay Hydrated
Sometimes dehydration mimics a feeling of hunger, which often encourages the consumption of more food. However, staying hydrated helps to navigate through cravings. Additionally, eating at the same time daily, and limiting higher meal portions later in the evening hours will significantly reduce cravings over time.
5. Learn To Read Your Food Labels
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) highlighted the need to minimize unnecessary consumption of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars. To understand if what you purchase has any of this, make it a habit to read labels for any packaged item that you pick up at your store. Understand content per serving, and how much benefit (or lack of) you will be receiving from ingredients you purchase.
6. Build An Practical Exercise Regime
The American College of Sports Medicine highlighted that approximately 300 minutes/week of exercise was required to lose weight and prevent further weight gain. While dietary restrictions play a huge role in the outcomes of those who exercise, most studies have shown substantial results for those who incorporate both, a healthy diet and exercise, into their lifestyle.
7. Consider Your Environment
Often the environment we live in fosters the habits that we have. Ask yourself these simple questions. Do you always have junk food at home? Are you sitting for long hours for work? Do you have food menus lying around for easy fast food ordering?
Positive answers to these questions can encourage you to re-evaluate how the environment you live in is encouraging your unhealthy lifestyle. Building routines that involve fewer hours of sitting and more active hours is a plus. Stock your pantry and fridge with healthier options. Make reaching for unhealthy options difficult, by limiting their purchase and throwing out temptations, lowering your chances of making unhealthy choices.
8. Manage Stressors Fueling Unhealthy Habits
Stress has been notably linked to unhealthy habits such as overeating, sedentary lifestyle changes, and indulging in fewer hours of sleep. Physiologically stress increases visceral fat deposition, which can further contribute to obesity and its related medical risks. Contributors to stress include work, economical situations, strained relationships, and other health risks. Understanding and seeking assistance to manage these can significantly lower stress, and facilitate the adoption of a healthier lifestyle.
9. Journal Your Progress
Monitoring how far you have reached in your health journey can provide great insight into habits that help foster a healthier environment for you. Often when we struggle to lose weight, assessing changes in habits and recent stressors can help to analyze better ways to stay on track. Journaling your progress also keeps you accountable. Track health parameters such as blood pressure, sugar, waist circumference along with your weight.
10. Consider Seeking Professional Help
Tackling obesity on your own can be overwhelming. Healthcare professionals can help tailor a suitable plan based on your unique needs. In some instances, medical conditions on their own, such as hypothyroidism or PCOS, can make weight loss difficult, contributing to an overall gain in weight. Being able to understand how these metabolic syndromes work, along with building out a healthy lifestyle will require some professional help. Additionally, while a physical challenge, obesity also has mental health implications. Talking to a mental health professional during your journey can help with having a more positive outlook.
Conclusion
While it appears that obesity is spreading rapidly, it is completely preventable. While many changes have to be made on an individual level, scanning through how society runs on increased stress, unhealthy diets and advocating sedentary lifestyles also needs reviewing. Programs actively working to reduce obesity, such as implementing more active environments, better school lunches, and researching medical strategies to manage obesity are ways to build healthier communities and lower obesity rates.
In all, it is efforts from both the individual and community levels which need to work in unison to tackle the global obesity epidemic.