Curing Obesity With Good Nutrition
Tackling obesity with good nutrition
Reports on how overweight and obese the country’s population is seem to appear on a daily basis. A recent campaign for healthier school dinners by Jamie Oliver highlighted how poor our children’s diets are. Obesity is a nationwide health issue affecting both children and adults and the impact obesity is having isn’t just physical, there are psychological problems and a massive financial burden on an already over-stretched NHS. And childhood obesity is reaching a point whereby the UK will soon surpass the United States in the proportion of its obese children. For such a large scale problem, the solutions are ludicrously small. One of the ways to tackle obesity is of course healthy nutrition.
Obesity is an excessive accumulation of fat caused by a diet high in fat and sugar. Factor in a lack of physical activity and the result is a population bursting out of its clothes. Obesity is measured by a scale known as the Body Mass Index (BMI). A person should be the appropriate weight for their height and the calculation is carried out by dividing height (m) by weight (kg). A healthy BMI is 20-25 and if someone is classed as obese they range from 30-35 (class 1 obese) or 35-40 (class 2 obese). A BMI over 40 and a person is morbidly obese (class 3). Consuming more calories than you use up leads to obesity so nutrition should be balanced to take this into account.
Nutritional advice for obesity and childhood obesity
Obesity leads to physical and mental problems. Obesity can cause high blood pressure, bone deficiency, joint problems, diabetes, heart failure and respiratory difficulty. A good diet can reduce the detrimental effects obesity has on your body so taking advice from a nutritionist is the first step to a healthy life. You are what you eat so it makes sense to choose foods that are healthy. If you’re already overweight, no doubt you’ve tried any number of diets. However, many of the ‘fad’ diets that have become so popular aren’t always suited to the individual and can cause medical complications if you completely avoid certain food groups. A trained nutritionist can provide a suitable weight-reducing diet that provides all your nutritional needs while helping to lower the calories.
A nutritionist recognises how important a healthy diet can be for children. In fact, recent research suggests that children are less likely to have weight problems if they are breastfed. However, the first five years of a child’s life are fundamental to achieving a healthy weight and preventing weight problems in the future. Good nutritional advice for children unfortunately isn’t just about the right foods. Given the amount of advertising for fast foods and sweets, parents can find that food is a major argument point with kids. Nutritionists can develop a good diet that encourages children to eat healthily while making it user-friendly for the parents.
A visit to a nutritionist can help overcome weight problems and obesity
A nutritionist will help show you that good food with the right vitamins and minerals ensures the body has the correct fuel it needs to function properly and maintain the correct weight. The right nutrition can boost energy levels and keep the immune system strong to prevent infection or disease. You put the right fuel into your car; it makes sense to do the same with your body.
Article Submitted By
Daniel Alexander, GoToSee Journalist
Date Published
20/05/08
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(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)Tags: Eating disorders, Obesity, Weight loss
