Obesity: An American Epidemic
By NaturalGuidance Staff

We live in a world of convenient comfort foods: the Big Mac® (540 calories; 29g of fat), Super Size® french fries (610 calories; 29g of fat), the Double Whopper® with Cheese (1,061 calories; 69g of fat), and the Baconator® (830 calories; 51g of fat) are just a few of the usual suspects. It's no wonder America is the fattest nation in the world. Consider the following facts:

    As of 2009:
      - 65% of Americans are Overweight
      - 30% of Americans are Obese
      - 9 Million Children Over Age 5 are Obese
      - 15,100,000 U.S. Adults Have Diabetes
      - 80% increase in Diabetes in Last 10 Years
      - 1000% Increase in Diabetic Children in 10 Years

After a busy day at the office, what's easier than taking a five minute detour during the drive home to get a hot, inexpensive, ready-to-eat meal? Unfortunately, American society is built around convenience - not necessarily health. But the truth is, there are plenty of convenient healthy foods out there. You just need to know where to look.



Evidence-Based Weight Loss Supplements

Whole Food Nutrition vs. Fad Diets

From Atkins to South Beach, specialty weight-loss diets are launched on a weekly basis, each pointing to a particular food "villain" that is to blame for the ever-increasing tipping of the scale. In America, there is an enormous demand for a product which is effective in helping shed unwanted pounds. Last year alone, roughly $40 billion dollars were spent in the U.S. on diet aids.

Most fad diets do stimulate weight loss to a greater or lesser extent, but nutritionists are concerned that the wider meaning of eating itself is lost when calories are considered an undesirable component of food rather than the ultimate purpose of it.

First it was fat. Then it was calories. Next, it was sugar. Then it was carbohydrates. Diets have focused on the way foods are combined, the time at which they are eaten, avoiding this one, depending entirely on that one. The result is a population ever more frustrated at their rebounding mass and sluggish metabolism.

In many ways, the entire modern way of life is the ultimate culprit for the extra pounds industrial nations tend to carry around the middle. Processed foods chosen for their sensual pleasures rather than dietary content have become the norm at nearly every meal. From childhood, we are collectively addicted to nutritionally imbalanced ?junk food?, snacks and desserts that distort the purpose of eating in the first place.

The problem: Fad diets are inherently unbalanced, since the metabolism is being manipulated by suddenly changing the intake of carbohydrates or fat. Not only does this mean that the weight loss is likely to be short lived, but abusing these diets can be dangerous as well.

Instead, natural health experts recommend a moderate diet based primarily on all-natural grains, fruits, seeds, vegetables, grilled chicken and fish. When trying to cut back on calories, it is doubly important to include a broad range of vital nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, essential amino and omega fatty acids, and antioxidants, to support the body through sharp adjustments in metabolism.

An increasingly popular way to reduce weight while preserving health is to include organic superfood products with every snack and meal. Not only are these foods free of empty calories, they can provide an abundant supply of what food is supposed to be made of in the first place - Nature's way to balanced health.

Causes of Weight Management Problems

The lamentable state of the average diet is largely a consequence of major agricultural changes during the first part of the last century. Innovations in automation and chemical fertilizers have allowed the cheap production of bulk foods, which we have only recently come to recognize as being largely devoid of nutritional value.

Another key factor isn't dietary at all, although it is all too easy to neglect...inactivity. With sedentary schedules at school, work and home keeping many of us seated throughout the day, the body's metabolism slows to near the rates of hibernation. Compounding this is a passive recreational regimen which replaces physical activity with visual and auditory stimulation.