Why Are People Fat - The Truth Can Hurt

Obesity is a growing problem (no pun intended) in many Western countries. It is also the biggest health threat and most preventable cause of death and disease, yet people are dying in record numbers from conditions related to being overweight.

Of course the obvious answer, people eat more calories than they can burn off in a day. What I am getting at is how do people come to this?

A big part of it is an addiction, one just as bad as drugs. Like with addiction of drugs, a part of the brain numbs your senses into what is actually going on with your body. One may crave sugar/carbs, or other bad foods and beverages, and it won't matter if there is no real hunger signal being sent to your brain, a signal will tell you that you are starving and must have more.

Very much like a drug addict who has had a toxic chemical alter their brain signals, a food addict suffers the same problem of shame, denial, and a very hard struggle to suddenly stop.

In modern times, food has literally become filled with chemicals that can be toxic. Things are processed in ways many people cannot handle. These foods, which are bad for them, are just as addictive and harmful as drugs. The food, in and of itself, is making people fat, fatter than it normally would. Add to that a lifestyle with little exercise and you get to cut several years off your lifespan.

An often overlooked part of the puzzle is the hideous diet, especially among the poor and disadvantaged living in a rich country. One thing that is hard to miss, the poorer on the socio-economic level, the more you will find overweight people. Why is the diet of the poor a leading contribution to obesiety?

Good, healthy food is expensive. McDonald's is cheap.

Face it. Those with lower incomes generally do not buy organic food or higher quality food products because they are often out of their budget. At times fruit and vegetables are the last considerations on a shopping list because feeding a whole family and making sure they are full can often be done cheaper with starches and meat.

Also, many on a lower socio-economic level are usually working more than the standard 40 hour week. Some are working 2 full time jobs per person in a family, or 2 parents working one full time job and sometimes even an added on part time job. With working so hard it is easier to get a cheap takeaway than to take away time from the family fixing a proper meal.

It is easier for those on the higher end of the socio-economic ladder to wag their fingers and say, "Why don't you just save your money and cook at home?" or "Why don't you stop buying junk food and buy more healthy food?" The reality is the cost of buying a proper selection of food for a week is often the same cost of buying the junk for a month. And when you are dog tired from working menial, soul-breaking jobs, it is sometimes the time you spend with the family that gives you a reason to go on.

If people are poor enough to qualify for help from the government, at least there is the good possibility to get fresh fruits and vegetable along with a well balanced diet. However, there are a lot of working poor who do not qualify for help that often have to go without the fruit and veg. Some families I know where all members are fat survive on boxes of macaroni and cheese dinners, a bowl of cereal and peanut butter sandwiches day in and day out. To snack on a big bag of corn chips is cheap and can get them through the hump of the day. It is cheap and filling, high in calories and fat, and very poor in overall nutrition.

To point the shame in my own direction, there have been times when I have had to be creative enough to feed my family of four with $35 for a week. The choices were very limited - microwave popcorn for breakfast, peanut butter sandwiches, beans stewed with canned meat for supper, and packages of instant Kool-Aid. When you become one of the working poor, your choices are limited.

Europeans generally do not understand why the US freely sells irridated, genetically modified, steroid injected food. Without such methods, the price of food would be too high for so many. The drawback is obvious, health risks in eating it. It is either starve or risk your health.

Not to be misunderstood, let me make it clear, people do have some personal responsibility towards their condition. There are things that can be done to cut down on the scale:

• Drink More Water - If you drink a full 12 ounce glass of water before a meal and another during the meal and another after the meal, you will feel full faster and be able to eliminate the meal easier.
• Walk More - Even if it is just walking up the stairs instead of taking an elevator or escalator or walking to a store, school, or any place within a mile distance instead of taking a car can help.
• Stand More - Periodically get up and just stand instead of sitting and vegetating.
• Exercise During Television - It doesn't even have to be full scale hardcore routines. Simple leg and arm exercises, use weights, do crunches all while watching the telly.
• Take A Vitamin And Drink Your Fiber - If you can't eat a proper diet, at least compensate.
• Avoid Alcohol And Any Product With Zero Nutritional Value - There are always cheap alternatives with better nutritional value. Instead of a beer or sweetened fruit drink, go for water or a glass of skim milk. Instead of a bag of potato chips [crisps] try a handful of sunflower or pumpkin seeds. If you crave sweets, make a baked apple sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.
• Read Those Labels - If you suspect food allergies or addictions, eliminate anything from your diet that includes any form of chemicals or processing methods that are not natural for about a month and slowly introduce them back one by one until you figure out what is making you sick.

These tips are not going to make you lose 10 pounds in a week or anything ridiculous like that, but it is these little things you can do to at least keep a bad thing under control. If you simply just drink the water as described above, you will feel better and lose at least 5 pounds in a year if you do nothing else.