It’s better do not see that… Obesity is rising. Adult obesity rates rose in 23 U.S. states last year and did not fall in a single state, a new study found. Almost 65% of population in USA are either obese or overweight. It means the adults and children are 10 to 30 pounds over a healthy weight. When people are getting fatter, it increases their chances of developing diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, some types of cancer and other health problems. The medical costs associated with treating these diseases will strain the health care system and economy in the years to come, experts say. 

The problem appears destined to continue worsening, the latest report indicates. About 30% children 10-17 are overweight or obese in 30 states, states the survey released on July. Many studies have found that overweight children are more likely to become obese as adults. Dr. James S. Marks, senior vice-president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said, “There’s a huge wave of obese adults that will bankrupt us as a nation unless we get this under control now.” 

The nonprofit organizations Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently conducted the survey titled, F as in Fat: How Obesity Problems Are Failing in America. This survey concluded that obesity  represents such risks as diabetes and heart disease , and other the most expansive treatments in the nation’s health-care system.

The researchers also noted that overweight people can live as long as the people with normal weight, but they will develop far more chronic diseases that are costly to treat. ” How are we going to compete with the rest of the world of our economy and workforce are weighed down by bad health,” said Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for America’s Health. This is another good question that needed to be answered by thoughtful and smart researchers, doctors and nutritionists, but in no case by famous chefs, like Paula Deen, Emeril, Bobby Flay and other TV celebrities who are overweight themselves, but are given a huge audience and promote fattening foods on their fancy shows. No wonder, top obesity researchers calculated that nearly four out of 10 adults in the USA will be obese within five years if people will keep packing on pounds at the current rate –putting their health at risk.

“Americans are gaining one to two pounds a year,” says James Hill, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. He’s one of several national weight-loss experts who offer possible solutions to the obesity epidemic in September’s issue of Journal Science. The report in this magazine showed that being obese shaves seven years off a person’s life, and just being overweight shortens a person’s life span by about three years.

Here are simple tips that will help you to stop gaining weight:

  • Don’t watch food shows with celebrity chefs teaching you how to make fattening foods.
  • Go seasonal and buy your produce at  Farmers’ Markets.
  • Make it fresh and choose organic foods without hormones, pesticides or preservatives.
  • Aim for minimally processed, lightly cooked or raw foods.
  • Eat 100 calories less every day.
  • Cut back a little on portions that you are served in restaurants, and do the same with your homemade meals.
  • Avoid drinking sodas and substitute it with spring water with a piece of lemon.
  • Burn 100 calories more a day with physical activity.
  • Walk one extra mile a day, which would take about 15 to 20 minutes of your time.

Healthy lifestyle and pure foods fire up our health and wellbeing. It all begins with clean up our life and diet. Read our descriptive reports about it in our next posts.

Source: Photo by Anna Cervova.

Copyright 2009.