Obesity in Adolescents


You see it every day, news and information that bring to the front our problem with our weight. It’s not just the older sedentary population or the overworked middle-age population. It is a national epidemic.


The first question we should be asking is how did we get here? How did we go from one of the most physically fit nations to just wallowing in our weight?  


Over the last thirty years, food nutritionists and the food industry have embraced the idea of lowering our fat intake. This was a direct result of the information published by the government that encouraged less egg consumption because of the cholesterol found in eggs. After that information, doctors discovered that when we consume fat, we have higher incidences of cholesterol problems. The logical conclusion: fat must be bad for you. So, an entire generation has grown up with fat-free foods because they were taught that fat was what made us fat, clogged our arteries, and generally caused ill-health.  


So what did we do? We turned to carbs in the form of sugar to compensate for the loss in the taste of food that had the fat removed. You see, fat is what gives many of our foods their delicious taste. When you remove the fat, the taste must be artificially injected into the food. The result is a food that is higher in sugar content but lower in fat. Hence, all the beautiful labels display the claim of being “fat-free” but neglect to mention the higher sugar level. Lowered fat foods should have created a slim, trim, healthy population. Right?


We could not have been further from the truth. As it turns out, fat is a necessary part of our metabolic processes. We need the fat to utilize many of the vitamins and nutrients we consume correctly. When did we make this discovery? Some thirty years too late for some people. Now, we have an entire generation of young people who, because of their high carbohydrate food choices, have become a nation of obese adults. Never before has a country recorded the kind of obesity problems our nation is now facing. Young people are experiencing low self-esteem, weight-related health problems, and many emotional issues thanks to obesity. How can we try to help them correct this problem?


According to the guides published by the USDA, calorie needs vary from one age group to another and one gender to another. So how do you determine what your individual child’s needs are? You can set up a journal for recording your daily caloric intake for about a month. Make a note of your weight each day. If you don’t gain weight during that month, you’re eating your recommended calorie level to maintain weight. Now, take that calorie information, and comprise a combination of foods that will help you achieve this recommended daily intake and still be enough to fill and please the palette. You now have an individualized healthy eating plan. This is the safe, sure way to reach weight loss goals. It didn’t become a problem overnight and won’t go away overnight.

The Shaolin Warrior

Location: 7440 W Cactus Rd Suite A-9, Peoria, AZ 85381, USA

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