One-third of the American population is obese, and two-thirds of the population is on the way to becoming obese, but what does obesity actually mean?
Officially you are considered obese if your BMI is greater than 30. To calculate BMI: https://bmicalculatorusa.com/
Why is it bad?
Here are some of the risks associated with obesity:
- Heart Disease
- Stroke
- High Blood Pressure
- Diabetes
- Cancers
All these diseases, once they arise, are difficult to cure. You will end up spending the rest of your life managing these diseases.
Why is obesity such a large problem?
The accessibility of high fat, high carb foods as increased over time while costs have decreased. The introduction of fast food, snacks, and sugary beverages in people’s everyday diets has dramatically increased obesity.
Another issue is the lack of education around lifestyle and specifically what you can do to reach a healthy weight based on your lifestyle.
A solution?
Monitoring your health is the best solution, but also educating yourself about nutrition and fitness can lead the way to lower obesity rates.
Some solutions have already been attempted. For example, the sugary drink tax was passed in 2014, and already an effect has been seen on the number of sugary beverages bought. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040218-043816
Similar methods can be enforced to limit access to foods that can cause obesity; however, the better option would be to learn more about your own health whether that be through your doctor or online material.
