In a culture of blame-shifting we often look for someone to blame for our predicament. Being overweight is no different - who is to blame for obesity?
"It's the fast food outlets - supplying us with fatty foods"
"Our thin-obsessed society is putting all sorts of pressure on even slightly overweight folks"
"The weight loss industry is to blame - after all if everyone was slim - they would go out of business"
Some will simply blame the overweight person - making generalizations and attaching unhelpful labels to the person. "After all" they say, "it's up to us to manage what we eat and how much we exercise".
There is truth in this, but it is too simplistic. Many overweight people have tried desperately to eat 'properly' to manage their weight - yet continue to struggle for years. There are a number of outside forces here that have more of an influence than we realise.
So Who Is To Blame?
The weight loss industry is large, with millions being spent every year by people looking for answers. Like any industry, it has it's share of charlatans and snake-oil salesmen. Many manufacturers of diet pills and weight loss supplements are certainly opportunists - rather than looking to treat the source (i.e. by eating right), they are trying to treat the symptoms. However we have found that most decent commercial weight loss programs have a genuine interest in helping people manage their weight. So it's unfair to cast blame on the entire 'industry'.
If we were to start looking for culprits, we might want to cast our eye at the food processing industry - that, coupled with savvy marketing experts, has snared us into eating so many kinds of processed foods that going to the supermarket is like walking through a nutritional minefield.
Get Them While Their Young
The Center For Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) recently conducted a study of the magazine "National Geographic for Kids". In 17 recent issues they found 51 ads for junk-foods - including a depiction of one meal that contained 590 calories (remember this is a magazine for children).
Many years ago a certain famous fast food outlet began calling its meals for children "Happy Meals" - creating an emotional response and attachment to certain foods - typically nutritionally poor foods.
Chemical Food and Clever Marketing
It's not the weight loss industry that's to blame - but the clever marketing tactics from the food processing giants that are misleading us. To make things worse - some popular weight loss diets have unfortunately associated themselves with snack food corporations, and severely reduced their credibility.
Is a low-carb / low-fat (take your pick) snack bar really that good for you? Take a look at the ingredients list - can you decipher all those numbers? Do you understand what a 'partially hydrogenated oil" is?
What about those great 'health' bars for the kids - they even have the healthy tick on them (indicating they are recommended by the American Heart Association). On closer inspection those 'healthy snacks' are nothing but lots of refined sugar, some white flour, trans fats, and a host of other chemicals. But hey - they're low in fat so they must be good? Right?
Finding the Right Food
It's a nightmare. What exactly is good for you? Who do you believe? Next time you see those bright colors, and eye-catching ads - do your own inspection of the ingredients list - you might be surprised.
Recently we bought some cranberry juice for our young daughter who had a slight urine infection - knowing that cranberry has some useful medicinal properties. Like any frazzled parent, having time to stand and stare at the nutrition panel while shopping with children is a rarity. That night our daughter had trouble getting to sleep, and woke up 3 or 4 times in the night. This is unusual for her.
On closer inspection of the so-called cranberry juice - we discovered that only 30% is actually cranberry, and the rest is water and 'high fructose corn syrup' - a chemically altered sugar with a fair share of (anecdotally) noted poor health affects.
What Is The Answer?
If obesity had a simple cause, don't you think we would have the answer by now? Good diet and exercise are the answer - but when we have large corporations spending millions to make us buy their food - it doesn't seem so simple anymore. Go figure - profit in the food industry is made by either people buying more food, or sourcing/manufacturing basic ingredients at less cost. How does good nutrition factor in this? Are you starting to get the picture?
There is no miracle weight loss cure - no diet plan that will fit everyone. The only long term answer is understanding how your own body reacts to the foods you eat. Weight loss is not a 6 week program, but a lifelong commitment to good nutrition and lifestyle.
About The Author
www.freedieting.com is a resource for everything concerning losing weight. Independent reviews of popular diets, free diet plans, and articles taking a serious look at the causes and solution of weight problems.
This article is available for reprint in your ezine or website. No changes should be made, and all links left in tact. (c) 2004 www.freedieting.com All Rights Reserved
spotless home service Deerfield ..Phentermine, like many other prescription drugs, works with chemicals called... Read More
In the early nineties I had the opportunity to work... Read More
Dietitians just plain don't like low-carb or high-protein diets.Whether it's... Read More
If you knew when you were going to die, would... Read More
Weight loss is so consistent and rapid after gastric bypass... Read More
Cellulite is not a medical condition or an aesthetic mutiny... Read More
Gastric Bypass surgery is becoming increasingly more popular for the... Read More
The people of earlier times depended on the rich resource... Read More
Any dietary plan on the market has some portion of... Read More
You have been on diets before. You probably have lost... Read More
Now that everything from a tan to pantyhose comes in... Read More
How would you like to eat all you want and... Read More
As a weight loss coach I speak will people regularly... Read More
Frankly, I'm puzzled whenever I hear this from somebody who's... Read More
We must all now be familiar with the Atkins Diet.... Read More
Is a weight loss workout routine right for you? Answer... Read More
In our mind's eye, we see our ancient ancestors as... Read More
Steady gains made in improvement in life expectancy may be... Read More
When embarking on a weight loss program people will almost... Read More
Your health is your responsibility. As a human being, you... Read More
A question from one of our readers:Dr. Mericle,With respect to... Read More
Abdominal liposuction refers to liposuction, or lipoplasty, that is performed... Read More
Do you know someone that is obsessed with the scale?... Read More
IT'S NOT ABOUT THE NUMBERS!The health clubs are always racking... Read More
When you're taking Phentermine, you should go to the emergency... Read More
spotless home service Buffalo Grove ..Repeat a lie often enough and people take it as... Read More
Dieting presents many complications if you are not fully committed... Read More
Just like any other diet, the Atkins diet can become... Read More
I have tried many "diets" here in the USA and... Read More
As the holidays approach, a frequent question from my clients... Read More
If you are trying to lose weight you may find... Read More
Most men and women that I have trained over the... Read More
Getting to the ROOT of the matter: If the plants... Read More
"Life is like a box of chocolates," drawled Forrest Gump.Metaphors... Read More
Diet PillsTaking diet pills is definitely not an effective weight... Read More
Saboteurs are people and thoughts that are going to sabotage... Read More
Twenty years ago, I did not expect to accomplish what... Read More
Many physical problems are related to obese condition, like difficulties... Read More
Are you one of the many who may be tempted... Read More
We have plans for everything these days. That is how... Read More
The weight loss protein debate centers around the effectiveness of... Read More
Remember that movie with Jim Carey, "Dumb and Dumber?" And... Read More
If you knew when you were going to die, would... Read More
Your blood cholesterol level is affected not only by what... Read More
Twenty years of health club consulting, 50,000 hours of paid... Read More
Why is it so hard to lose weight and keep... Read More
Got milk? New research suggests you should if you want... Read More
Do you want to lose weight? Of course you do,... Read More
It is very important for low carb dieters to stick... Read More
When you hear a doctor or a personal trainer say,... Read More
Weight Loss |