Obesity
Obesity is when a person is carrying too much body fat for their height and sex. A person is considered obese if they have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater (see box, to the left).
Today a™s way of life is less physically active than it used to be. People travel on buses and cars, rather than walking, and many people work in offices, where they are sitting still for most of the day. This means that the calories they eat are not getting burnt off as energy. Instead, the extra calories are stored as fat.
Overtime, eating excess calories leads to weight gain. Without lifestyle changes to increase the amount of physical activity done on a daily basis, or reduce the amount of calories consumed, people can become obese.
Symptoms
- Breathing disorders (e.g., sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Certain types of cancers (e.g., prostate and bowel cancer in men, breast and uterine cancer in women)
- Coronary artery (heart) disease
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Gallbladder or liver disease
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Joint disease (e.g., osteoarthritis)
- Stroke
People who are obese may have the symptoms of the medical conditions mentioned above. High blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, breathing problems, and joint pain are common. The more obese a person is, the more likely they are to have medical problems related to obesity.
Aside from the medical complications, obesity is also linked to psychosocial problems such as low self-esteem, discrimination, difficulty finding employment, and reduced quality of life.
How can I know if I have Obesity?
For adults, overweight and obesity ranges are determined by using your weight and height to calculate a number called your "Body Mass Index" or BMI. For most people, BMI is a good indicator of their amount of body fat. An adult who has a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight, and an adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.
For children and teens, BMI ranges and calculations are done differently and they take into account the normal differences in body fat between girls and boys, as well as differences at various ages.
Food That Cure Obesity
Kiwifruit: This tiny, nutrient-dense fruit packs an amazing amount of vitamin C (double the amount found in oranges), has more fiber than apples, and beats bananas as a high-potassium food. The unique blend of phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals found in kiwifruit helps protect against heart disease, stroke, cancer, and respiratory disease. Kiwifruit's natural blood-thinning properties work without the side effects of aspirin and support vascular health by reducing the formation of spontaneous blood clots, lowering LDL cholesterol, and reducing blood pressure. Multiple studies have shown that kiwifruit not only reduces oxidative stress and damage to DNA but also prompts damaged cells to repair themselves.
Cherries: Cherries boast a laundry list of healing powers. For starters, they pack a powerful nutritional punch for a relatively low calorie count. They're also packed with substances that help fight inflammation and cancer. As if that weren't enough, in lab studies, quercetin and ellagic acid, two compounds contained in cherries, have been shown to inhibit the growth of tumors and even cause cancer cells to commit suicide without damaging healthy cells. Cherries also have antiviral and antibacterial properties.
Guavas: Guavas are a small tropical fruit that can be round, oval, or pear-shaped. They're not all that common, so they might be hard to find, depending on where you live. But if you can track them down, it's more than worth it. Guavas contain more of the cancer-fighting antioxidant lycopene than any other fruit or vegetable, and nearly 20 percent more than tomatoes. Our bodies can't process much of the lycopene in tomatoes until they're cooked; the processing helps break down tough cell walls. However, guavas' cell structure allows the antioxidant to be absorbed whether the fruit is raw or cooked, and the whole fruit offers the nutrition without the added sodium of processed tomato products.
Beans: Beans are a miracle food. They lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar and insulin production, promote digestive health, and protect against cancer. If you think of fiber, protein, and antioxidants and immediately think whole grains, meat, and fruit, think again beans offer all three in a single package.
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