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
efficient cleaning crew Lake Forest ..Weight loss is one of the biggest industries in the... Read More
Green tea has been highly valued in Asia for centuries... Read More
To say that Americans are obsessed with dieting is an... Read More
The South Beach Diet was not created by your typical... Read More
I just finished working my quads on a weight machine.... Read More
A number of popular diets are focused on carbohydrates. Some... Read More
Do you know what the words really mean on food... Read More
Looking for Diet Programs on net is like looking for... Read More
Most people are unsure about how to begin a fat... Read More
WEIGHT LOSS:Nutrition and weight-loss researchers say that some supplements can... Read More
If you are overweight and suffer from pain in your... Read More
Gaining up to 20 pounds over four years can significantly... Read More
Ever wonder if you have a serious problem with binge... Read More
Trash Your TV! is pleased to announce the easiest weight... Read More
In today's bustling world we are constantly surrounded by media... Read More
Make sure that no more than a quarter of your... Read More
I have been seriously working on losing weight for about... Read More
Before many Australians recently, a devastating story unfolded on a... Read More
Although it is obviously not possible to turn the clock... Read More
Eating the right foods and exercising regularly have been the... Read More
I am so proud of you and your accomplishments. You're... Read More
Choosing a weight loss program may be a daunting task.... Read More
There are tons of fad diets and weight loss schemes... Read More
Have you ever worried about something so much it paralyzed... Read More
With all of the conflicting studies and fuzzy interpretation of... Read More
green cleaning service Deerfield ..Am I missing something here? If I am, someone please... Read More
After the post-Halloween sugar surge, everyone coaches you to get... Read More
Among the most popular forms of dieting is the South... Read More
With weight loss comes a lot of dedication and change... Read More
It is important that the public not only understand the... Read More
You may be considering weight loss surgery if you are... Read More
Lets face it, most of us live pretty busy lives... Read More
When was the last time you focused so much on... Read More
With the rise of obesity and the increasing incidence of... Read More
Metabolism is essentially the speed at which our body's motor... Read More
You have finally decided to tackle weight management and lose... Read More
Many people have asked me what foods they should eat... Read More
Quick, what's the first thought that pops into your head... Read More
In today's bustling world we are constantly surrounded by media... Read More
What if by making a few small changes in your... Read More
Weight training combines building muscle tone and working the cardiovascular... Read More
When you're taking Phentermine, you should go to the emergency... Read More
Low self-esteem produces a game of control. It causes a... Read More
There are currently over 100 billion dollars sold in weight-loss... Read More
Have a conversation about gastric bypass surgery with just about... Read More
Congratulations on waking up each morning and greeting the day... Read More
Zero Calorie Diet Sodas: Good Or Bad For Weight Loss?Calorie-free... Read More
The loss of fat comes from fat cells all over... Read More
With summer completed and school back in session, it'll be... Read More
Did you know that being successful with losing weight starts... Read More
Weight Loss |