Fast Food And Obesity Are Correlated
March 24, 2008
Obesity is a common problem in countries like America, India etc. In America one in every three person is classified as obese. Obesity is a condition where an adult person is not able to maintain a balance between his calories intake and energy expenditure. Thus the person is said to be in an obese condition.
Obesity is determined through a formula called Body mass Index (BMI). If BMI is more than 30, the person is said to be obese.
Causes of obesity
These teenagers are at considerable risk of becoming obese adults. As children unhealthy eating habits and poor food choices were main reasons contributing to children obesity. Also lack of Exercise has been a leading cause of child obesity. Since a few years there is a considerable increase in the percentage of obesity in adults. . Business lunches, convenient take always, kiddie’s fast food treats, family meals. Eating out is on a rise for this generation. Thus all these factors are largely responsible for adolescent obesity not only in developed countries but also in developing countries.
Fast Food and Obesity:
For many youngsters fat food is the way of life. These teenagers and adolescents survive only on fast food. Be it for breakfast, lunch or dinner these adolescents will prefer ordering the food from outside, as it is convenient and tasty as well. Their breakfast consists of sausage and biscuit plus an order of hash brown potatoes. The fast food biscuit is usually loaded with margarine, or even worse, lard. The amount of trans fat alone is enough to cause arterial damage. Lunch might consist of a ΒΌ pound bacon cheeseburger, an order of fries, and a drink. And if all these special food is ordered in a “Super Size” then the amount of calories consumed in a single day will easily cross 1600 Kcal. Thus this is more than sufficient for many people.
Apart from this fast food is harmful due to low fiber content. A Fast food meal consists of low quality carbohydrates, high levels of saturated fat, white bread, and a sugary soda. All this is exactly opposite of what a healthy meal should contain. Experts on fast food and obesity say there is now an alarming rate of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in the United States. These numbers have continued to rise at an alarming rate during the past few years.
Research has shown that if these young adults have fast food at least 3-4 times a week then the chances of obesity increases by 50%. The fact is fast food not only tastes good but also is convenient, cheap and readily available. Plus the fast food contains high levels of sodium, oil, refined sugar, and refined flour. All these are detrimental to our health.
Fast Food And Obesity - The Risk For Diabetes
Fast foods are directly related to Type 2 diabetes. Fast food leads to obesity and obesity means overweigh, that results into diabetes. Thus fast food is the main culprit. The high carbohydrate content of fast food puts an added strain on the body’s ability to produce insulin. With this continued strain the body loses the ability to produce the amount of insulin needed to deal with the high sugar levels produced after a meal.
Summary:
The moral is that fast food and obesity go hand in hand. So in order to avoid obesity and thereby diabetes, it is extremely essential to follow a healthy diet. This includes having salads, vegetables, plenty of juices etc. apart from this the level of physical activity should also be increased. Thus obesity then would not be a major problem to deal with.
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