Obesity or overweight is defined as the accumulation of excessive fat in the body.lt is a modern-day life style problem caused by eating too much and not doing adequate exercise.If we consume large amounts of food,The excess of it is stored in the body for future needs but if we donot do enough physical activity,the food is converted into fats and stored in various tissues of the body.Earlier it was the problem of high-income and Urban areas but now it has diversified and is present in even middle and lower-income classes also.
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| An obese person |
To decide whether a subject is obese or not is done on the basis of Body Mass lndex(BMI).BMI is defined as weight upon height square.A BMI value less than 25 kg/sq.m is considered to be normal.A value greater than 30kg/sq.m is considered to be high and the person is declared obese.
The level of risk is determined on the basis of
- Class 1 or Low-Risk---BMI greater than 30 but less than 35.
- Class 2 or Moderate-Risk--BMI greater than 35 but less than 40.
- Class 3 or High-Risk--BMI greater than 40.
The various food that are said to cause obesity are--
- Sugar containing beverages
- Excess sweets
- High carbohydrate foods
- Processed foods
- Fast foods,etc.
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| Processed foods |
These foods are not the newer addition to the list of foods already present from time immemorial.But their excessive intake has lead to the problem of obesity.It is mainly a life style problem.Nowadays,we do not want to do as little as a 10 minute walk to a shop for purchasing some commodities for day-to-day use.The modern gadgets particularly Mobile phones/smart phones have made the culture of sitting idle at home, watching reels/videos etc for long hours a necessity.Even during breakfast/lunch you will see every member of the family busy with his smart phone.Now,you don't have to go to the store by foot for bringing food,clothes,etc.You have to just open your phone,go to the stores app and order the commodity and in no time it is at your disposal.True,one cannot disregard/dismiss the various benefits of internet and latest gadgets but one has to balance their use.During COVID-19 schools and business institutions were closed and physical attendance was suspended and all the work was shifted to online mode.Students and employees were compelled to switch over to online mode and would spend almost 8 hours daily on their smartphones/laptops and complete their tasks.This took a heavy toll on their health.
Although there is some evidence of genetic reasons for obesity but that cannot overlook the major culprits like high carbohydrate foods,low or no physical activity and so on.
Foods that do not result in obesity
- Whole grains
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Healthier fats,etc.
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| Fresh fruit for healthier life.. |
Some statistics of obesity.
The island country Nauru is the world's most obese country with nearly 60% of the population being obese.The average BMI there is almost 35.Vietnam is the least obese country with obesity rate being 2.1% only.
How can one manage obesity/reduce weight?
Well,it is commonly observed that it is very easy to gain weight but losing excess weight exhausts a man.physical exercise and low calorie foods are the two most important measures to reduce weight.waking up early in the morning and doing a walk of atleast 30 minutes should be everyone's first priority of the day.In these busy and fast times one should try to the best of his ability to prioritise his health.Going to the gym and doing workout for atleast 1 hour should be made a norm by both students and office bearers.The habit of eating fast foods and processed foods should be shunned at once.Adding fruits and salads to the meals should be normalised by all.Use of bicycles should be encouraged for people of all age groups.These are some of the measures which can help people to remain at a safe distance from obesity and live a healthier life....
Thanks ..
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