Food and obesity

It is the food we eat that is making us obese.

There is no denying that people get less physical activity, but people are also health-conscious and trying to eat healthier food. Yet, they are still obese.

The quality of food, and portion sizes is the culprit.

People don't get adequate nutrition, calories, or proteins from their food. They compensate by eating more food, or have a snack, dessert, or a sugary drink. This is what causes obesity.

Academic research from multiple universities shows that food is 20-40% less nutritious compared to 25 years ago. This has been shown to be due to newer faster growing but less nutritious varieties of crops, soil depletion, and climate change. The same quantity of food has lower nutrition today. So people tend to eat more bulk to get the same or less nutrition.

Raw meat today has more fat, and less protein and vitamins compared to 25 years ago. Fruits and vegetables today have 20-40% less vitamins, minerals, and trace elements compared to 25 years ago.

Food portions today seem to be measured for a 5ft 1in sedentary woman. They are not adequate for 5ft 10in man doing some physical activity. The portions recommended in cookbooks and TV shows are too small. Small portion sizes is a particular problem if you eat out. The size of a burger, or a sandwich, is not enough for an average person. Food is also fluffed up with lettuce. The bread is specially developed bread with air and sugar in it. There is a well-known rule of thumb that you can determine the quality of salad and food by the amount of lettuce in it. The more the lettuce, the lower the overall quality of food. Lettuce and fluffed up bread make the small portions look big. The portion size just isn't enough to provide adequate nutrition or calories for an average person. This is even more acute for vegetarian food where a vegetarian portion has one or two spoonfuls of food, and the rest is water with corn starch thickener.

The result is that people will add sugar-laden sauce with empty calories just to feel satiated. Others will have dessert or a sugary drink or milkshake or a snack soon after their meal. This adds empty sugary calories to your diet contributing to obesity.

Spending an hour at the gym is not as effective as people expect it to be. People simply eat more after going to the gym. An hour at the gym cannot compensate for insufficient nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle for rest of the day.

Stay physically active throughout the day and get adequate sleep.

Eat the same food that your grandparents did. Avoid modern low-fat food. Avoid Canola or vegetable or sunflower oil. The Indian 'ghee' is the healthiest fat you can use for cooking. It has been in use for at least 3000 years. A good rule of thumb is that if your grandparents didn't eat it, you should not eat it.

Learn about different varieties of crops, fruits, vegetables, dairy and poultry. Find one or more farms which can provide you nutritious food. Farmers market and co-operatives are usually just as bad as they sell you the same food as they sell to supermarkets. If you live among nature, start your kitchen or community garden to grow nutritious crops.

Eat fresh, nutritious, balanced, genuinely organic, traditional, home-cooked food. Ensure you eat sufficiently large portions of nutritious food so you don't need junk snacks and sugary drinks between meals. Avoid dessert. Don't skip meals. Always have a healthy large cooked breakfast, and not just a large bowl of sugar-laden cereal. Avoid common and regular practice of 'grabbing a salad or sandwich' for lunch. Avoid eating out. Eat fruit between meals as a snack.

It is the food we eat that is making us obese. It is easy to fix and it is up to us.


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