It’s hard to be good all of the time. Last Wednesday, I had a healthful breakfast of oatmeal, strawberries, skim milk and ground flaxseed, but when I got to work I impulsively bought two double chocolate cookies in the cafeteria.
And boy, did those cookies taste good! But when I heard about a recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that predicts 42 percent of Americans will be obese by 2030, I began to wonder about my food choices.
Research shows that eating just 100 excess calories a day can cause you to gain 10 pounds in one year. So if I indulge cookies every day or a Classic Coke, I could be on my way to gaining 10 pounds. By 2030, I could gain a total of 180 pounds.
The CDC study really makes me think about the importance of making good food choices such as eating more fruits and vegetables.
The CDC also predicts the increase in the number of obese Americans could cost $550 billion in terms of obesity-related health care costs.
Does this study concern you? If so, what are you taking to keep your weight at a healthy level? What foods are most likely to get you off track? Chocolate cookies? French fries?