school trips open the lunches their parents pack for them, gobble up the Oreos and Pop-Tarts and toss out the sandwiches” (Elmer-Dewitt).
A Harvard Health Report, “Weight Less, Live Longer,” discusses how many people donot realize that their appetite and diet can be closely related to many psychological factors. Any person who has ever binged on chips or cookies when they feel upset can understand this.Several studies have shown that people tend to eat more when they feel anxious, depressed, or have symptoms of other emotional disorders. Certain foods have been known to have a calmingeffect, although unfortunately it is usually the fattening foods that do. When a depressed personeats to feel better, they gain weight, and being overweight can in turn cause depression and theemotional problems that signal overeating. A vicious cycle begins. Being overweight can causemore emotional problems than just overeating, however. Sadly, obese people are very oftensocially shunned, judged, criticized, and made fun of. They have more trouble finding jobs,friends, and mates. Being discriminated against just adds to the emotional strain that overweight people have to deal with. Their depression from being obese can cause feelings of hopelessness,making it seem impossible for them to try to lose weight and change the way they look (WhyPeople Become Overweight). The book Food as a Drug describes some studies that have beendone to try and see if obesity could be considered the same as a drug dependency disorder. Foodcan sometimes be a powerful psychoactive substance, and “one way to view eating disorders isto appreciate that food is a complex mixture and that the body responds to food as it does tochemicals, such as those found in alcohol and other psychoactive drugs. Eating disorders aretherefore chemical disorders” (Food as a Drug).
The food we eat in America is another factor contributing to the nation’s obese population. The desire for junk food has rapidly replaced the desire for fruits and vegetables and
Cause Of Obesity
Today two-thirds of adults and nearly one-third of children struggle with overweight and obesity. Obesity is not just an appearance concern; it is the excessive body fat that can increase the risk other diseases and health problems. Whether someone is obese or not depends on their Body Mass Index (BMI); 25 to 29.9 is overweight, 30+ is obese, and 40+ is extremely obese. There is no single cause of all overweight and obesity. There is no single approach that can help prevent or treat overweight and obesity. However, over the years, people have gathered more information about this disease and come up with multiple reason why people are obese. The number one cause of obesity is the fact that people are not eating a healthy diet and not exercising enough. It is easy to go out and grab some fast food with our busy schedule. A healthy diet is not just about having more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, it’s also about maintaining a balanced diet, moderation, and portion control. By consuming more fatty and sugary foods but more burning them off, creates a buildup of fats in the body. Hence, this leads to overweight, high BMI, and also obesity.
The environment that we live in and the culture we practice also play a role in obesity. Large portions of food are energy that is consumed into the body; however, not enough energy is burned out. When everyone around us is eating the same portion, the same unhealthy food, and doing similar activities, it is hard to just listen to your body and think how much it really needs. This leads to overeating, inactive lifestyle, and also mindless eating. When parents are obese, the children are more likely to be obese in the future. This is because children adopt their parents’ behavior. A child is more likely to have symptoms of obesity if his parents are overweight, eating high calories food, unhealthy diet, and inactive.
Obesity may not seem like a crucial disease like cancer, but it is as deadly as any diseases out there. Obesity can increase a person’s risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, breathing problems, and even cancer. It important to take note of the causes of obesity and recognize them so that being obese will not be the next common disease. Having a healthy diet, going outdoors and staying active, changing the portion size and mindless eating habits, and starting a new healthy lifestyle can not only prevent you from being obese but also reduce your risk to other sickness and disease as well as creating a healthier body for a better life.