Long Term Solutions for a BIG Problem
One of the major health problems facing our country today is the epidemic of obesity. Unfortunately, experts on obesity are turning toward an unsustainable and potentially dangerous solution to this problem. According to a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle, citing the June issue of the medical journal Obesity, doctors are recommending a “minimally invasive weight loss surgery” to combat the obesity problem.
This is disappointing news; not only because the number of overweight children in the United States has tripled in the last 30 years.
Since obesity has hit alarming rates, physicians are scrambling for a quick fix. The solution is actually very simple: start in the early years and create a diet for your child that is full of whole foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals. Make sure they get physical activity everyday and diversify your meal choices. Instead of white rice or other refined grains choose quinoa, bulgur, or buckwheat. Processed foods that contain additives, like high fructose corn syrup, will only perpetuate the obesity problem in our country.
Remember that quick fix solutions do not generally result in long-term success. If you fix the problem at its source, you are more likely to create a lasting change. In this case, the diets of children in the US must be changed or an entire generation will remain at risk of diabetes, heart disease, and countless other problems.
What are your thoughts on weight loss surgery as a soulution to the obesity problem?
Comments
Seems like this is the way America thinks these days...I want it NOW! This mentality is why we are in this situation now. I believe just as your post reads...start our children out on a healthy nutritious way of eating and make sure they are active. Obesity for the most part is a "learned" way of living...and it can be changed.
As a parent I do my best to set an example for my children and others...I hope that they will embrace a healthier lifestyle...there are so many benefits to being fit and healthy. :)
I am deeply concerned about this procedure and I don't think it addresses the lifestyle change that is needed. I would like to see some statistics on the number of people that have had these surgeries done and later developed other health issues. Did it really make a difference or was it just a temporary fix?
Minimally invasive surgery for weight loss? This is dangerous and ludicrous. While I agree that the US has a serious weight problem, I am appalled at the photo you have used to accompany this article. This baby is not obese. It's a normal baby, for crying out loud. I have pictures of my children when they were babies that look exactly like one above. They are now slim teens. You have robbed this article of a lot of credibility by using this photo.
My mother had an intestinal bipass decades ago (long before I was born). She had been obese her whole life because there was a problem with the appetite control center in her brain; it wasn't telling her when she was full so she would overeat without realizing it. She almost died. It was reversed and she got a stomach staple. She's not obese anymore but she certainly has other health problems, some of which are linked to her surgery but some have no connection. However, I think she would have had worse problems had she not had a stomach staple. In her case, I don't think anyone could have told her to just eat healthy. At the weight she was at, there was no way she could have lost it natural and kept it off.
That said, I don't believe the vast majority of obese people have a problem in their brain. Most people would be fine, I think, if they were introduced to a healthy lifestyle early on.
Reading the statistic that the number of overweight children has tripled in the past 30 years makes a lot of sense from my own experience. Another fascinating fact that I read some months ago is that chicken nuggets started to become popular about 30 years ago and were sold for the first time by McDonald's in 1980. I was born in the late 70s. I was also one of very few overweight children during my elementary and middle school years.
There are several reasons why I was overweight. A regular diet of deep fried foods, like chicken nuggets, and a lack of connection and understanding of the importance and necessity of physical activity were two main reasons. I was raised by a young single-mother, who always purchased frozen foods like nuggets, because they were available and cheap and I could make them for myself. Corn and potatoes were the "vegetables" that I grew up eating. My family didn't have exposure to information on nutrition. So, I know that they did the best that they could given what they knew.
Additionally, I was a book worm and very into school. So, the outdoors didn't really hold very much appeal to me. However, I do believe that I could have developed an appreciation for physical activity when I was a child, if I had understood the connection between my weight and physical activity! I had no idea why I was overweight. I ate the same food that my brother ate and he was slim (and also very active). Every summer, I would fantasize about losing weight and going back to school the next year with a different body. Well, that never happened and I was 255 lbs by the time I was in 8th grade.
When I was 18, I vowed that I would get my stomach "stapled," if I didn't figure out a way to lose weight. That same year, I went off to college. On campus, I found myself in a very supportive environment that was an excellent match for me. I walked everywhere, went to the gym regularly, and had my FIRST taste of broccoli and many other veggies. While many students gained the freshman 15, my body released 85 lbs. I personally know four women who have had gastric bypass and of course the "quick fix" surgery did not help them resolve their underlying imbalances with food and their bodies. So, I am definitely an advocate for prevention and focusing on transforming the central issues that promote excess weight that the body can live without.
Reading the statistic that the number of overweight children has tripled in the past 30 years makes a lot of sense from my own experience. Another fascinating fact that I read some months ago is that chicken nuggets started to become popular about 30 years ago and were sold for the first time by McDonald's in 1980. I was born in the late 70s. I was also one of very few overweight children during my elementary and middle school years.
There are several reasons why I was overweight. A regular diet of deep fried foods, like chicken nuggets, and a lack of connection and understanding of the importance and necessity of physical activity were two main reasons. I was raised by a young single-mother, who always purchased frozen foods like nuggets, because they were available and cheap and I could make them for myself. Corn and potatoes were the "vegetables" that I grew up eating. My family didn't have exposure to information on nutrition. So, I know that they did the best that they could given what they knew.
Additionally, I was a book worm and very into school. So, the outdoors didn't really hold very much appeal to me. However, I do believe that I could have developed an appreciation for physical activity when I was a child, if I had understood the connection between my weight and physical activity! I had no idea why I was overweight. I ate the same food that my brother ate and he was slim (and also very active). Every summer, I would fantasize about losing weight and going back to school the next year with a different body. Well, that never happened and I was 255 lbs by the time I was in 8th grade.
When I was 18, I vowed that I would get my stomach "stapled," if I didn't figure out a way to lose weight. That same year, I went off to college. On campus, I found myself in a very supportive environment that was an excellent match for me. I walked everywhere, went to the gym regularly, and had my FIRST taste of broccoli and many other veggies. While many students gained the freshman 15, my body released 85 lbs. I personally know four women who have had gastric bypass and of course the "quick fix" surgery did not help them resolve their underlying imbalances with food and their bodies. So, I am definitely an advocate for prevention and focusing on transforming the central issues that promote excess weight that the body can live without.