Want to lose weight and assume that it is enough to limit your calorie intake and start moving more? Or maybe you don't believe in diets because you consider your extra pounds to be the "handiwork" of bad genes? In fact, most of the common knowledge about preventing obesity is untrue and myth.
The obesity epidemic is today one of the most serious public health problems in developed countries. But even if the situation seems relevant, and the topic of weight loss attracts the attention of the medical environment and inclines to search for new solutions, this does not prevent the support of myths and misconceptions that relate to weight gain and the fight against extra pounds. What “superstitions” do not allow us to rationally look at the problem of obesity?
We'll take a look at the 5 most common obesity myths and try to break them down with our research the fattest people in the world - Americans.
1. If you gain weight, genes are to blame
Some researchers attach too much importance to the genetic predisposition to correct or not correct body weight. However, between 1980 and 2000, the number of obese Americans doubled, which can in no way be justified by the principle of inheritance.
Why do we eat too much? The answer to this question seems simple: we eat a lot because we can do it. Either at home or in a restaurant for $ 1, you can get more food than ever before. Before World War II, the average American family devoted 25% of their income to groceries; in 2011, only 9.8%.
People now eat much more often in the city. Because food served in restaurants and bars tends to be richer in calories than homemade meals, out-of-home meals tend to be overweight. At the same time, the food industry has prepared tens of thousands of high-energy products for us, and with the help of marketing strategies, it inclines us to increased and often unnecessary purchases.
If we are to blame someone for our weight problems, then we should rebel against those business practices that can be said "no", as opposed to genes.
2. If you are overweight, you lack willpower.
According to the 2006 “study of limited access to food” it follows that most diets are not a useful strategy in the fight against obesity. People will not lose weight by reducing their portions because they will not be able to control themselves in the long run. Our environment and current psychophysical state have a direct impact on what we eat.
Research has shown that when we are worried about anything or are dealing with a lot of information, we tend to make the wrong dietary decisions. In one experiment, people were asked to choose snacks after they memorized a number of seven or two digits.It turned out that people with increased mental effort were twice as likely to choose a chocolate brownie compared to less "tired" colleagues who chose fruit salad. Adults were also found to be willing to eat longer and more after watching a TV program with interruptions for advertisements promoting the purchase of unhealthy food (the control group watched the same program, but without food advertisements, and the participants had less appetite).
In the same study, it was observed that children ate more fish-shaped crackers if they had previously watched ads for junk food. Our world lately has been so rich in temptations that encourage us to increase our consumption in various ways that we often do not understand. Even the most vigilant among us will have trouble controlling our reflexes.
3. Lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables is responsible for the obesity epidemic
In most cases, obesity has little to do with limited access to healthy food. Rather, the choices we make in grocery stores and supermarkets that focus on unhealthy foods are responsible for our weight problems. Since we tend to buy food with too much energy value, in theory we could save money by avoiding unhealthy foods, and the funds obtained in this way could not be spent on more expensive and healthier items.
Obesity is the most common consequence of poor food choices and too large portions. The problem is that even those of us with the best intentions to go to the vegetables section of the supermarket will likely not be able to refrain from buying the candy or chips on display at the checkout area. As much as 30% of all supermarket revenue comes from the sale of products placed in this strategic area. It is the marketing policy followed by most of the major stores that is responsible for our increased waist circumference. It is not enough to walk through the vegetable section and have the proper resources for a healthy diet to put more than just the right food in the cart.
4. Guilty of the obesity epidemic of a sedentary lifestyle
Michelle Obama's Let’s Move campaign assumes that if children move more, adolescent obesity will cease to be a problem. On the other hand, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites data that there was no significant decline in physical activity among children and young people in the 80s and 90s, that is, at a time when obesity rates among the youngest Americans skyrocketed. ...
Even if professional activity is associated with less physical effort than once, the demand for energy for activities related to leisure time is increasing. Which doesn't change the fact that the scales are showing us unwanted results. Strong evidence shows that increased caloric intake is responsible for our weight problems.
The National Health Survey found that Americans consume, on average, 500 more calories per day than in the 1970s, when obesity was not a big problem. Large portions will not harm us, provided that we reserve them for special occasions. Today, however, this abundance of menus is with us all year round. Most of us will no doubt be unable to burn that many extra calories through exercise.
5. You Can Cope With Obesity With Intimate Knowledge Of Food And A Healthy Diet
Studies of the health status of American scientists have shown that overseas 44% of male doctors cannot cope with obesity. Sociologists at the University of Maryland found that 55% of American nurses are overweight or obese.Since health care professionals who work in the health profession cannot take care of their normal weight, how can knowledge of healthy eating help others?
Even a thorough knowledge of good nutrition is not very helpful in the face of temptations like XXL portions and marketing gimmicks to push us to more consumption.
It's worth looking at American alcohol policy: only licensed stores can sell alcohol to people over the age of 21. Quite different standards apply to the sale of food: little is done to protect consumers from the risks of overeating.
In the 19th century, when the purity of the water left much to be desired, infectious diseases were responsible for the increased mortality. The establishment of sanitary controls helped to improve the health of residents. Likewise, if we did not live today in a world of seducing us harmful foods like fast food, sweetened drinks, foods high in fat, sugar and soda, the incidence of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease would plummet.
Knowledge, of course, will not harm us, but what would really be effective is improved legal regulation that prohibits, for example, advertising of junk food, which only increases our dependence on sugar and fat.