Economical Imbalance and the fight of Obesity

April 8, 2015

Economical Imbalance and the fight of Obesity: What is derailing the Fight?

Economical Imbalance and the fight of Obesity. The foods that leads to obesity may be appealing and appetizing but their attractiveness only serve to attract diseases

Where I come from there is a wise say that the fingers are never the same. This phrase is used in reference of our diverse economic differences. Much as we are putting effort to have a comfortable life, we will never have it all. Some people will have more than enough and others will have enough while another may not have at all. That is life and it is part of us. This introduction of the wise saying ushers us into our discussion of the economical imbalance and the fight of obesity. If you are wondering how this is a factor, then you are at the right place because by the time we are done, you will be well equipped with all the relevant information you need to know declares doctor Dalal Akoury the MD and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. We are all aware that the problem of obesity and weight gain is a serious threat to life. This problem is never discriminative as it can affect anyone irrespective of status. Both the rich and the poor are vulnerable and variance is what we want to find out from the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center.

Economical Imbalance and the fight of Obesity: Food security

Talking of food security a lot is being done to ensure that everyone something to eat. However the different economical factor does not allow equality in this. There are those who will have plenty and those who may not have at all. That is why we have the rich and the poor because of the economical line drown between then by virtue of their earnings. It is true that the rich has plenty and can access best quality of food as they may wish. On the other hand, the poor who live from hand to mouth has not heard of the word quality. This is a vocabulary which is non-existent in their dictionary and a luxury they can’t afford. Their unsteady income can only allow them to feed subject to availability. The three triangular meals is not known to them and this impacts negatively on their weight and general well-being.

Economical Imbalance and the fight of Obesity: Limited food budgets and choices

The economical imbalance in the world today is being felt majorly by the poor. While the poor are drawing their budget for food, they are often faced with difficult choices to make. That little must take them through to the next time they get another pay which in many cases is not guaranteed. Situations like this are frustrating to them and the result often leads to indulgence in certain unhealthy behaviors. Due to this constrain, they will opt for much durable elements and processed foods which are rich in fats and energy like sugar, cereals, potatoes and processed meat products. They will definitely see fruits and vegetables as luxuries they can’t afford simply they are perishable and will not last until their next pay duration. The bad news is that such food they go for are never healthy and introduces to high risk of weight gain and being obese.

Their places of residence also act to their disadvantage in the sense that, getting healthy food is not easily accessible. They are literally surrounded with a chain of small food stores stocking very unhealthy stuff like cheap, high fat foods. Further to this they live a very stressful life where due to inabilities to meet certain obligations like footing bills like rent and we all know the consequences of stress.

Economical Imbalance and the fight of Obesity: Limited physical activities

Taking of good health which is the most valuable asset one can ever have. But to the poor this may not be the case since good health is not all about health foods but also being active physically. Their economic situation does not allow them to access the gym facilities for active physical activities. The absent of continuous body exercise is recipe for weight gain and obesity. They cannot afford to organize children’s events outside school making their children to be less active physically. This is evidence because of inflexible work schedule, lack of transportation or unmet needs for child care, poor parents find it hard to support extra activities for their children. Leaving kids in front of the television is often all stressed poor parents can manage. This inability is not helpful as it only help increasing the risk of overweight and obesity.

Economical Imbalance and the fight of Obesity: Food deprivation and overeating

Those who are eating less or skipping meals to stretch food budgets may over-eat when food does become available, resulting in chronic ups and downs in food intake that can contribute to weight gain. Cycles of food restriction or deprivation also can lead to an unhealthy preoccupation with food and metabolic changes that promote fat storage.

The “feast or famine” situation is especially a problem for low-income parents, particularly mothers, who often restrict their food intake and sacrifice their own nutrition in order to protect their children from hunger. Such a coping mechanism puts them at risk for obesity and research shows that parental obesity, especially maternal obesity, is in turn a strong predictor of childhood obesity.

Economical Imbalance and the fight of Obesity: High levels of stress

Low-income families, including children, may face high levels of stress due to the financial and emotional pressures of food insecurity, low-wage work and luck of access to health care, inadequate and long-distance transportation, poor housing, neighborhood violence, and other factors. Research has linked stress to obesity in youth and adults, including (for adults) stress from job-related demands and difficulty paying bills. Stress may lead to weight gain through stress-induced hormonal and metabolic changes as well as unhealthful eating behaviors. Stress, particularly chronic stress, also may trigger anxiety and depression, which are both associated with child and adult obesity.

This is a very painful truth that economical imbalance can be a serious contributor to weight gain and obesity. Like I had said our fingers are not the same and will never be. It means that this problem is likely to recur from one generation to another. However there are things that you can do despite of your economic situation to defeat this problem of obesity. You can schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury a re-known medical doctor specializing on addiction and obesity. She has been in the practice for over two decades and her vast experience will be very beneficial for you if only you can take that step today.

Economical Imbalance and the fight of Obesity: What is derailing the Fight?

Group Weight Loss Programs may Work better than doing it alone

November 21, 2014

Group Weight Loss Programs may Work better than doing it alone – Want to lose weight?

Did you know that group weight loss programs may work better for you than doing it alone? It is cost effective and full of support and encouragement from your colleagues.

The topic of losing weight is getting much attention in most societies due to its effects on human lives. Many times the fight has been centered on the individual struggling to lose for a healthy living. The individualization of the recovery process has actually worked for many in the past.as time goes by, things are changing towards effective weight loss. Currently many people are opting for group weight loss programs for various reasons. This is what is going to form the basis of our discussion in this article. We are aware of the several challenges that overweight and obese people face in our societies. For instance stigma and discrimination towards them are so prevalent and poses many consequences for their psychological and physical health.

These are some of the consequences best addressed at the group weight loss programs. It is regrettable that despite the several documentation of effect of stigma and discrimination their health effects are still extensively overlooked. In fact many people often blame the victims for causing the problem to them. The question I asked is this fair? If you are struggling with weight, I want to give you hope that solution is within reach at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. This facility was founded by doctor Dalal Akoury to help you overcome your weight related problems. You can reach for help either as an individual, a family or a group of friends. However, for the purpose of this article, we will be talking about the benefits of group weight loss programs offered by AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center.

Like I was saying stigmatization of obese individuals threatens health by generating health discrepancies, and interferes with effective obesity intervention efforts. That is why group weight loss programs conducted by doctor Dalal Akoury is focusing on addressing the weight stigma as both a social justice issue and an urgency for public health. I beseech you to come up of your hide out and face the situation as it is by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Akoury today. This will give you the head start in overcoming any form of stigma and discrimination and focus on you purpose which is full recovery.

Emotional and Social Problems

Emotional and social problems are best dealt with at the group weight loss programs for many reasons. These are problems which definitely needs the support of others other than the health care professional attending to the patient. That is why taking part in group weight loss program in more beneficial than individual recovery process. During these seasons, members of the group are able to lift one another’s spirit by encouragement and being role models.

Depression – the experts have established a close link between depression and obesity and more so in obese women. In instances where depression is extreme the victims are likely to overeat and get addicted to some unhealthy food and in the process gain weight. Besides that overweight people are also likely to become depressed because of social problems and even poor self-image. In all this the solution would be group weight loss program tailored to bring back the lost hope in ever being free from the epidemic of overweight and obesity.

Lifestyle Changes and Psychosocial Treatments

It will interest you to know that even the slightest weight loss either individually or in a group weight loss, can reduce the risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. The simplest method to weight loss is by dropping calories and exercising at least 2.5 hours weekly. Behavioral and mental changes in eating habits, physical activity, and attitudes about food and weight are also essential to weight management.

Some Tips for Losing Weight

The following are some general suggestions for dieters:

Collectively in a group weight loss program, desire to start with genuine objectives. Diet failure is extremely common, and the odds of significant weight loss are low, particularly in people with the highest weights. People, who are able to restrict calories, engage in an exercise program, and get help in making behavioral changes can expect to lose 5 – 10% of their current body weight. That is generally all that is needed to achieve meaningful health changes. Certainly, the distorted image of a super-thin female shape should not be anyone’s goal.
Don’t give up, even after repeated weight loss failures. Most studies indicate that yo-yo dieting or weight cycling have no bad psychological or physical effects. Repeated dieting also does not harm the body’s ability to burn calories efficiently.
Once the pounds are lost, do your best to keep the healthier weight. Make daily, even hourly, conscious decisions about eating and exercising activities. Such thinking, in many cases, can become automatic and not painful.
Do not use hunger pangs as cues to eat. A stomach that has been stretched by large meals will continue to signal hunger for large amounts of food until its size reduces over time with smaller meals.
Be honest about how much you eat and start by recording all calories in writing. Many people significantly underestimate their consumption of high-calorie foods and overestimate intake of low-calorie foods. People who do not carefully note everything they eat tend to take in too many calories when they believe they are dieting.
Observe weekend eating. People tend to eat more on the weekends. If it is difficult to monitor all meals during the week, it may be useful to at least track eating habits during the weekends.
Weight loss, in any case, should not be the only or even the primary goal for people concerned about their health. The success of weight loss efforts should be evaluated according to improvements in disease risk factors or symptoms, and by the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits, not just by the number of pounds lost.
Maintain a regular exercise program, assuming you have no health problems that will stop you. Choose a program that you enjoy. Check with your doctor about any health considerations.

Group Weight Loss Programs may Work better than doing it alone – Want to lose weight?

Obesity and Toxic Food

July 29, 2014

Obesity and Toxic Food – Our Surroundings Influence What We Eat

Obesity and toxic food. The kind of food you feed on increases your risk of obesity. Good diet is the solution.

Food is a major component and a contributing factor to good health and wellbeing. However this is only true if we feed on the best quality and healthy food. What we choose to feed on can impact on our health either positively or negatively. Such food stuff plays a large role in determining our risk of gaining too much weight. The world around as influences the kind of food we eat quite significantly by:

The kinds of food our parents make available at home.
How far we live from the nearest supermarket or fast food restaurant
The ways that governments support farmers

In the U.S. for example and even many parts of the world there are so many hindrances like the food environment, physical and social surroundings that effect what we eat making it far too difficult to choose healthy foods, and all too easy to go for unhealthy foods and because of this trend this kind of food environment has been nick named “toxic” because of the way it destroys healthy lifestyles and promotes obesity.

Time has come for all of us to pool together and help redeem our health by feeding on the right kinds of food. There must be a campaign to create awareness on the right feeding habits not just for people who are obese but to everyone obese or not. Proper knowledge of how food environment influences our weight is very important to the authorities who make policies as this will enable them to determine ways of changing the environment and in turn reduce the risk of obesity to everyone. These environmental obstacles often affects people in the low income bracket, less educated people the most because many at times the much needed traditional healthy diet education really reaches them.

Obesity and Toxic Food – Food Environment Research by Setting

Keen interest has been taken by researchers studying on our obesogenic it has been established that food environment has really grown and experts are giving it different approaches by looking at the locations of where we live from homes and neighborhoods to worksites and schools all these has great influence on which foods are available, how much they cost, and whether the people in those locations are eating healthy diets. Other factors affecting our choice of food also include food marketing strategies and government policies. To help us understand better we are going to discuss some of these locations and the societal factors which shape how we eat.

Obesity and Toxic Food – Families

Did you know that the kind of food you stock in your family store impacts on your children’s life and into the future? Therefore if you’re feeding your children on healthy foods at home that are exactly what they will know is the best and the opposite is also true. You can help reduce the risk of your children being obese or gaining weight just by ensuring good feeding habits at home. The food that families keep at home and how family members share meals influences what and how much they eat as was established by a recent study that there is a strong association between the availability of fruits and vegetables at home and whether children, adolescents, and adults eat these foods. Eating meals as a family has also been linked with increased child and adolescent intake of fruit and vegetables and other healthy foods. Increased frequency of family meals has been linked with lower BMI in some studies.

The high cost of living is also a significant factor influencing healthy feeding habits especially to the people in the low income bracket. Because healthy foods like fruits, whole grains and vegetables are relatively expensive than the unhealthy foods like refined grains and sweets necessitating them to go for what they can afford which is not healthy. Time is another barrier because preparing healthy food takes time compared to walking into the nearby store to buy convenience foods or fast food. But people in lower-income households, often single parents working full time and taking care of children, may have less time for meal preparation and other household chores and end up feeding on all the wrong food thereby increasing their risk of becoming obese.

Obesity and Toxic Food – Work sites

Majority of people working in offices often spend most of their time in their work stations where there is easy access to unhealthy foods either from the vending gadgets or restaurants where there is little option for healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Besides poor feeding habits, work environments may increase the risk of obesity as a result of job stress and work-related fatigue, which are linked to poor diets and reduced physical activity. Time at work also plays a role: Shift workers and employees working longer-than-usual hours every week have a higher risk of obesity.

Obesity and Toxic Food – Schools

Just as employed adults spend most of their day at work, children spend much of their day at school. Most schools these days offer school feeding programs in their institutions which include breakfast and lunch and quit often these foods are not the healthy ones. Other schools also sell foods to students outside of the school meal programs normally referred to as “competitive foods” which are widely available in the cafeteria, vending machines, and school stores. Most of these foods are high in calories and low in nutritional value commonly known as junk food. Eating competitive foods has been associated with poorer quality diets and increased risk of obesity in several studies.

Obesity and Toxic Food – Neighborhoods

This is a factor in the sense that people will only feed on what they can easily get from their groceries, supermarkets, convenience stores and fast food restaurant. It these facilities were to stock only healthy foods then their customers will have no option but to feed on healthy diet and if all they stock is junk food the same is likely to happen and this will greatly increase their risk of obesity.

The points we have discussed are just indicators of risk of obesity and taking keen adherence to healthy feeding habits will go a long way in reducing the risk of obesity. However being free from the problem of obesity and weight gain will require that you visit a weight loss specialist from time to time to be sure of your status this you can get at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury who is also the founder of the facility. With doctor Akoury you will not just defeat obesity and weight related problems but they will attend to you in a more dignified way while focusing on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

Obesity and Toxic Food – Our Surroundings Influence What We Eat

Regulation of Obesity and Weight Gain

July 29, 2014

Regulation of Obesity and Weight Gain – Exercise Can Help Control Weight

Regulation of Obesity and Weight Gain is possible by full engagement in physical activities. All ages must take part for success

Being physically active is one of the most used ways of controlling weight gain and the prevalence of obesity globally. The consequences of obesity are so daring that when proper measures are not taken timely then managing the problems associated with weight gain and obesity may not just be costly but also painful health wise. Generally obesity results from energy imbalance that is to say very little calories being burned. The burning of calories may be influenced by a number of factors including the body size, age and gene however the most noticeable and can also be easily modified is the quantity or amount of physical activity people need to get on a daily basis.

Being physically active helps people to stay at a healthy weight gain or lose and significantly reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and certain cancers, as well as reduce stress and boost mood while living an inactive (sedentary) lifestyles do just the opposite. What is surprising is that even with this knowledge people are not keen in being physically active and this cuts across the globe. On a daily basis the levels of activities at work, homes are getting down because people are comfortable with things around them. It is estimated that about one in every three gets very little that is if any of the physical activity further increasing the level of decline. And it’s evident that this decline in physical activity is a major contributor to the global obesity epidemic, and in turn, the rising rates of chronic diseases everywhere. In this article I will be defining physical activity and explains how it is measured, reviews the trends, and discusses the role of physical activity in weight control in fighting obesity.

Definitions

The two terms associated with activities are often taken to have the same definition which is not really the case. I am talking about physical activities and exercise they are all used in reference of the same thing but have different meanings as follows:

Physical activity – refers to any body movement that burns calories, whether it’s for work or play, daily chores, or the daily commuting so long as some calories is burned as a result of that particular body movement.

Exercise -is a sub-category of physical activity referring to planned, structured, and repetitive activities aimed at improving physical fitness and health of an individual.

Moderate-intensity physical activity – these refers to those activities which are strenuous enough to burn three to six times as much energy per minute as an individual would burn when sitting quietly, or 3 to 6 METs. However Vigorous-intensity activities will burn more than 6 METs.

Measurement

Experts measure the intensity of physical activity in metabolic equivalents (METs). One MET is defined as the calories burned while an individual sits quietly for a minute. For the average adult, this is about one calorie per every 2.2 pounds of body weight per hour; someone who weighs 160 pounds would burn approximately 70 calories an hour while sitting or sleeping.

The quantity of Activities needed to Prevent Weight Gain

Because weight gain increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes and many other chronic conditions making effort to preventing it is very necessary because different studies have established that those who stay active reduces their degree of contacting chronic problems. Physical activities also helps keeping you younger and keeping your weight steady however the more sedentary the more likely you are to gain weight over time. But this is still a hypothesis and a matter of debate exactly how much activity people need to bring weight gain to control. The latest evidence suggests that the recommended two and a half hours a week may not be enough and so the search continues.

While studying a sample of women of middle-age to certain how much physical activity is needed to remain within 5 pounds of their weight at the beginning of the study it was established that women in the normal weight range at the start needed the equivalent of an hour a day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity to maintain a steady weight and that vigorous activities seem to be more effective for weight control than slow walking.

How Much Activity Do People Need to Lose Weight?

We have just talked about prevention what of how to lose if you are already experiencing weight problem? Good exercise and proper calorie diet helps in weight loss. In a study where all study volunteers were asked to stick to their usual diets it was established that after six months, those assigned to the high-intensity regimen lost abdominal fat, whereas those assigned to the low- and medium-intensity exercise regimens had no change in abdominal fat signifying that exercise is very effective in weight loss.

Activity Prevents Obesity

Experts believe that physical activity prevents obesity in multiple ways for example:

Physical activity increases people’s total energy disbursement, which can help them stay in energy balance or even lose weight, as long as they don’t eat more to pay off for the extra calories they burn.
Physical activity reduces fat around the waist and total body fat, slackening the development of abdominal obesity.
Weight lifting, push-ups, and other muscle-strengthening activities build muscle mass, aggregating the energy that the body burns throughout the day even when it’s at rest and making it easier to control weight.
Physical activity reduces depression and anxiety, and this mood boost may motivate people to stick with their exercise regimens over time.

Weight Control

Finally to achieve this purpose in your mind that staying active is not purely an individual choice. The built environment buildings, neighborhoods, transportation systems, and other man-made elements of the landscape influences how active people may be. We are more prone to be active, for example, if we live near parks or playgrounds, in neighborhoods with sidewalks or bike paths, or close enough to work, school, or shopping to safely travel by bike or on foot. People are less likely to be active if they live in sprawling suburbs designed for driving or in neighborhoods without recreation opportunities. But in all these whether your surrounding is favorable for exercise or not you may want to consult the experts to help you in your weight condition. Seeking the services of doctor Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center will be the best thing you can do for yourself because together with her team of experts, they will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE and your life will never be the same again.

Regulation of Obesity and Weight Gain – Exercise Can Help Control Weight

Obesity and the Economy

April 13, 2014

Obesity and the Economy-Reality of Poverty

It is possible to eradicate obesity irrespective of your financial status or your environment.

The need to put food on the table is everyone’s concern globally. Each passing day the entire humanity gets out all for one assignment that is putting food on the table. Various governments are working round the clock with a view of ensuring that there are favorable conditions for doing business all these efforts are geared towards feeding their respective citizens. Much as billions of dollars is channeled in food security, ascertaining this has been a challenge for many families and governments. So many studies have been conducted world over to ensure that we have healthy and hunger free society with very little progress. It’s because of this disturbing phenomenon that I want to take you through the sad reality of how harsh economic situation is causing the poor their comfort and how the few rich people are also sharing in the problem of obesity.

Food security

Feeding the society is the number one priority of every state down to the family. In the process of doing this some people will have more than enough for them, others will not even be fortunate to have what to eat drawing the line between the poor and the rich. The rich have access to good quality and healthy foods while the poor survive on anything available, to them quality is a luxury they cannot afford. They do not have constant flow of income, majority of them live below the poverty line and can barely afford a single meal let alone the common three triangular meals.

Obesity and the Economy-Limited food budgets and choices

With limited resources the poor has to budget for food and make certain difficult choices. The little they have must take them through the month or the season before they can get another pay or income, this leads to unhealthy behaviors in many ways:

They spend on food they do it with a lot of caution making sure that they spend on durables to last them the season. In the process of doing this, they choose high fat food with dense energy: foods like sugar, cereals, potatoes and processed meat products, the choice is guided by the affordability and durability than fresh vegetables, fruits and lean meat and fish. Such foods are often not healthy with high risk of weight gain and eventually obesity to their consumers.
They often live in disadvantaged neighborhood where healthy foods are hard to get. Their environment has a disproportionate number of fast food chains and small food stores providing cheap, high fat foods.
Economic insecurity-such as problem paying bills, rent may lead to stress making them to eat high fat, sugary foods.

Obesity and the Economy-Restricted physical activities

Good health is not just about eating the right kinds of food, it involve other things including participation in physical activities. These may not be easily available to the poor. Their economic situation does not allow them to access the gym facilities for active physical activities. The absent of continuous body exercise is recipe for weight gain and obesity.

The poor cannot afford organized children’s events outside school making their children to be less active physically. This is evidence because of inflexible work schedule, lack of transportation or unmet needs for child care, poor parents especially the single mothers may find it hard to support extra activities for their children. Leaving kids in front of the television is often all stressed poor parents can manage. This inability is not helpful to the children and as a result of this many children from poor societies suffer from obesity and eventually health complications related to overweight.

Obesity and the Economy-Food deprivation and overeating

Those who are eating less or skipping meals to stretch food budgets may over-eat when food does become available, resulting in chronic ups and downs in food intake that can contribute to weight gain. Cycles of food restriction or deprivation also can lead to an unhealthy preoccupation with food and metabolic changes that promote fat storage – all the worse when in combination with overeating. Unfortunately, overconsumption is even easier given the availability of cheap, energy-dense foods in low-income communities.
The “feast or famine” situation is especially a problem for low-income parents, particularly mothers, who often restrict their food intake and sacrifice their own nutrition in order to protect their children from hunger. Such a coping mechanism puts them at risk for obesity – and research shows that parental obesity, especially maternal obesity, is in turn a strong predictor of childhood obesity.

Obesity and the Economy-High levels of stress

Low-income families, including children, may face high levels of stress due to the financial and emotional pressures of food insecurity, low-wage work and luck of access to health care, inadequate and long-distance transportation, poor housing, neighborhood violence, and other factors. Research has linked stress to obesity in youth and adults, including (for adults) stress from job-related demands and difficulty paying bills. Stress may lead to weight gain through stress-induced hormonal and metabolic changes as well as unhealthful eating behaviors. Stress, particularly chronic stress, also may trigger anxiety and depression, which are both associated with child and adult obesity.

Greater exposure to marketing of obesity-promoting products

Low-income youth and adults are exposed to disproportionately more marketing and advertising for obesity-promoting products that encourage the consumption of unhealthful foods and discourage physical activity. Such advertising has a particularly strong influence on the preferences, diets, and purchases of children, who are the targets of many marketing efforts.

Limited access to health care

Many low-income people lack access to basic health care, or if health care is available, it is lower quality. This results in lack of diagnosis and treatment of emerging chronic health problems like obesity.

It’s quite unfortunate that this avoidable health problem is still with us and causing serious suffering to the human race. I don’t know what is ringing in your mind right now that you are a bit enlightened on the risk of obesity as a result of poverty. If you feel discouraged and hopeless for being obese, I have good news for you, at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury all your worries will be sorted out doctor Akoury cares for you and will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE. This is something you don’t want to miss if you wish to have your life back and live it to the fullest.

Obesity and the Economy-Reality of Poverty

Tag Archives: Obesity and Poverty