America the Beautiful… and Fat!

As per the Global Obesity Observatory, America has rated the 14^th highest adult obesity rate in the world with 36.47% of all adult Americans being considered obese!  The first 13 countries are ALL islands.  According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), The U.S. adult obesity rate will reach 50% by 2030. 

The Wikipedia definition of obesity is a condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may have a negative effect on health! 

The island of Nauru (formerly known as Pleasant Island) leads the world with a 59.85% adult obesity rate.  Japan has the lowest adult obesity rate of first world countries at 4.97%, formerly at 3%.   Perhaps too much fast food has found its way to Japan.  Currently, the lowest adult obesity rate in the world is Vietnam at 1.67%.

Our addiction to sugar is the primary reason behind the obesity problem.  This starts at a young age eating sugar-laced baby food.  As per the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. child obesity rate among children ages 2 to 19 increased to 22.4% in 2020, up from 19.3% in 2019.  Unhealthy eating and low levels of physical activity during this pandemic will only make matters worse.

Unhealthy supermarket shopping habits, fast food, lack of portion control, and lax food labeling laws have contributed to us trending in the wrong direction for many years.  To give you an idea of how bad this is, the average American adult consumes about 19.5 teaspoons of “added sugar” per day.  One teaspoon = 4 grams of sugar.  Take 19.5 X 4 grams = 78 grams of sugar per adult per day. 

The food industry has 61 names to disguise sugar such as high-fructose corn syrup, caramel, maltose, barley malt, cane juice and dextrin.  Fructose is highly linked to insulin resistance and diabetes.  Creating 61 names for sugar confuses consumers and lowers the odds of recognition!

See my top 7 tips on how to reduce your sugar intake:

1. Be aware of boxed foods labeled as “fat free”: Fat free foods are usually loaded with sugar to compensate for a lack of fat, especially in baked goods.  Almost all “boxed” foods will have a high sugar gram content.
2. Choose fresh fruit over dried fruit: Dehydrated fruits and sauces contain concentrated sugar and are not filling, causing one to eat more.   In many cases dehydrated fruits have three to five times the sugar than natural fruit.
3. Buy plain over flavored yogurt: Add your own fresh fruit or honey for sweetness, which will have much less sugar.  A 1 cup serving of fruit-flavored yogurt may contain almost 31 grams of sugar.
4. Avoid feeding infants juice or sweetened foods in their first year: Feed babies more veggies and less fruit to train their taste buds to crave less sweet foods from the beginning.
5. Cut down weekly dessert intake: If you have dessert every night, start with cutting back to 5 nights per week.  It is easier on the body and mind to wean off the excess added sugar cravings.
6. Leave sugar out of recipes if possible: Try to either eliminate, reduce, or substitute honey or agave instead of processed sugars.
7. Drink water instead of sweetened beverages: Nearly two-thirds of children in the USA ages 2-19 consume at least 1 sugar sweetened beverage per day, which includes soda, fruit drinks and energy drinks.  The average 12-ounce cola contains 38.5 grams of sugar, almost as much as the average 12-ounce sweetened iced tea or lemonade as each contain almost 45 grams of sugar.

What many people do not understand is the ripple effect these poor food habits are having on future generations.  Adult Americans have passed these habits onto our children, which is why juvenile diabetes is at an all-time high.  This causes weight gain, which leads to health problems.  These health issues can lead to popping pills, which is one reason why our health insurance costs and claims have skyrocketed to the highest in the world. 

According to the Milken Institute, as of September 2020, the total cost of chronic diseases due to American obesity and overweight was $1.72 Trillion, which is equivalent to 9.3% of U.S. gross domestic product!

Everybody has a unique body and frame.  Our bodies get used to the amount of sugar and calories we feed it on average every day.  By heeding my 7 tips, you should gradually lose weight, which should improve your health and energy!