Healthy Diet in the Fight against Obesity - Essay Example

"Healthy Diet in the Fight against Obesity" is an important example of a paper on food and nutrition.
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Healthy diet in the fight against obesity

            Obesity is a medical condition characterized by people with high body fat levels. An obese person has a body mass index of above thirty kilograms per meter squared. The body mass index is a ratio of the weight and the height of a person to determine body fat. The cause of the condition is attributed to various factors like diet, lack of physical exercise, disease, infectious agents, and genetics. Obesity is a serious health issue in this century. It is attributed to preventable death cases in the global scene. The condition is not gender or age-specific and anyone is prone to the condition.

Effects on patient

            The effects of obesity can be evaluated, socially, economically, and medically.  Patients suffering from the condition face stigma from society. Children who suffer from the condition may be isolated or bullied by their peers. This may have a psychological effect on the child causing self-esteem issues. Children with obesity may perform poorly due to stress. Adults with the condition have an unhealthy relationship with other members of the community.

            Obesity is caused by eating more than the body requires. It is associated with the consumption of junk foods. A family with some of its members suffering from the condition spends more on food compared to a family with healthy members. This may strain the financial resources of a family. Obese people are less active and contribute less to the economy in terms of production compared to healthy people.

            Obesity is the leading killer in preventable deaths globally. Obese people are at the risk of suffering from other ailments compared to healthy people. Excess body fat causes diabetes, cardiovascular ailments, cancer, asthma, and osteoarthritis. People with obesity have a reduced life expectancy thus the need to prevent the condition.

Preventing Obesity

            It is important to educate the public about the medical condition to equip them with the knowledge to fight obesity. Education should start at an early age with children learning the benefits of a balanced diet and the effects of a high-fat diet. The school and parents should ensure that their children are provided with a balanced diet, and exercise regularly. People with the condition may use dieting, pills, and physical exercises to manage the condition. Using the three to manage the condition is effective in the short run. A permanent solution to the problem includes a change in lifestyle where one has to observe discipline to avoid junk food and high-fat foods.

Tips for fighting Obesity

• Educating kids from a young age the significance of avoiding obesity
• Ensuring that healthy foods are sold in the school cafeteria to promote a healthy diet
• Promoting physical exercises in the school by ensuring that children work out
• Promoting a healthy lifestyle where people are encouraged to eat healthy foods and not junk food
• Parents should lead by example by avoiding junk food and exercising regularly
• People with the condition can join support groups to encourage each other to fight the condition
• The government should conduct a campaign against the condition to emphasis on the importance of lifestyle change in fighting obesity