Sedentary Disease

The financial cost of obesity related disease is $150 billion annually in the US and is expected to double in less than 9 years.

Until the 1970's Americans had no struggles with expanding waistlines.  What has brought about this sudden change?  On average, Americans consume only 100 calories more per day than during the 1960's, according to the National Institutes of Health.  Alarmingly, American's burn 600 to 700 calories less per day than during the 1960's.  Do the math, that is 1 pound of weight gain per work week.

The reasons for this decreasing daily calorie burn should be obvious to everyone: 2 hour sitting work commutes, sedentary sitting computer related desk jobs, 500 cable channel televisions: America is literally sitting itself to death!

While the healthcare reform experts and special interests groups point fingers in all directions, true leadership is not recognizing the obesity problem, educating the nation or enacting reforms designed to solve this problem.  An emphasis on disease prevention versus treatment would be much more effective financially and clinically.  While there is no doubt that many of the healthcare reforms currently contemplated are necessary, an approach instituting "movement" and "nutrition" back into the lives of Americans would have a much greater impact, drastically cutting the costs of healthcare.

More than 58 diseases are directly related to obesity in this country, including the top three killers, heart disease, cancer and stroke.  Two out of every three American adults are overweight with 50% of this number clinically obese.

Innovative products have entered the market place, from the Trek Desk (http://www.trekdesk.com/), which is used in conjunction with a treadmill to Body Togs, (http://www.womenspersonalfitness.net/) wearable weighted sleeves worn on your arms and legs to increase calorie burn.  Use your bike (check out:  http://www.terratrike.com/ ) instead of your car whenever possible, or consider walking!  Don't forget to walk your dog, go to http://www.puplife.com/.

Limit Trans Fat

Trans fat is so prevalent in our diets that it's almost impossible to avoid consuming a few grams.  Trans fat may contribute to our cell's resistance to insulin, and this resistance may in turn lead to obesity.  By changing the way our cells behave, trans fat also contributes to cancer and diabetes and heart disease.  In a study conducted by Harvard University, researchers determined that healthier people ate no more than 2 or 3 grams of trans fat per day.  Consider the following suggestions:

• Read food Labels! If it has the word, "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredients, don't eat it.
• Keep total fat intake between 20 and 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids in fish, nuts, flaxseed oil, walnut oil, avocados, and vegetable oils.   These fats may help lower your blood cholesterol level when used in place of saturated fat.
• Use olive oil for cooking and salads. Nutritionists are also taking a fresh look at coconut and palm oils, which may have cancer-fighting benefits.
• Avoid fried foods in restaurants.  Some food chains are making the move away from using trans fat.
• Reduce your intake of processed foods, and look for those made with healthy oils.  When you buy a muffin premade at the grocery store, if it's not packaged, there's no way to read the ingredients.  Just assume it contains trans fat, probably made with partially hydrogenated fat of some kind. Eat an apple instead.
• Watch portions. If food contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat, the FDA will allow it to carry a trans-fat-free label, so check the ingredients label to see if "partially hydrogenated oil" is listed.  Limit portions to limit trans-fat intake.