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   Americans are getting heavier at a faster rate than ever seen before. Currently about 119 million U.S. adults are either overweight or obese. In the past year, the adult obesity rate in America rose nationally from 23.7% to 24.5%. In ten states, over a quarter of adults are now obese, despite campaigns and national coverage by such exalted organizations as the National Diabetic Associations. According to projections, 73% of U.S. adults could be overweight or obese by the year 2008. This would mean more obesity related disease factors such as Type II diabetes and its partners in crime, heart and vascular disease. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services set a national goal of reducing obesity in adults to 15% or less of the population by 2010.

So what is this crisis really about? I believe it is linked to our high grain, high carbohydrate diet. A study of physiology will tell us that carbohydrates are the cells fuel supply stored as fat until we need to burn them for energy. The type of energy are we burning today is mostly stress energy. Everyone is in some type of fight or flight mode over the worlds problems or their own daily crisis. So how much physical energy is being burned? You can look at your own schedule and figure this out. More time is being spent at the computer, more driving time and more t.v. time. Not a lot of energy producing activities there as far as I can see. How about the occasional 3-4 day a week walk. Done at a good pace must mean some energy burned? Well you are absolutely correct.

Walking, biking, jogging, grass cutting, all are wonderful activities for burning fat and reducing stress. The real question remains how much grains/carbohydrates do we need each meal or each day to stored as fats. The answer is very few. In a 60 to 90 minute daily cardiac workout plus work activities, we can best burn sugars that come from dark green vegetables. These are truly the best source of slow burning carbohydrates for our cells. Along with deep water fatty fish, fatty nuts and good oils, we have a balanced diet of pure fuel and high quality protein for cell regeneration.

American obesity is only half the story. Children with both juvenile and Type II diabetes and obesity is becoming an epidemic, along with the growing number of adult diabetics. Is this all due to bad genes and bad luck? I think not. We will talk about these disease factor in part II of this important health topic for our families and for a healthy future.

 

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