Why are so many of us gaining weight?

Why are so many people gaining weight? This is not just happening here in America, but in Europe, and other parts of the world. In the developed world, we are faced with daily advertising about tasty snacks. These snacks are generally high in calories. Regular sodas generally have loads of sugar. Fruit drinks often have a little fruit juice and high fructose corn syrup. Every one is aware of the high content of fat, sugar and salt in many of the popular snacks. By processing food to retain or include the tastes that we enjoy most at the expense of other nutrients, we find that we are able to consume many calories, and to load our bodies up with salt.

One of the most useful facts that I learned about food is that, on average, people eat the same weight of food each day. So it is better to eat food that is higher in fiber and water content, and lower in calories per unit weight. Another useful fact is that serving sizes are crucial. Besides the "super-sizing" of fast food, restaurants often have very large portions. I was surprised to learn that a portion size of steak or fish is the size of a pack of playing cards! There is more information on this in the Okinawa Program, which also points out the the American food pyramid may not be as healthy as the Okinawan food pyramid. The Okinawan diet includes 7-13 servings of grains, 7-13 servings of vegetables, and 2 to 4 servings of fruit daily. It is also high in soy, and meat is eaten sparingly compared with the American food pyramid. While diet is important, physical activity is just as important in maintaining an optimal body weight. Another factor is inadequate sleep.

See this posting for more information on physical activity and this one on sleep.