America is the worst country when it comes to obesity in the world. The number of obese and overweight people in the country is in the millions. The country has an obesity prevalence rate of 42 percent. This number has grown from a meager 30 percent back at the start of the new decade. This jump is a glaring sign of the internal damage that has been done to American society and the habits and routines of its people. This damage can get worse as time passes and unless action is taken the health of the American people will be at risk.
There can be several reasons behind the steady increase in the number of obese people in the country. These reasons can be generally categorized in two terms: What we eat and how we work.
The American diet has changed a lot over the years and these changes have not been for the better. Our diet has shifted from relying on homemade food to being overwhelmingly dependent on fast food. Most American cities and towns have a very diversified fast-food scene. This is due to our reliance on fast food as the main part of our diet. This is a very dangerous prospect. Most fast foods are not made with nutrition and health in mind. The main aim of fast food is to be generally likable, easy to produce in bulk, and can be served quickly whenever ordered. The ingredients used in fast food are often laden with foreign chemicals to help preserve them and keep them usable for longer periods. These preservatives can be very dangerous to human health. In recent years there has been a push for companies to be held accountable for the kind of ingredients and chemicals that can be present in their food, but the result has been lackluster. The only change was that some very dangerous fats and chemicals were banned but the amount of fats and other preservatives remains the same. Another very dangerous aspect of fast food is the amount of sodium present in them. The main source in such foods is common table salt but there are other salts and sodium compounds also present. Eating some foods can put you over the healthy daily sodium allowance on your own. Consuming high amounts of sodium can lead to heart problems, blood pressure issues, and strokes. These all can prove to be fatal. Therefore, it is understandable that people want to focus on their diets to help them get healthy. There is a problem here because the idea of dieting to improve health is not a new one and here lies the problem. Every so often some medicine or food or the lack thereof will get popular as a miracle weight loss means. These ranged from banning red meat to not using dairy products. These plans never had much impact and therefore out of favor quickly but there is another around the corner to sucker people in.
Exercise on the other hand is more exclusive than the food plans. Many people plan to lose weight and improve their health by working out. It is common to find gyms being crowded during the summer vacations and after the New Year as people aim to start their fitness journey. The problem here is that these new gym-goers often burn out and give up. The best way of maintaining a steady gym routine is to get help from fitness trainers. If you want to work out in a professional environment that can help you improve, contact personal trainer Austin.
Both dieting and working out alone can never achieve the aim of having a healthy living so maintain a healthy balance and keep a steady pace so that you can continue to work for your health.