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Obesity And Heart Disease: Know The Risks

22 December 2011 By Maureen Leave a Comment

 

Obesity And Heart Disease: Know The Risks

 

Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

With so many people suffering from obesity these days, particularly in developed nations, it is important to understand the health risks surrounding excess weight gain. Obesity wreaks havoc on your physical body, and damages your mental state of mind; the cardiovascular problems associated with obesity affect both your physiological and neurological capacities, leading to issues like diabetes, depression, and most notably, heart disease. Heart disease is one of the most common and dangerous risks that obesity poses to people, so let’s take a closer look at the relationship between the two and what you can do to avoid engaging your body in this destructive relationship.

Obesity is defined as being overweight to the extent that a person’s BMI (Body Mass Index) is over 30. Obesity can be caused by genetic factors, such as a thyroid disorder, but it is most commonly caused by overeating, a lack of exercise, and a diet rooted in sugar, trans fat, and processed food consumption.  A person suffering from obesity will have high levels of cholesterol and high blood pressure, the leading factors that cause heart disease. Additionally, obesity can cause sudden chest pains caused by a decrease in oxygen to the heart (angina) and has been known to cause sudden death from heart problems or stroke without signs or symptoms.

As evidenced above, obesity and heart disease and related and cause a serious threat to your health.  The good news is that you have the ability to reduce the risk of these adverse effects now if you take your life back into your own hands and start developing healthier habits. Even if you are obese, changing your lifestyle to include exercise and healthy eating will decrease your chance for heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol; losing just 10% of your body weight will reduce these risks and get your heart back on track.

While heart problems and obesity can be caused by genetic factors, the ball is really in your court in terms of avoiding these dangerous health problems. You have the power to shape and control your eating and exercise habits—it is up to you to choose a healthy lifestyle and then make the commitment to live it day by day. Visit a nutritionist, make a healthy eating plan, join a gym or make an exercise plan on your own. All of these things will contribute to your overall health and sense of well-being, and will help you to avoid health problems that can impede on your enjoyment of life or even cut it short.

Filed Under: Family, Parenting and General Health, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , , , ,

Healthy Eating Pitfalls For Teenagers

22 December 2011 By Maureen Leave a Comment

 

Healthy Eating Pitfalls For Teenagers

 

Louisa Stokes / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

Do teenagers need to eat more or differently than adults? In short: yes. The teen years are a time of rapid body development and physical activity, so teenagers need a daily increase of calories, minerals, and vitamins. Teenagers have raging hormones and resultant mood swings, so it is important that they do not miss out on any of the vital nutrients they need. However, what teens should be eating doesn’t vary that much from adults: they still need to consume a healthy, balanced diet comprised of grains, vegetables, fruits, and proteins. The biggest nutrition challenge during the teen years isn’t that they need a special diet that differs from adults, but that they need help avoiding the many dietary pitfalls that can shape the formation of life-long, unhealthy eating habits. Let’s take a look at two of the major issues teens struggle with in terms of healthy eating:

  • Junk Food: Teens are especially prone to overindulging in fast food and unhealthy treats. Gangs of teenager often congregate at McDonald’s and other fast food centers—junk food is a part of the social fabric of Teendom. Since teens have high metabolisms, coupled with very in the moment thinking, they cannot always see the negative impact that junk food has on their future and it is easy for them to form bad eating habits. As parent of a teen, you can mitigate teen junk food consumption by not falling into the junk food trap yourself—make your home a health food haven and model healthy eating habits—sooner or later, they will probably sink in for your teen.
  • Weight worries: Many teenagers, particularly teenage girls, are extremely worried about their weight, and it is no wonder why: super skinny models and celebrities are everywhere, plastered across billboards and beaming out from TV screens. The teen years are a time when eating disorders are a risk, as teenagers are susceptible to peer pressure, low self-esteem, and an unsure sense of self. As a parent, be open and honest with your children about weight worries, and never under any circumstances comment on their weight in a negative way.

As you can see, there are many impediments standing in the way of teens developing healthy eating habits. Teenagers need guidance from their parents in all areas of life, including health and nutrition. As a parent, this means you have an obligation to your children to model healthy habits to your children so they can mirror them. Make sure that you plan meals that stay away from trans fats, sugars, and processed junk food. Make it a priority to have a home that is focused on wellness and nutrition—it will benefit everyone in the long run.

Filed Under: Family, Parenting and General Health, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , , , ,

Is The Media Responsible For Eating Disorders?

22 December 2011 By Maureen Leave a Comment

 

Is The Media Responsible For Eating Disorders?

 

Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

The media bombards us with pressure to be thin and perfect, and this kind of pressure does not lead to a healthy self-image or healthy eating habits. Women, especially teenage girls, are particularly vulnerable to the images of celebrity and model bodily perfection that are really just the result of personal trainers, stylists, and airbrushing. Despite the fact that women logically know that bodies portrayed in the media and popular culture are false idols, they still worship and strive for them and some women go as far as harming their bodies by developing eating disorders as a method of weight control. Eating disorders are on the rise across the Western world, and they are now becoming more prevalent in children. The media is not solely to blame for them; there are a variety of biological and environmental factors that contribute to the development of conditions such as anorexia and bulimia. Let's take a look at some of the basics of eating disorders to get a better idea of how to combat them by creating healthy eating habits.

Eating disorders are a group of conditions characterized by abnormal or unhealthy eating habits; they include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating. There is much debate surrounding the precise cause of eating disorders: nobody really knows what causes them for sure. Like many other psychological/medical conditions, it is unclear if biology or environment play crucial roles, but many researchers believe that environmental factors are what shape eating disorders, particularly since they are more prevalent in Western cultures. Many people who develop these disorders have suffered from childhood abuse, be it physical, emotional, or sexual. Teenagers who are particularly influenced by peer pressure and the drive to be thin can also develop eating disorders. Controlling how and what you eat is a way that many deal with stress and feel that they have some order and control over their lives in a very complicated, fast, and high-pressure Western society.

Eating disorders are extremely harmful to the body and mind and if left untreated, they can be fatal. Depending on the disorder, they can cause constipation, scurvy, heart problems, cavities/tooth loss, brain atrophy, electrolyte imbalance, and kidney failure. Eating disorders are severe health problems that need to be dealt with swiftly in order to minimize the risk for permanent, long-term health damage.

There are many courses of treatment for people who suffer from these disorders, ranging from cognitive behavioral therapy to hypnotherapy and inpatient treatment. Helping people with eating disorders to discover an inner peace, inner love for themselves, and healthy eating habits is vital to their recovery and will help them to avoid relapses. If you or someone you know is suffering with an eating disorder don't wait-get help today.

Filed Under: Family, Parenting and General Health, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Connection Between Weight And Depression

22 December 2011 By Maureen Leave a Comment

 

The Connection Between Weight And Depression

 

Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

The medical and psychological communities are starting to come around to a more holistic idea when viewing illnesses of the body and mind: our body and mind are not separate compartments, they have a constant connection and influence on one another. For this reason, many people now recognize that physical problems can start in the mind and problems in the mind can be influenced by physical factors. One area in which researchers find the aforementioned statement to be true is weight control. Many studies, including one published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, are establishing a link between weight control and depression. This conclusion is intuitively self-evident to many people, especially if they struggle with weight control, depression or both. Let's take a closer look at the relationship between weight control in terms of excessive weight gain and depression in order to better understand how they influence one another and how to end the unhealthy cycle.

One question many people ask when they accept that weight gain and depression go hand in hand, but like the chicken or the egg, many people wonder which one comes first? Unfortunately there is no clear answer to this one: depression and weight gain contribute to each other, but we can't definitively decide in which direction. Weight gain can cause depression and depression can cause some to gain weight. Weight gain can lead to lower self-esteem and decreased physical functioning; enzyme and metabolic process are not functioning properly and this can affect serotonin levels and brain functioning which can cause depression. Likewise, depression can lead to a decreased physical activity, overeating and indulging in comfort foods and junk food and this can lead to gaining weight. Pinpointing where the cycle starts isn't necessarily the key to breaking the unhealthy cycle-understanding how both contribute to each other, as mentioned above, is the way to identify unhealthy habits and find a way to create new, healthy ones.

Whether you are suffering from excessive weight gain, depression, or likely both, it is important that you seek professional help to address both issues. Resolving one issue often leads to the resolution of another. Seek a form of therapy and guidance that empowers your sense of control over your body and mind by helping you focus on building healthy habits related to eating, exercise, and mood regulation. Your body and mind are more intimately connected than you realize, and you are the driver of your body and mind. You also have more power than you realize when it comes to controlling your thoughts and habits, so take advantage of professional help that helps you take the reins of your life with strength and confidence.

Filed Under: Family, Parenting and General Health, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Skipping Breakfast Is Not A Weight Control Method

22 December 2011 By Maureen Leave a Comment

 

Skipping Breakfast Is Not A Weight Control Method

 

Paul / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

Many people are looking for the ultimate diet, usually as a means of avoiding the harsh, time-consuming reality of exercise. It doesn't help that the media is obsessed with promoting not only flawlessly skinny body images, but "easy" diets that supposedly involve little or no work. A diet in and of itself isn't a bad thing, it is thedietary choices that you make that count. Some people choose healthy diets that focus on cutting out sugars and processed foods, but others go a more unhealthy route- they travel the path that leads to anywhere from crash dieting to developing eating habits that mirror eating disorders.

One common misconception related to weight control is that skipping breakfast can help you slim down. In fact, the opposite is true. Skipping breakfast can lead to weight gain and increased weight control issues. One reason for this is that people who skip breakfast are more likely to take in higher levels of calories at their next meal; additionally, they tend to snack more frequently through the course of the day, and snacking is usually sugar and junk food driven. Skipping breakfast also plays with your blood sugar levels, which can cause moodiness and a lack of energy. There are studies that also indicate that people accumulate more body fat when they eat fewer bigger meals than when they eat spread out, smaller meals. Thus, skipping breakfast is in no way a healthy or reliable method of weight control.

You have probably heard the platitude over and over again that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but this truth cannot be emphasized enough. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. For starters, breakfast gives you the energy you need to be able to execute and complete the tasks for your day ahead. Eating breakfast helps you form consistent eating habits which helps regulate you blood sugar. Eating breakfast is also a complement to your weight control efforts: not eating breakfast means that you are fasting for nearly 20 hours and thus you are not producing the enzymes your body needs to metabolize fat. Without enzymes kicking your metabolic system into gear you cannot lose weight.

While it is important to eat breakfast every morning, this doesn't mean that you should go to a pancake house or swallow down McDonald's drive through each morning. Breakfast only supports weight control when it is made up of healthy, balanced foods. Fruits, grains, cereals, eggs, and yoghurt are all great ways to start your morning without falling into the black hole of junk food options. As with all other meals during the day, breakfast must be healthy for you to reap any wellness rewards.

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