Fast food and obesity

Over the last thirty years, the menus of fast foods have gradually assumed an increasingly important in the diet of people and their unbalanced nutritional composition and too large portions have often been implicated in the progression of the obesity epidemic.

Fast food and obesityThe attendance of fast foods is associated with a diet higher in energy, fat, saturated fat, and added sugars and low in sugars vitamins (A, C, b-carotene), minerals, fiber, among other subjects consuming less fruit, vegetables, milk and chips and sugary sodas. For both adults and children, it seems to have an adverse effect on food quality and could increase the risk of obesity.

In general, an adult should eat 2000 to 2500 calories per day. However, a simple little dinner in a fast food chain could meet these needs in a single meal!
For a balanced meal, we usually suggest trying to have six flavors on the plate, is salty, sweet, sour, pungent, bitter and astringent. In most fast food chains, there are only three flavors: salty, sweet and acid. These flavors are not harmful in themselves, but they are a further indication of the imbalance of these meals.

It is not surprising to find a lot of sodium (in meat, french fries, etc..), Refined sugar (in soft drinks and desserts, but also in many sauces and other products) and a large amount of fat trans and saturated fats (in meat, fries, breadcrumbs, fried). There are also chemicals used to preserve meat longer or improve the color and flavor of certain products.

In fact, what makes the fast food harmful not only what is there but what is not there! Indeed, this type of food really do not contain enough minerals and vitamins. However, these are fundamental to good mental and physical health.

A good fried or a good burger once or twice a month is nothing dramatic. Everything is a matter of dosage. That said, it is quite possible not to deprive while eating healthy, and simply taking the time to eat at home.
       
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Childhood obesity facts

 

Childhood obesity facts

  
 Obesity in the broadest sense of the term, is "a condition characterized by excess body fat distributed across the board in various areas of the body fat." In the context of childhood obesity, there is an excess of fat in the adipose tissue of the child. However, the definition of obesity called "pediatric" is derived from the distribution of BMI (Body Mass Index), based on physiological criteria such as age and sex.
Childhood obesity facts
Childhood obesity facts

 Last fifty years, our lifestyle has changed a lot. We now have at our disposal not only a varied food supply, but our life is also greatly simplified by the technical progress. Every day, we use public transport, cars, escalators ... Children and adults are becoming more sedentary than in the past and they do not always make good food choices. Unfortunately for us, our genes have not followed. They remained those of our ancestors, made ​​to store calories in anticipation of possible famines ... The human body needs to adapt, but it can quickly move from one world to another deprivation of abundance.

Recognize obesity in children is a difficult concept to define than adults. In fact, as the size for example, varies greatly increasing. In most cases, obesity is wrongly associated with weight. However, it is worth noting that the weight does not allow itself to detect whether or not obesity. Apart from the proportion of body fat, it is good to also take into account the weight, bone, water or muscle.  

In addition, in children, body fat increases between 0 and 1 and then decreases up to 6 years, and before increasing again. This back and forth is fat that is called adiposity rebound. However, if it occurs between 2 and 6 years, then there is a high risk of obesity. In this case, the weight load of the child will be monitored.

To monitor the weight of the child, specialists use the same indicator that the adult, namely the weight on the height squared, called BMI (Body Mass Index). However, when using the BMI, it is important to take into account of course, the size and weight, but also and especially the sex and age of the child. Once the BMI calculation is made, the result should be interpreted. If the sum is between 18 and 25, the individual is of normal weight. However, a person is considered obese when his BMI is 30. Finally, 25 to 30, it's just a really overweight without adverse effect on the health of the individual.

 When one parent is obese, the risk for a child to be four times larger. When both parents are, the risk is eight times greater. Several genes involved in obesity and they are not all known. But there is no fate. Studies have shown that the role of heredity account for up to 30% in the development of obesity. This means that a child would have two obese parents has a 70% chance not to become if he lives in a supportive environment (regular exercise, balanced diet and in reasonable quantities).
We also know that certain diseases - genetic or otherwise - can be the cause of Childhood obesity, but the percentage of obese children is marginal.


Overweight and obesity can come from a poor diet, but also a lack of physical activity. For this reason, it is important to check that your child does not spend too much time watching television or playing video games.
To distract him, offer him meaningful activities. Even if it is binding on you, try to clear some time to bring him to tennis, judo, dance, swimming, etc ...

 

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Obese and pregnant

Obese and pregnantThe issue of childbearing among overweight women is not as complex as you might imagine. Pregnancy is always a danger of complications, the question is what are the additional complications that can cause obesity before pregnancy until delivery.
Women with very overweight are more likely to encounter difficulties in getting pregnant, and the risk of complications during pregnancy are higher. It must be reinforced medical surveillance.


Obese women are more prone to fertility problems, often due to abnormal ovulation. They are thus often appeal to the medicalized reproduction following a treatment to stimulate the ovaries, which are themselves less effective if too much overweight assistance.Overweight may therefore increase the time of conception of a baby.

Many women subject themselves to a weight loss before embarking on pregnancy. You should know that it is not really necessary. Losing a few pounds will not decrease complications. By cons it can help to address the pregnancy with extra comfort. In fact, doctors simply advise women to be more possible shape before you get pregnant.

In fact, pregnancy an obese woman is likely to happen as that of a woman of normal weight, but requires more attention and monitoring by the physician. Blood sugar levels should be monitored in order to detect a possible gestational diabetes. Risk of vascular and renal complications (hypertension, eclampsia, retro placental hematoma, phlebitis) are not to be overlooked either, and blood pressure monitoring.

Obesity predisposes to any caesarean, the risks are the same for a thin woman. The thickness of the fat can be a problem, however, to realize Caesarean section for some forms of obesity. Anesthesia also request the delicacy because the products used will stay in fat and clear more slowly. On the other hand, ultrasound is sometimes less accurate: the fat can hinder the passage of ultrasound. As for the epidural, it does not present a risk even if it is more difficult to implement.   

There is no need to separate obesity and pregnancy. Any obese woman is above all a woman that has the right to be a mother. Fertility is closely dependent on psychological factors, think that obesity and pregnancy are mutually exclusive will not facilitate procreation. Forget also the erroneous idea that it would need to lose a lot of weight to consider a pregnancy. 

Being obese and pregnant is not invincible, it is simply to be more vigilant and aware of the risks of medical complications. During this key stage of life, the most important is to be well surrounded, both by the medical profession (consult a dietician can be very useful) and your surroundings.
 
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What is overweight and obesity


 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity is characterized by "abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health." Basically, obesity is the result of too much calorie intake relative to energy expenditure for several years.
What is overweight and obesity
What is overweight and obesity
 Overweight and obesity are the fifth leading risk factor for deaths globally. At least 2.8 million adults die each year. In addition, 44% of the burden of diabetes, 23% of the burden of ischemic heart disease and 7% to 41% of the burden of certain cancers are attributable to overweight and obesity.

  To characterize obesity and overweight, body mass index (BMI) is used, this is the most useful, though approximate tool to measure overweight and obesity in an adult population. This index is calculated by dividing weight (kg) by height squared (m2). We talk about being overweight  when it is between 25 and 29.9, while obesity equal to or greater than 30, and morbidly obese if it equals or exceeds 40.
  The main disadvantage of this measurement tool is that it gives no information on the distribution of fat reserves. But when the fat is mainly concentrated in the belly area, the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease is higher than if concentrated in the hips and thighs.

 The proportion of obese people has increased over the past 30 years. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. The increase in the average weight was observed in all age groups, in all socio-economic groups.

Obesity can increase the risk of several chronic diseases. Health problems begin to appear after about 10 years of excess weight.
How fat is distributed on the body, rather than in the abdomen or hips, plays a key role in the onset of disease. The accumulation of fat in the abdomen, typical of abdominal obesity is much riskier than the more uniform distribution (gynoid obesity). Men have on average 2 times more abdominal fat than premenopausal women.

Obese people have a lower quality of life and vieillissant9 shorter than people who have a weight santé.D besides life expectancy, the health professionals predict that today's youth are the first generation of children whose life expectancy does not exceed that of their parents, mainly because of the increasing incidence of childhood obesity.

Finally, obesity can become a psychological burden. Some people feel excluded from society because of the criteria proposed by the beauty industry and the media. Given the difficulty to lose their excess weight, others will live great distress or anxiety, which can go up to depression.   

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