Right about now, a whole bunch of Americans are quitting their New Year's resolutions to lose weight -- if they haven't quit already. What a shame. Americans can't really afford to pack on any more pounds. With more than 225 million overweight people, the Unites States is the most obese country in the world, at a cost of $117 billion a year. It's an understatement to say we're facing a pandemic.
Yet, dare I boldly say the solution isn't all that complicated? The alarming obesity rate in the U.S. can be distilled to one basic truth: Americans consume more calories than they burn. It's a fact. And, I hate to be so blunt, but America wasn't born fat. The birth weight of the average American infant is 8.13 lbs. In fact, the standard deviation for birth weight is relatively small. Therefore, it's safe to say, we all come into this world approximately the same size. So, where do we start to morph into chubby kids, fat teens and obese adults?
We often hear of "the fat gene." Many overweight Americans plead their innocence by claiming their parents were fat and they inherited the same genetics. To some extent, there is a genetic component to metabolism (we all have that friend who can eat anything in any amount and never gain a pound). However, with the exception of some rare metabolic diseases, there is no excuse for being overweight.
Let me personalize the reasons for my frustration with obesity. Both of my brothers were born with Type 1 diabetes, a metabolic disease that requires them to inject themselves with five needles a day, multiple daily blood sugar tests, and dietary modifications. Diabetes is the number one cause of heart disease, blindness and amputation. Short of a scientific miracle, my brothers will have diabetes for the rest of their lives. Unlike Type 1, Type 2 diabetics are not "born" with their disease. The number one risk factor for Type 2 diabetes is obesity.
So why is America the fattest country in the world (with, subsequently, the highest number of diabetics, heart attacks, and kidney failures)? Could the soil in America contain too much of a rare enzyme that inhibits our livers' ability to metabolize fat? Maybe the air we breathe in America destroys our thyroid gland dramatically slowing down our caloric expenditure. Perhaps the United States proximity to the North Pole causes a magnetic field over the country that causes us to store more fat. Obviously, it's none of the above.
Through my work as a nutritionist and trainer to celebrity clients, I've had amazing opportunities to travel the world. In my experience, I made what seemed to be a remarkable discovery: the farther I travel from the U.S., the easier it is to find foods that are both nourishing and slimming. And, people outside the U.S. appear to be healthier and leaner.
I've gleaned a unique perspective on the nutrition, diet and lifestyle habits that many foreign countries have followed for centuries and it's inspired me to want to educate people on just how easy it is to live healthier. And, it is easy. Creating an overall healthy lifestyle for yourself doesn't require a radical diet or significant life change. In fact, it can be attained through common sense decisions about the way we eat, move and live. This is the foundation of The 5-Factor World Diet.
The world's 10 leanest and longest-living nations are Japan, Singapore, China, Sweden, France, Italy, Spain, South Korea, Greece and Israel. Why? They consume, prepare and burn their food in a manner that enables them to stay healthy and lean. Let me share examples from a few countries:
JAPAN
Oh, and the Japanese follow hara hachi bunme -- the practice of eating until 80 percent full, then waiting 20-30 minutes to determine if you're still hungry.
SWEDEN
Sweden's year-round diet consists of dairy, dark fibrous breads and fish, fish, fish. The calcium in dairy can help the body convert from fat-storing to fat-burning mode. Dark bread like rye or pumpernickel is much healthier than the refined white bread favored by many Americans.
The Swedes prepare their food through curing, smoking, pickling and boiling. Pickling food contains digestive-system-friendly probiotics and, while boiling may not be the tastiest, it's effective without adding fat!
Year-round fitness is a key component of Swedish slimness. Nordic walking (walking with long poles) burns 20 percent more calories than walking without poles. And, people in Sweden primarily walk and bike to work.
Oh, and Scandinavians make their sandwiches open-face, emphasizing the healthy fillers and not the bread.
ISRAEL
If Americans want to get healthier in 2010, they need to resolve to take lessons from beyond our borders. The good news is, the extraordinary journey of living a healthy life doesn't require a passport.
Harley Pasternak is one of America's most renowned nutrition and fitness experts and author of the new book: The 5-Factor World Diet
Dr Khandee Ahnaimugan: The Fat Gene? Do Yourself a Favour and Forget About It
Mark Hyman, MD: How to Give Yourself a Metabolic Tune-Up
no restaurants at all, no HFC, no GMO foods, no packaged foods....that's how to lose weight.
a shaming article....why are we not like them? gee, because our news media doesn't tell us more about what we do eat!!!!
- Anna M
http://blog.nutri-health.com/
I'm in a job now where nearly everyone is retired military. Of the 100 people in my shop 80 are noticeably overweight. The job being sedentary doesn't help, but when all these people were on active duty they were fit. Part of the reason is the military demands it but a bigger reason is the military allots time for fitness. It is part of the workday, not something to be done after or before work.
One huge difference is the portions served at restaurants here compared to overseas. They don't pile on the food, but give you normal servings. Ditto for drinks; there are no supersized drinks or fries unless you go to an American chain restaurant.
I lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil, from 1984 to 1986. When I arrived, carrying about 30 extra pounds, I felt as if I stood out as the largest person in that city as everyone around me was super thin and tiny. There were two McDonald's restaurants and only the "rich" people could afford to eat there. Fifteen years later, I went to Rio de Janeiro to live and I stopped in Sao Paulo on my way in to visit with some old friends. The people were enormous...there was now 350+ McDonald's restaurants and the prices had been adjusted so that everyone could afford them.
Fast food is killing the world.
When I arrived in France, you'd be hard pressed to find frozen, packaged or pre-prepared food other than what you got in your little, neighborhood food boutiques. Three years later, a new trend call "frozen food stores" were popping up around town and the bigger supermarkets were introducing frozen food sections which expanded beyond ice cream. The food was prepared as if you'd do it at home -- not all the chemicals and fillers found in our frozen foods -- and then vacuum sealed in clear pouches with a typed identifier label with ingredients and instructions. The same could be said for Italy.
What I did notice was the amount of walking and biking. They did it on their way to work, during their lunch hour, on their way home from work and, in good weather and bad, after their big dinner meal. Every weekend they were out for a minimum 3-4 hour walk. They were basically nations of people who just did not sit still. They also ate less than half of a normal American sized meal and they were not snackers.
The whole calories in/calories out premise thrives and works in many places in the world. We Americans are supposed to be so smart so why then does this basic concept confuse us?
There is also little doubt that too many Americans live a very sedentary life - from their cars, into the store, to the table and then to the couch to watch TV.
The last problem could largely be at least somewhat ameliorated by finding and practicing some sort of a regular physical activity.
Having tried a variety of sports and exercises, some six years ago, I have taken up Nordic Walking in a serious way. Strangely enough, I haven't gotten bored with it in all those years. Maybe it is because of the fact that it can be performed practically everywhere and all-year-round, or other reasons. In any case, I highly recommend it. It is a pleasant, low-impact, whole-body exercise, which burns about 40 percent more calories than speed walking.
For more information visit Nordic Walking US at http://www.nordicwalkingus.com/
Marek Zalewski