It’s official: America is suffering an obesity epidemic. Despite volumes of information available on healthy foods, diets and lifestyles, Americans continue to choose foods high in saturated fats, cholesterol and refined sugars. The Medical Research Council (UK) found that quantity of food may not be as much of a contributing factor to obesity as the quality or type of food. Fast foods were found to be “energy dense” foods that can fool people into consuming more calories (or food energy) than their bodies can use. Even small portions of fast foods pack enough dense energy for a whole day…but not much nutrition or fiber. So lighten up! Eat your veggies: No cholesterol, virtually no saturated fat, and pure unrefined energy. Besides, what’s faster than a banana?
Did You Know…
Poor diet and inactivity caused 400,000 deaths in 2000, a 33% increase over 1990*
Over half of Americans are overweight and 31% are obese**
Obesity rates in children have risen 50% in recent years**
60% of disease worldwide is caused by cardiovascular ailments, which are linked to over-consumption of saturated and trans-fats, refined sugar and increasing inactivity***
Americans comprise 5% of the world’s population and account for 33% of total global sugar consumption**
*According to US government statistics
**According to the World Health Organization
***According to UN reports