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Skipping meals also leads to low blood sugar and increases cravings for the wrong types of foods. (The Epoch Times)
SYDNEY—The obesity crisis is now official. It is the leading cause of preventable death in Australia, overtaking smoking. The new findings published this month in the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health have escalated the seriousness of obesity in this country. The study from Western Australia revealed that more than 60 percent of adults and one in four children are overweight or obese. These results are expected to reflect the population across the nation.
According to the Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition and Exercise, the direct cost of overweight and obesity to the Australian economy in 2005 was $21 billion a year.
The World Health Organisation defines adults with a BMI (body mass index) over 25 as overweight and those with a BMI over 30 as obese.
While policy makers are now scrambling to find ways to combat this alarming news there are plenty of ways each of us can take responsibility for our health to prevent or control our weight through diet and lifestyle.
To lose weight safely there is no magic pill—just eat less calories than you burn. It sounds so simple yet very few of us are really capable of doing it.
Now before anyone goes into panic-mode and starts thinking that starving themselves for breakfast will work, it absolutely won’t. Not only does it slow down your metabolism (which is the fire for burning calories), skipping meals also leads to low blood sugar and increases cravings for the wrong types of foods. Ideally we should never go more than five hours without a small meal to keep energy levels stable. Additionally, eating during the day burns more calories than eating in the afternoon or evening. Long-term health has to be realistic and is about a balance between eating what’s necessary for the body most of the time and what’s pleasurable only some of the time. A willingness make some steps towards change will really see results.
Eating a wide variety of foods of different colours is a great place to start (this doesn’t include the wrapping either). Green foods are always a friend to someone trying to lose weight. Carbohydrate foods don’t just mean breads, pasta and rice, as vegetables are also good energy carbs and the good thing is you can fill up on raw salads and steamed greens without limit. Flaxseed oil with balsamic vinegar is a healthy and delicious dressing as it is high in essential fats and improves the body’s insulin response. Essential fats in avocado and nuts are necessary for healthy cell membranes and even assist the body to let go of the bad fats (sitting on our hips or tummy). Avoid margarines and trans-fats in cakes and biscuits, as they contains lots of empty calories.
At each meal always include a small amount of protein and if it’s eaten first it helps to suppress your appetite and stabilize blood sugar. This is because proteins are digested slower than carbohydrates, so eat the fish, chicken breast (without skin) or eggs in a meal first, then the rest. Other good protein foods also include pumpkin seeds, nuts (but no more than 30 at a time), lentils, beans, miso soup and low-fat dairy foods.
Save the fresh fruit for the end of the meal as a dessert. This prevents the blood sugar spikes that cause insulin release & lead to fat storage.
Some key lifestyle tips for losing weight are to stay well hydrated; eat when relaxed and not distracted; learn how to control stress; and follow a daily exercise plan that will work up a sweat for at least 30 minutes. Progress will be very slow without any exercise. Sleep is also vitally important for weight loss and studies show that a lack of sleep can decrease metabolism as well as cause problems with insulin levels. Alcohol intake must be kept to a minimum as turns into sugar in the body and not only increases calorie intake it also burdens the liver. Really it’s best to avoid alcohol or limit to one glass of wine a day if weight loss is the goal.
Finally, weight loss is not about suffering, more so, it is a discovery of other sources of pleasure or emotional satisfaction. These may include baths, reading, meditation, massage, phoning a good friend, listening to music, or doing something creative and positive. Finding other ways to create delicious healthy food is all part of the fun.
