How Did Americans Get So Heavy?

Today, 65 percent of American adults over age 20 are overweight or obese.

That's a pretty scary statistic. Just look around and you’ll realize you’re not alone in needing to learn weight management. How did so many people get so heavy? The answer is simple: Most of us are eating more calories than we are burning.

The problem of an overweight population comes from a combination of factors:

• Increasing portion sizes,
• More processed foods with fewer nutrients and
• A more sedentary lifestyle.

We're eating more food. Portions have increased dramatically in the last 20 years. The average daily intake of adults rose by about 300 calories between 1985 and 2000. That means we have to work a lot harder to burn the extra calories that those larger portions add.

We’re eating a lot of foods that don’t provide many nutrients. We're also consuming more added sugars, found in carbonated drinks, fruit drinks, sports beverages and processed foods. Between 1977 and 1997, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soft drinks and fruit juices, rose by 61 percent among adults. (Many of today’s children get from 500 to 1,000 calories a day from these drinks alone!) Evidence suggests that drinking calorie-containing beverages may not make you feel full. This can lead you to eat and drink more than you need, adding even more calories to your diet.

We are also eating out more often than ever before. The danger is that many types of food eaten away from home, including fast-food and prepared meals you buy at the grocery store, are high in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, added sugars and sodium. They also can be low in fiber and vitamins and minerals. In addition, people tend to eat larger portions when eating out.

We're less active. Current estimates indicate that over half of the adults in the United States do not engage in any regular physical activity at all. As we spend more of our free time in front of televisions, computers and video games, we are more likely to put on pounds. Our increasingly sedentary lifestyles are putting us at risk for serious health problems, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, depression and breast and colon cancer. It’s time to get moving!

Commercial and cultural influences encourage us to consume more calories than we use. If we want to slim down and stay healthy, we’re going to have to tackle each of these factors. Sound hard? Not really. It’s just a matter of:

• Eating less
• Choosing nutritious foods and
• Staying physically active.

Did You Know . . . . Our children are getting heavier too, putting them at risk for conditions that usually don't develop until adulthood, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. The Alliance for a Healthier Generation is focusing on the issues that contribute to childhood obesity and influence children’s lifestyles, and is working to create solutions that inspire all young Americans to develop life-long healthy habits.

Source: American Heart Association