39% of the world adult population suffers from obesity. Since the 1970’s, the rate of obesity has tripled! Obesity is a disease where one’s body has an excessive amount of fat. Being obese isn’t just a physical or cosmetic problem. The issue has grown to epidemic proportions, with over 4 million people dying each year as a result of being overweight or obese in 2017, according to the global burden of disease. Obesity can affect one’s chances of getting diabetes (type 2), developing heart problems, high blood pressure, and even cancer.  People usually become obese due to genetics, having a bad diet, and not working out. 

Bad Nutrition 

Many people wonder – why has obesity become such a big problem over the last few decades? The answer is – fast food and processed foods. Nowadays, people eat fast food very often because it's cheap, filling, and fast. Fast food is very processed, and it is high in sodium and low in any nutritional value. Even if people don’t eat past food very often, they eat snacks, sugary drinks, and sodas. 

Many diets such as Paleo cut out all processed food including sugar, artificial sweetener, and trans fats that are found in cakes, cookies, crackers, and margarines. These diets are very effective because they encourage people to eat healthier food that is healthier and not processed. However, these diets are difficult to stick with. 

Another reason for obesity is that kids prefer to eat carbs (like pizza and pasta) rather than vegetables. This is a cultural problem, especially in the US. In Israel, kids in preschools are given healthy food to eat for lunch (salads, chicken, rice, etc.). They are taught from a young age to eat the right kinds of foods. While in America, school cafeterias serve pizza, hamburgers, and French fries.It is very important to educate children on healthy lifestyles and nutrition. 

Lack of physical activity 

The lack of physical activity is another major reason for the obesity problem in the world. Most people have jobs in which they are seated. This means that throughout the day they aren’t moving around and getting physical exercise at all and once these people come home from work, they just want to relax, they certainly don’t want to get on the treadmill and walk for an hour. 

It is important that every individual find a way to exercise at least 3 times a week. It can be through taking walks, going on an exercise machine, going to the gym, swimming, or doing yoga. There are many ways to keep your heart rate up and exercise.

A lot of people start working out but then they lose motivation and eventually stop. The best way to stay motivated to work out is by finding a partner to exercise with. This can be a close friend, your spouse, a sibling, or a parent. Having a partner to work out with will keep you motivated and encourage you to keep exercising. 

Overall, it is important to make healthy life choices and avoid becoming obese. It is important to limit the amount of processed food that you consume, to increase you physical activity, and to keep yourself active and healthy!