The marketing campaigns of pharmaceutical companies have mystified the very simple science behind weight loss. But despite marketing claims and the abundance of weight loss products, the population in North America is facing an obesity epidemic. That’s because there’s only one practical solution to long-term good health, a good old fashioned healthy lifestyle. Although it might sound cliché, society and the fitness industry are partially to blame for today’s obesity epidemic.
Commercializing Weight Loss
People are sold on the notion that losing weight takes too much time or is too complicated to do on their own. Commercials bombard society with the idea that a healthy lifestyle is so elusive that the only solution is to buy their products. Although natural health products and fitness supplements can and do help many people, the real solution starts with you.
The majority of weight loss solutions marketed today (such as diets, surgery and other programs) don’t work in the long run. This is because they offer temporary solutions to long-term problems and do not educate their customers about healthy living. Customers often eat what they’re told when they’re told without actually learning anything about proper nutrition.
Reality Check
Think back to the 1950s. There were not nearly as many “diet” products (diet Soda, Low-calorie dressings, trans-fat free snacks, etc.) as there are today, and weight-loss supplements were just beginning to make their mark. Yet obesity rates were starkly lower. The population at large was not dangerously overweight. How can this be?
Over the past several decades the average person's life has become increasingly sedentary. The commercialization of food (everything comes in boxed or frozen form now) has created a false image of what “food” really is. The average person’s diet is far too heavy in Saturated and Trans fats, sodium and unnatural additives, all of which can lead to problems in maintaining a healthy weight.
What You Can Do
Although you never hear about it, there are simple and free solutions to good health. Learning how to properly read a label for example is a basic yet valuable skill. After all if you don’t know what you’re eating how can you be expected to eat properly? As a general rule don’t eat anything your grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food. Common artificial additives such as Monocalcium Phosphate, Ammonium Bicarbonate, Disodium Phosphate are not food. The human body was never designed to ingest them.
To get an idea of how much and what kinds of food you should be getting on a daily basis, both the Canadian and American governments offer free food guides for public education. These break down the various food groups and how much of each you should try and consume.
Be Active
Richard Simmons, the weight loss and self-esteem guru once said there’s no secret to losing weight. You simply have to “eat less and move more”. Join a pick-up sports league, go for walks in the morning or after dinner, go for a bike ride. You don't need to join a gym to exercise.
A lot of people complain that they’ve tried every diet product on the market, and they’re still overweight. For a change, forget about the promises made by the fitness industry. The only way to achieve long-term good health is an active lifestyle coupled with healthy eating habits. Lucky for you, both of these are free.
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