What Are The 5 Most Common Myths About Obesity?

It is no secret that obesity has taken on epidemiological proportions. The majority of the population in countries such as the United States and Australia is overweight. Unfortunately, this ranking also includes Bulgarians, who have been compared to Americans by weight in the last decade.

We are used to apologizing for our extra pounds with our genes. However, are our parents' families to blame for the shapelessness of our body and the lack of will to change this in our favor. It is true that there are Bulgarian clans that were known for their heroic demeanor, but it is also true that these men were distinguished by their strength and actions.

1. Our genes are to blame ...

In recent decades, a number of scientists have been trying to figure out the cause of the mass population, looking for the key to the human genome. Alas, however, facts such as the fact that the growth of obesity among Americans doubled between 1980 and 2000 show that the cause of this epidemic lies not only in genes.

The unpleasant truth is that modern man eats too much, more than he needs and "burns", and does so simply because he can afford it, unlike previous generations.

Families' spending on food has risen. Researchers show that modern man eats much more outside, and it is known that this food is more caloric and rich in empty calories. Additionally, he adds the fact that due to his workload he often buys semi-finished and finished products, which also contain too many calories and have an unbalanced nutritional composition.
 

2. Obesity is due to lack of self-control ...

According to a 2006 study, people cannot lose weight by restricting their diet because they lack willpower. Unfortunately, such a judgment can only exacerbate the problem. In fact, lack of willpower can be sought as a reason for the failure of a diet in an individual, but analyzing the situation on the table, self-control can not matter.

Studies have revealed the dependence of the food model of modern man on the images circulated through media channels. It is not necessary to give specific examples of movie titles in order for scenes to emerge in the background of harmful snacks, consumption of hamburgers, pizzas and french fries, pastries ... The fact is that we are unconsciously influenced by the images on the screen for our choice of foods to consume. Which is proven by several experiments of American researchers: in one of them, after broadcasting a film with scenes of eating sweets, half of the volunteers choose the chocolate cake over the fruit salad offered to them. The result is the same in the experiment with fast food with sandwiches and in children with snacks. These results unequivocally show that there are enough ways to

3. We are fat because we cannot afford fresh fruits and vegetables

It is completely absurd to claim that we do not have access to fruits and vegetables, since the market has been offering everything to us every season for years. It is true that the prices of fruits and vegetables, especially those out of season, are too high for everyone's pocket.

However, this statement cannot be accepted as a reason. Too eloquent in this regard is the result of an American study, which seems credible to our environment: according to the US Department of Agriculture, only 5% of Americans are so low-income that they can not afford fresh food. At the same time, about 65% of the country's population is overweight.

In our country the percentage of overweight people varies between over 54 to 70% according to various sources and organizers of studies in recent years ... It can hardly be assumed, despite the poverty of the Bulgarian people, that more than half of the country's population can not to afford to consume fruits and vegetables, especially considering that many family gardens in yards have been traditionally preserved ...

The truth is that the modern Bulgarian also eats too much, emphasizes too much fast food products, overdoes with confectionery and prefers large heroic portions.

Unfortunately, we also have a good perception of the shopping culture, which is based on impulsive decisions - 30% of supermarket sales are due to this market tactic.
 

4. We are obese not because we eat too much, but because of a sedentary lifestyle

If we analyze the characteristic pattern of behavior of Bulgarians today and that of 30 years ago, in fact we may find that there are no particularly large differences in the degree of his physical activity. Even if his movements dropped by an average of 30 minutes a day, this difference could be easily compensated by excluding a hundred calories from the menu. However, we reduce exercise without updating our daily food needs. The trouble is that with stagnation in one place we tend to increase food intake. This shows another American study, which estimates that today's man eats 500 calories more than in the seventies. Even if we undergo extraordinary training, it will be difficult to burn such a quantity!
 

5. There would be no obesity if educational programs were better.

And what about the following - 44% of doctors in the United States are overweight, the same applies to 55% of nurses ... In fact, knowledge about food and the body, even regulatory measures to prevent obesity in the population are useless . The truth is that we live in a world where there is an abundance of cheap products such as fast food, sugary drinks, foods with too much fat, sugar and salt, which contribute to the growth of the epidemic of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. diseases among the population. Knowledge could improve the culture of nutrition, but what would really work is the introduction of regulatory measures to limit the market supply, which is based on dependence on sugar and fat.