Is Obesity A Disease?

Many medical professionals would have you believe that obesity is a disease. Merriam-Webster defines Disease as- a condition of a living animal or plant body or of one of its parts that impairs normal functioning and is typically manifested by distinguishing signs and symptoms that are not the result of a physical injury.

obesity is a disease because there are manifesting signs and symptoms not the result of a physical injury.  However the real problem with that answer is that it can serve as an excuse for their condition. The fact of the matter is for the majority of people dealing with obesity there is no good excuse-especially for children.

It is important to know there is a lot of bad about being obese. It puts a lot of extra pressure on your heart, lungs and joints. They aren’t designed for that much stress and over the years, that extra pressure can take time off your life. Obesity can cause problems with your skin like ulcers. There is also major metal/emotional stress that comes with obesity, especially for children.

So my answer for most people with the condition is that it doesn’t matter if obesity can be classified as a disease or not. For most people it’s preventable and if you’re already there it’s fixable.

1)  We have to stop feeding kids meals out of boxes and fast food drive through.  I’m not saying you have to be perfect. I am a dad.  I know that life can be hectic and sometimes getting fast food is the best you can do. You just have to make sure it’s an occasional thing not a regular thing.

2)  If you are over weight, you need to fix that so your kids get a good message.  They learn more from observing. They also found that 48 percent of children with overweight parents became overweight. (Stanford Report July 2004)

3)  Keep the starch out of your diet. The major culprits are potatoes, wheat (anything made of wheat like bread and crackers), rice, corn.

4) Fruits can have lots of sugar so try to stick to the berries and away from the melons.

5)  Exercise is really important. Today’s kids are so into video games and computers and binge watching shows.  Set some parameters for that activity. You must incorporate active moving time into their life on a regular basis each day.

6)  Cut down on the sugar intake. Sports drinks, soda, candy…. Drink water, it’s honestly all you need. Need treats and sweets? Nuts, seeds, dark chocolate.

I’m not saying any of the above is easy, but they are easier than dealing with the effects of obesity.

Teach your kids at a young age what healthy food is and they will have a great head start to living a healthy life as an adult.