Obesity on the rise
Childhood obesity is on the rise in America. Even if you don’t want fries with that kids’ meal, chances are your fast food restaurant wants to give you some. Chains like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Burger King offer unhealthy sides and drinks 84 percent of the time, in lieu of their more nutritious offerings like apple slices, yogurt, and juice. That’s among the findings of a new analysis released by researchers at Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, which examined fast food marketing and nutrition trends.
The fast food industry has stepped up efforts to reach children and teens. Last year, preschoolers saw 56 percent more ads for Subway, 21 percent more ads for McDonald’s, and 9 percent more ads for Burger King than they did in 2007. Often, they’re bombarded with images of snacks and desserts— children see more than two advertisements each day promoting unhealthy menu items.
How Chiropractic Can Help
You may not think of your chiropractor as being helpful with obesity problems, but they can be your best ally with weight problems. Obviously, the traditional medical field does not have the answer, or we would not have an increasing childhood obesity problem in America.
Except for obesity conditions caused by extremely rare glandular problems, children and adults become obese for one reason and one reason only—consuming more calories than they burn. To lose weight you just need to consume less calories than you burn. That’s it—it’s that simple. Either eat less, exercise more, or do both.
There are many reasons we are overeating:
- Stress
- Boredom
- Food/Comfort Issues
- Malnutrition
If low, or no energy, is the reason for not exercising, the chiropractor will examine the possible causes for this. It may be a nutritional deficiency, lack of sleep, stress, or other physical problem. The chiropractor will be able to find the cause and eliminate or treat the cause. With more energy, it will easier to get out and exercise, allowing the body to burn more calories.
When people attempt to lose weight by eating less, they may become even more deficient in nutrients. Which increases their hunger sensation. We tend to eat more when our bodies are nutrient deficient. When we eat more we than we should, we put on weight.
Once the body has sufficient amounts of all nutrients, then the hunger center shuts down, and there is no longer a feeling of hunger. When the hunger is under control, people can much more easily control the amount of food that they eat, and they can begin to lose weight.
Other Factors
The other factor in the equation for losing weight is exercising more to burn more calories than are consumed. Here, again, your chiropractor can help make this easier. If kids and adults are not exercising because of pain, the chiropractor can help with both of these problems. Chiropractors are the experts at eliminating the causes of pain, not just masking the pain with drugs. Through chiropractic adjustments, the body will be restored to normal alignment. Thus reducing the physical causes of spinal stress and return it to normal function.
The bottom line is that obesity problems can be addressed. Take the first step and want to do something about the problem. Together, your chiropractor and you can solve the problem.