The fight against obesity has been a long, strenuous, and tedious battle that continues to struggle through decades of attempts to defeat it. There have been many arguments as to why this struggle continues to be an issue and one of the main reason is the misdirection of focus on the prevention of obesity.
A documentary that came out in 2012 that was supported by the IOM (Institute of Medicine), CDC (Center of Disease Control and Prevention), and NIH (National Institute of Health) reinforced the idea that the obesity problem is simply due to an imbalance of energy (calories). Although this reads true to some extent, because we as students know that not all calories are equal, there is much more to this issue.
In addition to this theory, a well overlooked theory is the inclusion of refined sugars and grains as part of the problem. These two ingredients are known to spike insulin levels, which also regulates fat accumulation. The growing popularity of refined sugars, grains, and starches is due to their inexpensive qualities, low preparation needs, and preservation. Yes, these are what we know to be out fatty fast foods.
With the belief that we as humans “just eat too much”, the documentary tried to stress the lack of exercise being another reason for obesity. Once again, although this is true to some extent, exercise and nutrition must go hand in hand. For exercise to be beneficial, you need to feed the body the right kinds of food to fuel it. Both are equally important to reaching optimal health and defeating obesity.
Secret: A healthy balance of exercise and nutrition is crucial for optimal health. Exercising tears down the body’s muscles, food repairs it. Not just any kind of food, it has to be the right kind of food!