OBESITY
The
Solution
Do It
Naturally Foundation, Inc.
A Non-Profit 501 (C) 3 Educational
Foundation
Dedicated to improve the health of our nation
All donations are tax exempt
by MAX STURMAN
Copyright © 2011
SMASHWORDS EDITION
Print
book edition ISBN: 978-0-9770674-8-0
eBook edition ISBN:
978-0-9770674-9-7
Copyright © 2011 by Max Sturman
Published
by Do It Naturally Foundation, Inc.
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OBESITY
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. With more than one third of Americans considered obese, the largest growing segment is children. Not only do obese adults and children have physical problems, they endure emotional, psychological, and social trauma as well. In OBESITY: The Solution, you’ll learn about the causes of obesity, who’s responsible, and what the effects are on obese individuals and the nation as a whole. Then you’ll learn about solutions through education, emotion, exercise, and eating. Author, Max Sturman, a 93-year-young advocate for health, reveals his lifestyle plan that includes healthy foods, daily exercise, and continual education. We need to educate the children and adults on basic nutritional facts.
In Obesity: The Solution you’ll discover:
• Why the Japanese have a lower rate of obesity than anyone else in the world
• Which foods are the primary culprits in causing obesity
• Some of the more subtle causes of obesity
• How to read nutrition fact labels on foods
• How to put together an eating plan you can follow for life
• Much, much more
Lately, I’ve noticed restaurants are serving bigger portions… It’s no surprise that 120 million Americans are overweight or obese. In Obesity: The Solution, Max Sturman has a simple, practical approach not only to weight reduction, but an overall approach to being healthy. He promotes a nutritional diet, an exercise program, and stress management-- a great recipe for wellness. And as a non-profit he enjoys giving free advice and gleans such pleasure from people who follow his diet and recommendations for healthy living. It’s an honor to be his cardiologist. — Dr. Dennis Goodman. M.D, F.A.C.C.
Foreword
Dr. Dennis
Goodman
M.D, F.A.C.C.
La Jolla, California
USA Today reported, “Americans are eating significantly bigger portions of fries, chips, and burgers and drinking more soda than they did 20 years ago.” I’ve noticed restaurants are serving bigger and bigger portions to customers, most of whom finish what’s on their plate. It’s no surprise then that 120 million Americans (more than 50%) are overweight or obese.
Hundreds of books have been written and billions of dollars have been spent on advertising weight reduction programs, quick fixes, and fad diets that are non-sustainable and unhealthy. Many of these books are complicated and their recommended diets impractical.
In contrast, Max Sturman has a simple, practical approach not only to weight reduction but more importantly an overall approach to being healthy.
He promotes a healthy diet, exercise program, stress management, and good communication with health care providers. This all comes together as a great recipe for wellness.
He’s a remarkable 93-year-old gentleman who practices what he preaches. He looks 20 years younger than his age and epitomizes a healthy, well-balanced nonagenarian who sets the standard for us all, no matter our age. He has boundless energy and loves to help others, constantly giving free advice and gleaning such pleasure from people who follow his diet and recommendations for healthy living.
A tenet of his diet is avoiding all processed sugar. I cannot agree with him more. This in conjunction with eating fresh fruits and vegetables (he has his own organic garden), moderate amounts of carbohydrates, fat, and protein plus daily exercise and an overall positive approach to life is a fresh recipe for good health.
I commend him for his wonderful, simple approach. It’s an honor to be his cardiologist. It makes my job with him so easy “like an early morning walk in the park” with a “juicy fresh watermelon for breakfast”
Preface
By the time I was in my 30s and living in New York City, I was in bad health – overweight, smoking, and drinking. A friend who belonged to the Vegetarian Society told me about a doctor named Max Warmbrand. This doctor was an Osteopathic Chiropractor and he literally saved my life.
Dr. Warmbrand put me on the path of a structured lifestyle. I saw him on a regular schedule of three times a week. He would ask me what I had eaten and give my body a manipulation. In 1969, he wrote Add Years To Your Heart and I still have that book.
Dr. Warmbrand had me on a sensible diet of cottage cheese, fruits, vegetables, and salads. Within three months, I had lost weight, my health improved, I stopped drinking and smoking, and I had more energy than ever before.
In 2002, my wife died of Parkinson’s disease. I was devastated, and in my grief I wondered what had happened that she had to die so soon.
I channeled all my time and energy into writing and educating the public about the food we eat and how it’s not safe to eat most of the items sold in supermarkets today. This food alone can lead to all kinds of horrific illnesses and diseases.
To inform the public of what I learned, I wrote the pamphlet Do It Naturally: The Diet You Can Live With. I printed copies, advertised in magazines, and mailed them to anyone who responded and wanted a copy – all at my own expense.
Now I have a foundation, Do It Naturally Foundation, Inc. With the money I get from grants, I’ve been able to write books on nutrition and educate as many people as I can reach on the correct foods to eat to keep slim and healthy. I’ve given these books to schools and libraries across America.
I love to receive drawings from children telling me how much they enjoyed my book and how they’re learning about good nutrition.
When I was a child, I was overweight and the other children called me “fatso”. That nickname and the stigma that came with it has stuck with me to this day at age 93.
There are too many obese children in the United States today. They need to know the proper foods to eat and they need plenty of exercise. The electronics age has turned their already overweight bodies into jelly.
Today I’m slim and trim. I’m in good health and work out at the gym every day. If you don’t believe me, watch my YouTube video. At the end of the video I’m actually hanging from a tree – believe it or not.
I know that education on nutrition is the key to turning the health of our nation around. We must go back to the food source and change the way food is mass produced today. In all my books, I spell out what foods are bad for you and what foods are good.
Because I’m a non-profit, I have nothing to gain by teaching this information. So PLEASE continue to educate yourself – but only from reliable sources that have nothing to gain!
Introduction
Obesity’s Cost to Our Nation
More than 65% of Americans are overweight and of those, 30% are considered obese according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. A White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity found that the U.S. spends almost $150 billion per year on obesity-related diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Taxpayers are footing a large part of the bill through Medicaid and Medicare; private insurers and employers pay the rest.
According to a study by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, the costs of obesity and lack of exercise in California alone in 2007 amounted to $43.3 billion in health care costs and lost productivity. The estimate for 2011 is $52.7 billion. Further studies concluded that obese workers lose an average of 54 hours per year more than their coworkers due to weight issues.
But why are Americans so fat? Some researchers agree that the easy availability of fast food and the promotional efforts by food manufacturers to eat processed foods, coupled with an increasingly sedentary lifestyle due to more time at the computer and the many conveniences we have, all contribute to obesity.
First lady Michelle Obama says everyone has the tools, but people just need the motivation to reverse the trend. If the number of obese people in California was reduced by just 5%, it would amount to a savings of $2.4 billion.
– Source: San Diego Union Tribune
What can you do to reduce obesity in yourself and in America? Educate yourself by reading books like this, following the guidance, and then sharing your knowledge and success with others!
The definition of obesity
According to Wikipedia, “obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems.”
Body mass index (BMI), a measurement which compares weight and height, defines people as overweight (pre-obese) when their BMI is between 25 and 30 and obese when it’s greater than 30.
Normal, Overweight, Obese
Being obese is not as much about what you weigh, but about having too much fat in your body. Carrying too much body fat can have harmful effects on your health.
As is the case with adults, obesity in children is rising at a rapid rate. And like adults, kids who are obese are at a much greater risk for health problems now and later in life. Studies have found obese children are much more likely to be obese as adults. If a child is overweight before age eight, his or her chance of more severe obesity during adulthood increases.
What you’ll learn in this book
This book is for everyone – big or small, size doesn’t matter. You’re either obese, you’ve been obese, or you know someone who’s obese. Obesity is now at epidemic proportions in the U.S., so it’s really everyone’s problem.
Education is the primary solution to this widespread and growing problem. Education is knowledge and knowledge is power. With this power you can change your situation and help others to change theirs. It’s the only way to win the battle against obesity!
Of course, once you have knowledge you must take action! So it’s time for you and others who want to improve the quality of their life to make the necessary changes. You must take the time to learn about healthy lifestyle choices and then implement what you learn.
In this book, you’ll learn about the causes and effects of obesity – all primarily based on the harmful effects caused by eating unhealthy foods and living a sedentary lifestyle. You’ll see how the convenience foods that are not natural from the earth are contributing to simple illnesses like colds and the flu to more destructive diseases like diabetes and cancer.
But don’t be alarmed by the bad news! Although this information can be frightening – yes, you may have to give up your fast food hamburger and fries – the solution is actually quite simple. Once you get educated on the facts about the foods you eat and adapt a new lifestyle, you’ll find an incredible new outlook on life – full of vitality and glowing health.
At 93 years young, I can vouch for that! Obesity is most often caused by eating unhealthy foods and living a sedentary lifestyle
PART ONE: The Problem
Obesity is a worldwide problem! The United States has the highest obese population with Mexico a close second. According to the July 2010 issue of Health News & Research, two- thirds of Americans are officially classified as overweight, and out of those, one in every three is considered obese. And childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions, with rising rates in both the developed and developing worlds.
Additionally, the costs of obesity are on the rise. In 2008, medical costs associated with obesity topped around $147 billion, with each obese person costing $1,429 more than an average weight person.
Here are some startling statistics:
- 12 million Americans are considered severely obese, defined as more than 100 pounds overweight.
- Obesity has become one of the most expensive health problems in America today, surpassing smoking, according to a study in Health Affairs.
- The annual healthcare costs of obesity in this country are estimated to rise to as much as $344 billion by 2018, according to one major study.
- Obese employee sick days total approximately 39 million workdays and 63 million doctor visits yearly.
- Employers have a big stake in getting their workforce to lose weight and reduce the enormous costs in medical claims and lost productivity linked to obesity. Recent studies have shown an impressive return on investment for every dollar spent on prevention and wellness programs.
- Diet books consistently rank as some of the hottest best sellers.
- There are over 100 unregulated over-the- counter diet pills on the market, and celebrities line up to pitch an assortment of diet products.
- Diet books and diet pills amount to a nearly $60 billion weight loss industry.
- The Biggest Loser program’s consumer products have generated over $100 million in revenue so far.
- Nearly a third of the children in this country are overweight, and some experts believe up to one third of children will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lifetime. The obesity epidemic continues to worsen despite all the efforts of diet books, diet gurus,
and diet programs designed to help people slim down. TV shows like “The Biggest Loser” are an indication of the prevalence and size of a typically obese person and the struggles they have to lose weight and keep it off.
People’s poor eating and exercise habits are primarily responsible for the current epidemic of overweight and obesity. We’re constantly exposed to all kinds of media – from TV to social networks – that promote a way of life that’s not in the best interest of our highest standard of health.
Companies and corporations like food and beverage manufacturers that are profit motivated do whatever they can to induce consumers to buy their products. Radio, television, newspapers, and magazines are among the methods used in advertising their wares. This pays off and the profits roll in.
Now there’s nothing wrong with honest business practices, however not when it results in harming and killing people. Many people accept the way they eat and drink as normal and don’t realize the connection between the foods they eat and their health. Although often in denial, most obese people are aware that overeating or eating the wrong kinds of foods has contributed to their obesity, but they’re either not knowledgeable enough to know what’s right to eat or they’re too addicted to unhealthy foods to stop. Either way, they’re on the road to destruction.
Our greatest challenge
Let’s face it, we’re a nation of overeaters. It’s no wonder we’ve reached the point of being the fattest nation in the world. We eat too much food and the results are the obesity epidemic we find ourselves in.
Just look at typical menus at restaurants. We begin by having bread and butter (while waiting to be served the food). Then there’s the soda, beer, wine, or cocktails. Next is the appetizer, salad, soup, entrée, and of course dessert, finally washed down with coffee.
That’s just too much food! It’s enough to feed a whole family in a small village. What got us into this situation is the “more is better” philosophy – the bigger the portions, the more pleased we are (as we’re getting our money’s worth). Competitive practices have induced restaurants to increase the size of the food portions to entice more customers into their business. I once asked a restaurant owner why he didn’t reduce portions when he saw many customers taking food home, and he said, “This is what they expect, so we give it to them!” Unfortunately, we’ve followed this pattern into the home.
Do “Serving Size” and “Portion Size” Mean the Same Thing? Although these terms are often used together, they mean different things when it comes to our diet. A “serving” is the recommended amount of food nutrition that experts advise us to eat. Serving sizes keep calories, fat, and sugar in check. Serving sizes are listed on the Nutrition Facts label on food packages.
However, how much of a particular food we choose to eat is the “portion”. For example, a cup of brown rice (equal to two servings) and a large apple (also equal to two servings) are realistic portions and a good source of nutrients. But a 2- cup portion of ice cream (four ½-cup servings) has more calories, fat, and sugar than is recommended on a daily basis.
Consuming larger portions is expected every now and then, but indulging too often can lead us down a slippery slope called “portion distortion”. The general consensus is that the increase in calories consumed because of larger portions has contributed to the obesity epidemic. Unfortunately, most of us have lost sight of what a normal portion looks like.
This is partly because competition for customers led fast-food restaurants to offer “super-sized” meals. The appeal of larger portions also created mega-sized candy bars, monstrous muffins, and jugs of soda.
Did you know that over the past 20 years, a typical bagel has grown from three inches to six inches in diameter? How about muffins, which have increased almost five times their original size?
Expecting large portions away from home has created a habit of serving ourselves larger portions at the kitchen table. Adding to the problem is the fact that even our dinner plates are larger than they were 20 years ago – and we still tend to fill them up. Short of getting Grandma's dishes out of the attic, what can you do?
At restaurants you can share meals, order smaller portions if available, bring half home, or eat less on the days when you will be going out to eat to save room for the extra calories. At home, use measured serving utensils, control second helpings, and avoid eating out of cookie boxes and chip bags.
Get into the habit of reading the nutrition labels and become more aware of recommended serving sizes. To find out how many servings would be a healthy portion for you, consult a dietitian, pick up a nutrition book like The American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, or go online to http://www.eatright.org.
Although many of us have good intentions when choosing serving sizes, it’s still difficult to do. To help you, The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute provides a handy serving-size guide. It uses common items to visually keep servings in check. For example, half of a baseball would equal “a cup of pasta, rice, fresh fruit, or ice cream”, which all equal one serving. Three ounces of meat, poultry, or fish equals a deck of cards. A compact disc is about the size of one pancake serving.
To help with portion control, buy three- sectioned picnic plates. Fill the largest section with vegetables or salad and the smaller sections each with a starch like pasta, potato, or rice, and a protein like meat, fish, poultry, or tofu. As long as you don’t pile too high, this approach can help you achieve better portion control.
– Source: New York Times news service, June 24, 2008
It’s true that portion sizes are a major contributor to our obesity epidemic. And children follow their role models – their parents – so they’re likely headed down the same path. The challenge is to change their eating habits before it’s too late for them.
Of course, there are other factors that contribute to obesity. Some of them, which are covered in the next chapter are:
1. Stress and other emotions
2. Processed food and beverage manufacturers
3. Advertising and the media
4. Government guidelines
5. Genetics, family, lifestyle, and environment
So we have a tough job ahead of us to return to a healthier way of eating. We must inform those needing this information and show them how to adopt a healthy lifestyle – thus gradually changing the eating habits of our nation.
This is an effort that will pay off in the long run. So many people suffer from obesity and related diseases, and many have given up hope that they’ll ever recover. With the practical guidelines of a sound nutrition and exercise program, they can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I believe we’re all entitled to a feeling of well being. The information on how to follow a program to reach the goal of optimum health should be available and free to everyone who needs it. To reach this goal, we need cooperation from both the government and private sectors.
This is my hope in offering the information in this book through my non-profit foundation.
What Are the Causes of Obesity?
There are various causes for obesity today, some on their own and some in combination. Most common are excessive dietary calories, lack of physical activity, genetics, endocrine disorders, lack of sleep, medications, and emotional issues.
While the obvious cause is an imbalance of calories taken in versus calories burned through physical activity, as previously mentioned, the other primary contributing causes are:
- Stress and other emotions
- Processed food and beverage manufacturers
- Advertising and the media
- Government guidelines
- Genetics, family, lifestyle, and environment
Yes, it seems pretty obvious that overeating is the main cause of obesity. But it’s not that simple. Let’s look at these other issues that are also involved.
1. Stress and other emotions: Stress is the primary emotion that leads to overeating and poor food choices. However, other emotions such as fear, anger, sadness, frustration, disappointment, grief, boredom, anxiety, and loneliness are common contributors to poor eating. I have a friend who uses FLAB (frustration, loneliness, anxiety, and boredom) as her excuse for overeating!
Additionally, one’s mindset is a factor in how one chooses to eat. Low self-esteem, pessimism, negativity, and beliefs that sabotage efforts to change all contribute to staying obese. If you don’t believe you can change, you won’t.
If you’re plagued by gremlins that lure you to unhealthy choices and you can’t fight them, you’ll lose the battle. If you’re weak willed and give way to peer pressure (at school or work), and fall prey to addictions (sugar, tobacco, drugs, alcohol, video games, etc.), you’ll have a difficult time switching to a healthier lifestyle. You’ll learn more about healthy emotions in the solution part of the book. For now, examine your emotions to see which ones you think are causing you to overeat.
It’s inevitable – we all live with some kind of stress. Nothing ever goes 100% smoothly. Little things affect us like traffic, parking, car trouble, waiting, laundry, house cleaning, difficult people, loud noise, deadlines, clutter, tight finances…the list goes on and on.
We have to endure some stress in our lives, and it’s perfectly natural to have little stressors. However, at times it can become overwhelming and more than we can comfortably handle. How we cope depends a lot on our mental and physical health.
If you eat unhealthy foods, your stress will affect you more, and you’ll continue to make poor food choices, getting stuck in a vicious cycle. However, if you eat a healthy diet, your attitude will be more positive, because good physical health supports good mental health – and vice versa. So learning how to deal with stress – as well as the other difficult emotions – will be one of the top solutions for you to overcome obesity.
2. Processed food and beverage manufacturers Where to begin? Maybe about 100 years ago before we ate our food out of boxes, bottles, and bags. When we ate food straight from nature. But as we progressed (is this really progress?) and got busier and richer as a nation, we got lazier and bought our food ready to eat.
In an average U.S. household, families either eat out or eat prepared meals more often than a home cooked meal. It’s instant oatmeal for breakfast, fast food for lunch, and take out for dinner.
Restaurants, food processors, and beverage manufacturers perpetuate the problem. Sure, there are some restaurants that serve healthy foods. Thinking they’re being helpful, a lot of restaurants even have the nutritional components of their meals online, yet if you look at the ingredients in their menus, you’d be shocked at the amount of calories, fat grams, and sodium, not to mention other harmful additives and unnatural ingredients.
Now if food and beverage manufacturers weren’t creating these unhealthy foods, we wouldn’t be eating them, so much of the blame lies with them. And they promote, push, and plot ways to get people addicted to their wares. We all know someone – of course it’s not us – who’s addicted to soda pop or candy or bread. Ask them to drink water instead of cola and they look at you blankly! Unhealthy, nutrient deprived, artificial foods contribute significantly to obesity because they deliver empty calories – that is, lots of fats and sugars, but few vitamins, minerals, and other vital nutrients.
Aside from harmful pesticides in our food, we have the other issue of food that’s unhealthy because it’s often artificial and unnatural. It’s the over-processed, manufactured food that does little to provide nutrition to the body and may, consequently, be a contributor to many illnesses and diseases, as well as obesity. Most of these offenders can be classified as “junk food” because they’re either processed or fried until there’s no nutritional value left. Or they’re full of refined sugars, which cause irreparable harm to the body.
Mark Bittman, a bestselling cookbook author, in his book Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating, offers a no-nonsense rundown on how government policy, big business, and food manufacturers’ marketing techniques influence our food choices. They use devious methods to promote consumption of their products, many of which contain harmful toxins. The large companies spend billions on this propaganda, and they successfully profit from their investments.
Unfortunately children who watch their ads on TV are strongly influenced to eat this mostly unhealthy food (think breakfast cereals, candy, and soft drinks). This is the greatest marketing assault in history.