by Dr. Brett Saks

Created on: April 26, 2008

Our weight weighs heavily on our minds, and it should. Approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million obese, and 9 million severely obese says the American Obesity Association. That means two-thirds of Americans are overweight and one-third are obese. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that obesity is responsible for more than 325,000 deaths annually...that's more than 100 9/11's every year. The National Institutes of Health estimates obesity costs this country between $75 and $125 billion every year. Obesity is the number one risk factor for many chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis to name a few. Americans are not overweight for lack of interest or effort. Weight loss is a multi-billion dollar industry, so Americans are certainly trying. With as much money as we spend on weight loss, why is the United States the most obese nation on Earth?

I wish there was a simple program or public policy that we could implement that would wipe out our weight problems; however, because everyone has their own unique body chemistry, the only way to really impact weight (and other chronic health issues) is for an individual to know:

A. about his/her own body;
B. what causes his/her body to become imbalanced; and
C. what he/she can do to re-balance their body.

Here are the factors that I believe are key to helping you reduce or eliminate your weight problems:

1. Poor food choices - whether you know it or not, our food supply has degraded massively over the last 50 years or so. While we have supermarkets and restaurants that are filled with food, the quality of that food has plummeted. I'm talking about the amount of food processing and the increasing use of additives, preservatives, sweeteners and colorings.
Start reading food labels and understanding ingredients. A simple internet search on an ingredient can tell you if you should be ingesting it or not
Avoid foods that are irradiated, as lots of produce these days is exposed to a small amount of radiation to give it a longer shelf life. Avoid foods containing colorings, preservatives and excessive sugars like high fructose corn syrup.

Avoid or eliminate foods that are highly processed like breakfast cereals, potato and corn chips (and the like), processed meats (processed deli meats, hot dogs and "pressed" meat like chicken "nuggets" and meat "patties").

Eliminate all microwaved food and beverages. Microwave ovens may be deemed safe to stand in front of and watch

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