In the obesity category, only the British are ahead of us. And when it comes to children, Polish people gain weight the fastest in Europe. What’s the problem?
WHO recognized obesity as the most dangerous chronic disease, which, if left untreated, leads to the development of fatal cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hormonal disorders, spine and joint ailments, and increases the risk of cancer. In addition, it causes chronic inflammation in the body.
Fat Arabs, skinny Japanese
Over a quarter of Poles suffer from obesity. Over the past two years, the percentage of people who are overweight in the country has increased. – Poland was ranked 5th in the World Food Safety Index survey. In Europe, there are only the inhabitants of Great Britain ahead of us – says Piotr Gill, regional director of DuPont Crop Protection Central Europe. Obesity is the biggest problem in Great Britain, where as much as 28,1% is affected. society. Austrians are the thinnest Europeans, obesity is only 18,4 percent. The Danes (19,3%) and the Swiss (19,4% each) are also below the European average. In the world, the inhabitants of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman) are the fattest. . The drastic changes in eating habits in recent decades have resulted in 36,7 percent. the local population is struggling with obesity. A similar problem affects the United States (33,7%), Jordan (30,5%) and Turkey (29,5%). In turn, the lowest percentage of obese people in developed countries lives in Japan (3,3%).
A sweet carbonated drink for dinner
– Obese children use our services more and more often – says dietician Zofia Urbańczyk. “When I ask my parents why I am overweight, most say it’s a genetic tendency. Meanwhile, further interview shows that the child’s obesity is caused by bad eating habits – he adds. When fed by their relatives, they get 16 times more sugar and 14 times more protein than they need. Many children love sweet carbonated drinks. Meanwhile, specialists believe that it is best to eliminate them completely, because they act like a caloric bomb. Providing as many calories as a normal meal, and yet no one treats a bottle of drink like dinner. The research of the Children’s Memorial Health Institute shows that boys from primary schools in large cities suffer from obesity most often. The problem also affects children who have access to sweets, sweet carbonated drinks or crisps. More often, those with higher income families gain weight, especially the only children who have a computer with internet and TV in their room and do not play any sports in the afternoons. Meanwhile, in order to prevent obesity, the child must be physically active for 90 minutes a day. It is not a lot if you go to school on foot, in the afternoon you cycle, roller-skate, skate or play football. The problem is when he drives to and from school by car, after school he sits in front of the computer, and uses a scooter instead of a bicycle.
We eat too much
Poles eat too much – experts believe. Diabetologist prof. Krzysztof Strojek says that during banquets with a buffet, he noticed that the obese put on the plate twice as much portions as the slim ones. “Well, we like to say that we have a slow metabolism, but we don’t see how much we eat,” he emphasizes. Internist prof.
Zbigniew Gaciong talks about research conducted among members of a primitive tribe from Tanzania, which they obtain food mainly by hunting game and collecting fruit. – Their energy expenditure was measured and compared to the calories burned by city dwellers. It turned out that the result was similar because members of this tribe mostly rest when not hunting. However, there are no obese people among them. The problem is therefore mainly that city dwellers are able to bring much more food from the store than Tanzanians can hunt down and collect – he explains. – So, eating is a kind of addiction. That is why I suggest my patients abstinence from certain products. At the same time, I emphasize that I follow Christian principles. If anyone sins, he is not condemned forever. He should confess and start over, he says. He also adds that the psychological basis of gluttony may result from habits learned at home and low self-esteem compensated by a reward in the form of food. Then raising your self-esteem can help you fight this addiction.
It was as fat as a 10 kg suitcase
Robert Sapa, a family doctor from Zielona Góra, always persuades his patients to reduce their body weight. – I am not a supporter of practicing sports in the fourth decade of my life. Then I propose something that I would rather call rehabilitation, i.e. strengthening the muscular corset without burdening the joints. However, the most important thing is to eat the right amount of calories. Patients often ask me: Doctor, what are you doing to make you so thin? First, I joke that I don’t overflow, and then I ask them how much they weigh. When they answer, I invite you to the scales of truth, which is weight. Most often, this one shows more than they declared. – 10 kg of excess weight means that you carry two bags weighing 5 kg each day. How long can you go on like this? What is an effort for the heart? After all, such stressed joints must hurt – I explain to patients. I am asking if they think 4 kg is a lot. They say no. Then I suggest that they reduce their portions by 4 dkg every day. Weekly it will be about 30 dkg less, monthly – more than a kilogram, and 12 kg during the year. This convinces them to limit the amount they eat, says Sapa.
How to lose weight?
Dietitian and family doctor Anna Nejno says that diets that provide all the necessary ingredients are the best. He admits, however, that in the case of high obesity, each excess kilogram is more harmful to health than a restrictive diet that has been used for some time and eliminates even the necessary ingredients. If the excess weight does not exceed 10 kg, the doctor suggests slimming our meals. – It does not mean that there should be fewer of them. They must be cut off from calories. You should eat five times a day and it’s best to set a signal on your phone that will tell you when to eat every three hours. In the meantime, you can drink water or bitter green or red tea that accelerates your metabolism. You have to give up sweet carbonated drinks, minimize the amount of carbohydrates you consume – limit white bread and pasta, give up fast food and sweets. The basis of the diet should be vegetables. For breakfast, instead of caloric sweet cereals, it is better to make porridge with seasonal fruit. Instead of fatty cheeses, it is better to switch to lean curd and replace pork with poultry. You mustn’t overdo it with fruit. A handful a day is recommended, not more. Safe weight loss is half a kilo a week. This means that it takes five months to lose 10 kg. Dr. Nejno recommends enlisting the help of a specialist dietitian. “It’s really about changing the way you eat for life. Since we were overweight, it means that we ate incorrectly and we need to change it – he says.
Slimming at the National Health Fund
– Legal solutions are important, such as – prohibition of advertising aimed at children, the obligation to label food, and even taxing unhealthy food. Only the cooperation of many institutions, combining various types of interventions, can bring a visible effect – says Maria Libura from the Lazarski University, co-author of the analysis on the fight against obesity prepared by the experts of the My Patients Foundation. Measures recommended by the European Commission and WHO in the field of the so-called Food reformulation, that is, reducing the content of salt, trans fatty acids, saturated fatty acids, simple sugars, are not easy to introduce. These additives are often related to the technology of product production and their exclusion requires changes in these processes. Their elimination can also make the food tasteless, and no producer will decide to do so. – If the cotton candy was reformulated, only the stick would remain – they explain. Marketing also influences the choice of diet to a large extent. If, during the breaks of football games, chips and mayonnaise were not promoted, but raw carrots, people would probably eat more vegetables. This is an area that the state should regulate and not only by limiting advertising to minors. Fiscal mechanisms are also an unused tool in our country. Caloric, unhealthy food is still the cheapest. Although Denmark and Finland tried to impose additional financial burdens on producers of unhealthy food, they withdrew from it because they were forced by the European Commission, because it had a negative effect on the functioning of enterprises. The solution could be positive motivation. For now, we have our own common sense.