(ARA) – Hunger is a growing problem globally and the United States is not immune. Nearly 12 million American children have limited access to the nutritious foods they need to learn and live active, healthy lives.

Hunger impairs children’s health in significant and long-lasting ways by impeding growth and development, contributing to poorer mental health and playing a part in a child’s greater susceptibility to obesity.

On the other hand, the World Health Organization has reported that there are 1.6 billion overweight people in the world.

The rise in both obesity and those without enough resources for nutritious meals is creating plenty of areas of need. Here are some ways you can make a healthy investment in yourself and neighbors in need.

1. Volunteer

There are resources available to help locate volunteer opportunities all over the country – such as with Operation Frontline; a program from Share Our Strength that connects families with food by teaching them how to prepare healthy, tasty meals on a budget. You can find a volunteer opportunity near you by visiting www.strength.org.

2. Make a donation.

There are many great programs focused on long-term strategies to end childhood hunger – the difference between feeding a family tonight and helping to ensure that a family never again has to worry about where the next meal will come from. You may not think a dollar goes far, but by investing in the right organization, it can go further than you might imagine. For example, as little as $35 can help feed a child three meals a day for more than a month, according to Share our Strength. For less then the cost of a nice meal out, you can help a child forget about his hunger, and focus on just being a kid.

3. Get involved.

The national Lose for Good campaign from Weight Watchers focuses on both achieving better health and fighting hunger at the local, national and global level. For the Lose for Good campaign, as members lose weight between Aug. 30 and Sept. 17, Weight Watchers will donate up to $1 million to help feed children and families in need. Losing as little as 10 percent of your body weight can bring rewards like lowered cholesterol and reduced blood pressure.

In addition, food drives are being organized in Weight Watchers meeting locations across the country, allowing members to donate food in their communities to spread the good even further. Last year, as part of the Lose for Good campaign, 4 million pounds were lost by members and online subscribers and Weight Watchers donated $1 million to Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger. Also, 1.5 million pounds of food was collected and donated to local food banks.

“Its well known that obesity has an impact on a variety of health conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer,” says David Kirchhoff, president and CEO of Weight Watchers International, Inc. “At the same time, so many people in our country and abroad are struggling to get enough to eat. Now more than ever, we all need to take action – for our own health as well as the health of our families, friends and neighbors.”

As the leading organization working to end childhood hunger in America, Share Our Strength works to surround children with healthy nutritious food. “Children in America are hungry not because they lack food,” says Bill Shore, co-founder and executive director, “but because of a lack of access to programs that can help.”

To find a local Weight Watchers meeting near you, or learn more about Lose for Good, visit loseforgood.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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What is more alarming is the fact that obesity rates in Canada have risen dramatically over the past quarter of a century according to Statistics Canada. According to studies conducted on about 35,000 Canadians with respect to their height and weight, the results showed about 23 per cent of all adults were obese which translates to about five and a half million Canadians.

Tripling of Young Obese Persons in Canada

The fact is that during the late seventies, there were only 14 per cent obese Canadians. Among the adults aged between 25 and 34 as well as those aged 75 or more recorded the highest increase in obesity and in fact their numbers almost doubled – according to obesity rates in Canada released by Canadian Community Health Survey. What’s worse is that according to the same source, there was a tripling in the rates of obese young people in Canada especially among those aged between 12 and 17.

To reverse such disturbing trends in obesity rates in Canada, nutritionists at University of Alberta have come up with a program that is hospital-based which aims to help children improve their eating habits. They also want to inculcate the habit of exercising and to impart health education to them so that they can avoid foods that cause obesity and veer towards consuming healthy foods that will help them stay fit and which can prolong their lives as well.

Other disturbing news that was learnt while studying the obesity rates in Canada showed that on a provincial level, the rate of obese men in Canada were significantly higher than the national average in places such as Labrador and Newfoundland as well as in Manitoba. Even women living in Newfoundland and Labrador as well as Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan had higher rates than the national average.

The only silver lining on a cloudy horizon was that the obesity rates in Canada were not as high as in the United States and whereas there were 23 per cent of obese Canadians, in the United States this figure stood at almost 30 per cent. The solutions are the same regardless of where you live. Eat fruits and vegetables and whole grains and start exercising – the umbers will start to drop automatically.

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Obesity Opinions: Is There a Medical Reason for Obesity?

The obesity opinion that is shared by many health professionals is that there is not a medical condition that causes obesity.  Certain thyroid conditions and other endocrine disorders may trigger weight gain, but these are not amounts that would lead to obesity.

There are also some medications that when taken can again cause a weight gain, but they are not a cause of obesity.  So far medical research has shown that there is not a medical reason for obesity.

Obesity opinions also say that there does seem to be a connection between genes and obesity.  This may have something to do with the way your body is programmed to burn calories.  Some people seem to have a genetic disposition that allows them to burn calories faster than others.  Having parents that are obese does seem to give a person a pre-disposition to becoming obese.

Obesity Opinions: Other Root Causes Of Obesity

It does appear that women are at more risk for becoming obese than men.  This again has to do with the fact that men burn calories faster than women and have more muscle mass than women.  Muscle mass helps prevent obesity, so men genetically are at lower risk for obesity.  Age too contributes to an increase in obesity, as we age our risk for obesity increases.

Our culture too lends itself to the risk of obesity, with fast food that is so easy to obtain and our lifestyle of drive thru and level of inactivity, our culture itself assists in promoting the obesity problem.  As a society we need to be aware of this, and help our children learn about proper proportions and being active.

The bottom line is that an active lifestyle helps combat obesity.  In obesity opinions it is always stated that getting into the habit of exercise is the best way to help prevent obesity.  Check with a physician to find out if you’re ready to begin an exercise program and what type of program would be best for your physical condition.

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Time To Take Remedial Action

With such facts staring one in the face, it is imperative that remedial action be taken and in order to take a timely first step in overcoming obesity in teens, teens must per force need to look at why the rate of obesity in teens is rising so alarmingly. It won’t take much thinking to determine that the easy availability of fast foods is the primary cause why people become obese because it is hard to fight off the temptation to treat one to a pizza or other high fat food that is also cooked in oils that are rich is cholesterol.

Other contributory factors to the rising incidence of obesity in teens is use of preservatives in the foods that they consume which is apparently as dangerous as smoking, and along with laziness is one of the major reasons why so many teens are becoming so obese. The days when it was normal to see teenagers jogging in the parks have long since vanished and today, it is much more normal to associate them with computer games, video parlors as well as other sedentary lifestyles. And, with the ubiquitous mobile phone on hand, teenagers today are fed on a totally new diet to what their earlier counterparts were raised on during their heydays.

However, it is never too late for teenagers to mend their ways and to live a healthier life provided they make a conscious effort to become more active at the local gym, or find other outdoor activities that will promote burning away of excess fats and calories inside their bodies and even partaking in group sports of which basketball, volleyball and football are good examples will help them get rid of excess fat and thus not fall into the rut of becoming obese at an early age.

In addition, by watching what they eat, teenagers can get back on the road to healthy living and in this regard eating healthy snacks will do them no end of good.

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Boob-Tube And More Boob-Tube

The new lifestyle that has taken over our children’s lives leaves little time for them to exercise, go out and remain otherwise active and it is far removed from the lifestyle our parents enjoyed many years ago. Along with the sedentary life that our children have become accustomed to, technology and childhood obesity have become closely intertwined and our concern for our health has also taken a backseat as the life in front of the boob-tube continues to take up all of our children’s time at the expense of their health.

It is thus imperative to understand the reason why technology and childhood obesity are going hand in hand, and when one considers the fact that child obesity has gone up by more than three times in the recent past, the problem has actually now reached epidemic proportions and it seems that now we are breeding obesity in our homes as we are letting our children spend all of their time in front of the television or other electronic devices.

The fact is that when we and our children sit immobile for hours on end watching television or working on the computer or playing video games, we neglect to exercise and along with a diet consisting of sodas and fast foods are breeding obesity like never before. Thus, technology and childhood obesity are causing our children to eat more, exercise less and live sedentary lifestyles which is a cocktail that only serves up more obese children in our population today.

No doubt, there are a number of other factors too that contribute to obesity, but television is a prime example of how technology and childhood obesity combine to the detriment of our health. Staying glued to the television will mean a lack of exercise, focusing on excessive eating followed by an unhealthy lifestyle and thus contributing to furthering the incidence of obesity in our children.

Television and the computer are prime examples of how technology and childhood obesity are making kids do things that are bad for them and if you want your kid to not become obese, you should discourage him from watching too much television, which is a major reason why children become obese, and to also address obesity as a health problem which needs to be addressed and not to consider obesity as merely being a problem with how the child looks.

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Obesity help can come in a variety of forms; with these there being very popular because of their realistic approach and real results

Weight Watchers

The way Weight Watchers helps you fight obesity is through a points system where they assign a points value to all foods and you know how much you can eat in a day. A typical points range will be around 21 for a day and you get to keep a food diary where you record how many points you have used up. Weight Watchers helps fight obesity with teaching portion control, rewarding exercise and providing a lot of support by weekly meetings where you can discuss your goals, meet with a fitness specialist and learn from others successes. This program lets you choose your own food, you only need to pay a weekly fee of around $9 to attend meetings and check your weight.

Slim Fast

The Slim Fast line of shakes, bars and other nutritional products can help fight obesity because again it lets you control hunger and sweet cravings with a protein laden shake which you can replace for one or two meals. The third meal should be taken as you normally would of course keeping sensible guidelines in mind.

Jenny Craig

If you have seen Kirstie Alley or Joy Behar on television advertising for Jenny Craig, you probably know that many celebrities and average Joes like the program because there is no counting and there are no group meetings you need to attend. People like the individualized and more customized approach of Jenny Craig even though it is more expensive. You need to buy food from the weight loss center in order to go with their program for obesity help and the dishes range from a couple of dollars to a few more pricey items.

Whichever method you choose for helping fight obesity, stick with it, have a little patience and you will see those pounds melt away – good luck!

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Obesity is different than being overweight since your overall body weight is partly due to muscles, bones and water contained in the body. A person becomes obese when they take in more calories than they use up over a period of time. Important elements contributing to a person’s obesity are overeating; eating foods that contain a high fat content and not getting enough exercise. People that are obese are at an increased risk for health problems.

Obesity Diagnosis

Most physicians utilize the body mass index (BMI) in order to decide if a person is technically obese and therefore at risk for obesity related health problems. The facts of obesity suggest the higher the number on the BMI chart the higher your risk for acquiring diseases due to obesity. The BMI number is derived from a calculation based on your height and weight. Most physicians will also take a measurement of your waistline which gives them additional information in diagnosing if you are obese or overweight.

The facts of obesity indicate that patients are at a greater risk for heart disease and also type 2 diabetes if they carry too much fat in the stomach area and the waistline. Men who have a waist line over 40 inches and women with a waistline over 35 inches have an even higher risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Obesity Facts Concerning Heart Disease

When fatty substances build up over time on the walls of the coronary arteries heart disease is usually the result. The plaque produces a narrowing of your arteries which causes a reduction in the flow of blood to the heart.

The Obesity Facts of Health Risks

The facts of obesity indicate that people who are considered obese usually have a higher risk of having high blood pressure due to the amount of force that is created by the blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Obese people are at a higher risk of having a stroke which occurs due to fatty substances clogging a person’s arteries and creating a blood clot. If the blood clot is near your brain it can easily prevent blood and oxygen from reaching your brain which can result in a stroke.

Obese people typically have a higher than normal level of fat in their blood which also increases the risk of heart disease. Obesity also increases the risk of obtaining colon, endometrial, breast and gallbladder cancer. Osteoarthritis is also common in obese people especially as they become older. If you think you might be obese consult with your physician and get the facts on obesity.

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In United States and many areas of the world, obesity is spreading like an epidemic. So, obesity cure has become a serious concern now-a-days. Besides following traditional medicines, more and more people are now inclined towards finding an alternative solution for treating obesity. This article sheds light on the Ayurvedic cure for obesity.

Ayurvedic Perspective on Obesity

In Ayurveda, obesity is referred to as Stholya Roga, which occurs due to excess accumulation of body fat. Following this norm, excess accumulation of water, fat, muscles and bones can be defined as a state of being obese. Obesity is a specific type of condition during which natural energy is reserved and stored within the fatty tissues of the body. This conservation of energy is increased up to a certain point where it influences health conditions adversely and heightens the risk of mortality.

In Ayurvedic studies an obese individual is defined as Atisthula person belonging into the cluster of Astha Nindatiya Purushas or eight undesirable physical characteristics. The other seven characteristics are Atideergha (very tall), Atihriswa (very short), Atigaura (very fair), Atikrishna (very dark), Atiloma (excessive body hair), Aloma (absence of body hair), and Atikrisha (excessive thin).

Ayurveda also asserts that specifically two types of characteristics are mostly undesirable among these eight characteristics. These are Atisthula and Atikrisha. Charaka, the great ancient Ayurvedic practitioner of India, explained that Atisthula individuals are more susceptible to any sort of health risks than individuals having normal body types.

The Ayurvedic Shloka from Ashtanga Sansrah says, “Stholayam pragudahritah guruadivridhasan leen sleshma mishro annajo rasah”. It means that obesity is caused as a result of excessive intake of heavy and fatty food while doing no physical work. While describing the cure for obesity, Ayurveda focuses on providing a holistic solution.

Ayurvedic Herbal Solution

Triphala is the formulation of three myrobalans – Amalaki (Emblica officinalis), Bibhitaki (Terminalia bellirica) and Haritaki (Terminalia chebula). If Triphala is used in combination with Guggul (Commiphora mukul), it is considered as one of the best obesity cure of all time. Besides that, Triphala powder can also offer an effective solution for treating obesity, if used daily during bedtime.

Guggul is a widely popular fat burning agent and a wise solution for obesity cure. The ability of Guggul to combat against obesity is a well established fact. It helps in boosting thyroid gland mechanism, leading to an increase in Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) which is defined as the quantitative value of calories that one burns at rest.

Ayurvedic Exercise

The exercises are referred to as asanas in Ayurveda. The most effective asanas used for obesity cure are the asanas from Pawanamuktasana series. It aids in removing excess body fat from abdomen, thighs and hips as well as it vitalizes the life energy at the lower prana point. Utthanpadasana, Chakrapadasana, Pada Sanchalana, and Naukasana are the asanas from Pawanamuktasana series. All of these asanas are beneficial for strengthening abdominal muscles as well as burning excess fat from the body.

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According to the Center for Disease Control or CDC, obesity and diabetes are so closely linked as to result in obesity being the primary reason why people develop diabetes. The magnitude of the problem can be judged when one goes by figures released by the Surgeon General that show that overweight children and adults have doubled in their numbers as compared to ten years ago. The result is a drastic increase in Type 2 diabetes, which is a cause that should make anyone worried.

Poor Food Choices

To get to the bottom of why people are becoming diabetic we only need to look at the root of the problem and a primary reason why obesity and diabetes go hand in hand is that the food that we eat plays an important role in each case. Eating fast foods is certainly detrimental to one’s health since they are loaded with high fats, calories and also carbohydrates that only end up making you put on weight, and thus increases the risk of developing diabetes.

Poor Exercise Choices

When a diet includes both fast food and soda, the problem is compounded even further because soda is known to contain sugar as well as carbs in high amounts. This can lead you to becoming a diabetic from consuming excess of soda and when combined with high calories and fat, will also cause you to become obese. The third important factor as far as obesity and diabetes go is that when people consume such diets, they also tend to neglect to exercise thereby contributing to both obesity and diabetes and to even cause certain heart problems as well.

Thus, it will be in your best interests to become educated about obesity and diabetes and whether or not you are at risk of contracting either disease, you should always be on the lookout for warning signs. You need to understand that excessive soda will make you diabetic and that, the hamburger that you can’t do without may end up making you obese thereby worsening your health and causing more complications including a deteriorating diabetes condition.

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The best way to distinguish beteween being overweight and obese is to calculate your body mass index. It is a more meaningful number as opposed to the three digits you see on your bathroom scale. This is because it tells you if you are in the ideal range of weight in proportion to your height, age and gender.

Illustration

A 160 pound woman who is 5 feet tall can be obese, but someone weighing the same with a 6 foot frame may be doing just fine.

A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered to be healthy. Anyone with a BMI of 25-29.9 is considered to be overweight and a BMI over 30 is considered obese. A BMI of 40 or above indicates that a person is morbidly obese and it could increases risk of death manifold.

Therefore always use the BMI to distinguish if you have just packed on some pregnancy or holiday pounds or is it something more serious. Do not rely on dress sizes, jean fittings and other such estimates. There is no weight loss bible that says a size 10 is fine and a size 12 is fat. It depends a lot on your height and other factors like age and gender as well. As you grow older, the weight range which is ideal for you expands a little to accommodate for a slower metbolism. However, gettng older is no excuse for gettng fat either. Joint trouble, heart problems and other conditinons can plague you if your are old, weak and fat.

You Can Do It!

Obesity has unfortunately become one of the major killers in the United States which is  ironic because we work more than any other nation, take fewer vacations and are more educated than other countries. However, we sit at our desk all day or sit in front of the televison when we return gobbling up gigantic portions of processed ready to eat foods that we just warm up in the microwave.

If we just eat a little more healthfully and move a little more, we can fight the obesity epidemic. We can turn the tables around and not be mocked upon by the size of our Big Macs and Double Grande Lattes. We need to take this as a wake up call and start incluclating healthy habits, if not for our sake, for the sake of our future generations.

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