Obesity: The Real Reason it Exists Worldwide

It is true that there are trends in some restaurants in the U.S. that advertise "All You Can Eat" menus at a sale price. Does it look like this promotional ad could possibly contribute to Obesity?

We must first set some standards as to just how the human body functions, in a very simple way without getting into exact body processes. Our body, we are told normally takes in a given amount of diverse food and water per day. This food should supply the right amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in order to maintain the correct frame, given the amount of energy used. The physiological aspects of this simple exchange become slightly more complex as each and every one of us is totally different. There is one thing that is known and that is the nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, etc. should enter the body, each and every one in some optimum level to maintain its physical proportions. Of course, this changes as time goes on.

The body can be likened to a very complex engine, though a very complex one because it is basically controlled by a very complex brain. Decades ago, the body generally received its full portion of nutrients (at least in most cases) and was normally satiated and a more normal weight was maintained than it is today. Simple common sense tells us and even some with the least I.Q. that if we remove some quantity of these nutrients from our food supply, our brain, the ultimate controller, would tell us to find a source of the depleted, but needed nutrients. Now, what if the body cannot get the needed nutrients by eating a normal amount of food in some given time period, we simply take in more. Of course, this simply means a slight increase in calories, which means a slight weight gain.

So, Why The Decrease In Nutrients In Our Foods?

Sometime around the 1940s, at least here in the U.S., farmers needed a way to grow more food in order to supply the increasing demand; both here and worldwide approached the chemical industry for a solution. It did increase harvest quite a bit, but the chemicals lowered many vitamin and mineral levels of these vegetables and fruit harvests. In the 1950s, irradiation of our foods began in a small section of food produce and has now been incorporated in many products from vegetables and fruits to some meats, eggs and spices. Irradiation has been found to decrease the amounts of many vitamins originally contained in many fruit and vegetables. To reverse this process would be very difficult, though some positive efforts are being made in organic farming, which is not irradiated, and therefore retain nutrients that are lost using chemical fertilizers.

How Then Do We Replenish The Needed Nutrients That Were Lost?

Many people today take nutrient supplements in order to replace those lost from farming procedures, food irradiation and the canning process, but as nutrition experts tell us, no supplements can ever fully replenish naturally grown and non-irradiated foods.