Societal Contributions to American Obesity Are Under Your Control

As a society, we are inundated with information about how we are smack in the middle of the "obesity epidemic." It's troubling and repetitive, but it is unfortunately absolutely true. The CDC (Centers For Disease Control) reports that over 60 percent of Americans are obese or overweight. Why? There are many reasons, but following are some of the biggest contributors. Keep in mind that any of these can be overcome by making better choices:

We are a society that travels on 4 wheels: Most of us rely upon cars or SUVs to get us where we need to go, even if we are only going down the street. Many of us are afraid to walk alone (or allow our children to walk) after dark or in busy areas as we're understandably concerned about our safety in an increasingly dangerous and fast-paced society.

We love sedentary things that can be plugged in: TV, video games, ipods and computers have lured us away from healthy outdoor activities. Statistics show that the average amount of time we spend in front of a screen is almost 6 hours per day .

We're bombarded with the availability of, and advertising for unhealthy, processed foods: Cereals, carbs, breads, sodas and frozen foods call to us from every food aisle - and these options are almost always cheaper and easier to consume than healthier, lower calorie choices. Advertisers spend as much as $36 billion dollars per year on advertising meant to sell us high calorie, preservative-laden processed foods that bad for us but great for corporate America. Retailers also offer us super sized" products that appeal to our sense of frugality, hoping we will buy and consume something we hope is a good deal. As a result, it's hard to remember what a normal-sized portion looks like.

We are a "grab-and-go" hurried society who rarely has time to shop for, prepare and eat healthy home cooked meals: It's completely normal and socially acceptable to consume "dashboard meals" in the car on the way to extracurricular activities - as often as several times per week or even daily.

We love soda: Soda is among the leading sources of added sugar and calories in a typical American diet. Most of us get anywhere from 15-20 teaspoons of sugar DAILY from soda. Many Americans drink soda instead of water or milk - both beverages our bodies desperately need.

Although this list is daunting, it's very important to remember that we have a choice about giving into these societal factors. Just because these factors are present in our lives does not mean we have to give in to them. We can plan and pack our meals and snacks in advance so we are not prey to fast or vending machine foods. We can see food advertising campaigns for the self-serving corporate sales pitches they are and realize that corporations who want us to eat fat-laden processed foods do not have our best interest at heart. We can hold ourselves to a high standard of diet and exercise knowing that we are only given one body for which we can make good choices and one life in which to life in good health.