Facts about calories

Some important facts about calories.

• Calorie is a unit used to measure energy in food.
• Our energy needs and energy expenditure are also measured in calories.
• Obesity is the result of imbalance between calorie intake and expenditure.
• 1000 calories are equal to one food calorie or one kilo-calorie.
• A food calorie is also known as "Calorie" which is commonly used in dietetics.
• Another measure that is commonly used in food labels is kilo joules.

How to figure out your BMI

BMI or Body Mass Index is a measurement used to assess obesity. To figure out your BMI, you need two parameters; your body weight and your height.

Estimate your Body Mass Index at home using weight and height.

Measure your height in meters as accurate as possible. For example; If your height is 182cm, that is 1.82m. You should remove your shoes before measuring your height.

Measure your weight in kg. You can use a bathroom scale for taking your body weight. Weigh yourself with minimum cloths.

Here is the formula to calculate your Body Mass Index.

5 Reasons why people are obese

It is obvious that many people are obese these days. Do you know why?

Here are 5 main reasons why lots of people are obese in the world.

1. Fast food is the number one reason

Consumption of fast food has dramatically increased in the past few decades. Many people eat these junk foods as their regular meals. But they don't know that fast food is bad for their health.

These convenient foods have lots of fat and calories. Because of high-calorie intake people gain more weight. A recent study found that people who live near a fast-food restaurant are at increased risk of being overweight.

Sleep apnea and obesity

Key facts about sleep apnea and obesity.

• More than half of the obese people have obstructive sleep apnea.
• Approximately 70 per cent of obstructive sleep apnea patients have obesity.
• Majority of people with sleep apnea do not know that they have it.
• Sleep apnea is a leading cause of high blood pressure and heart disease.
• The link between weight gain and sleep apnea is well established.
• Sleep apnea contributes to metabolic syndrome; a deadly combination of obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes. 

10 Reasons why obesity is a bad problem

Obesity is a growing health problem that affects many people including children of all ages. Obesity is bad for our health for many reasons.

Here are 10 main reasons why obesity is really bad.

1. Obesity is the number one cause of type 2 diabetes. The chances of getting diabetes increases more than tenfold if your body weight is higher than normal. Diabetes does all the bad things to your body. It can give many problems to your eyes, kidneys, and heart.


2. Excessive weight gain increases the risk of developing high blood pressure. It is estimated that over 25 percent of hypertensive cases are due to increased body weight. Losing weight can help normalize your blood pressure. That is why many doctors advise people to do exercise if they have high blood pressure.

Waist circumference: How to measure it

Waist circumference is the distance around the abdomen. This measurement is used to assess the degree of abdominal obesity, which is a greater health risk.

How to measure waist circumference?

• Remove any clothing from the abdominal area.
• Remove the belt if you wear one.
• Stand straight in front of a mirror.
• Locate the upper border of your hipbones. It can be done by pressing upwards and inwards by your fingers.

Does soda make you fat?

Drinking soda can lead to excessive accumulation of fat in your body.

It is believed that over-consumption of soda that contain sugar is a leading cause of obesity.

What does soda contain?

Regular soft drinks are loaded with sugar. One can of sugar soda may contain as much as ten teaspoons of sugar.

For example; a 12-ounce can of Pepsi contains about 40g of sugar which will provide about 150 calories.
Similarly, a can of coca-cola have 39g of sugar.

In addition to sugar, soft drinks contain many other ingredients that can increase your apatite.

How does soda make you fat?

Soft drinks constitute the leading source of added sugar in the diet. The level of consumption often exceed the recommended daily limits for added sugar consumption.

Fiber foods help lose weight

Eating a high fiber diet can help you lose weight.

Obesity is less prevalent among people who eat food that are high in fiber. In addition to preventing obesity, eating fiber rich food has many other health benefits.

What is dietary fiber?

Fiber is an indigestible substance found in foods of plant origin. It is a different type of complex carbohydrate that cannot be digested by the body. So fiber found in our diet passes through the digestive tract unchanged.

Even though it is not digested by the body, fiber is an essential part of a healthy diet.

There are two types of fiber found in grains, fruits and vegetables.

Soluble fiber: This type of fiber can dissolved in water and become gel like substance.

Insoluble fiber: This type of fiber cannot be dissolved in water.

Both soluble and insoluble fibre have several health benefits including preventing excessive weight gain.

How does fiber help lose weight?

Fiber is not digested by the body. So it does not give you calories.

Does sugar make you fat?

Eating a diet high in refined sugar is a leading cause of obesity. Sugar is directly converted to fat by your body, and the more sugar you eat, the fatter you will be. Many people think that eating fatty food is the main cause of too much weight gain. But that is not true. Sugar is the main thing that makes you fat.

What are sugars?

Sugar is pure, refined carbohydrate derived from plants such as sugar cane and beet. The table sugar that we eat is called sucrose.

There are other types of sugar found in various foods. Fruits mainly contain fructose. Glucose is found in honey. It is also found in sweetened beverages such as soft drinks and energy drinks.

Keep in mind that almost all foods that taste sweet will have sugar.

3 Reasons why fast food is bad for you

Eating too much fast food is considered to be a leading cause of obesity, hypertension, and heart disease.

Fast food restaurants are popular because they serve tasty convenient foods for a reasonable price. Many people visit these restaurants frequently to eat their main meals. They don't realize that these type of food items are bad for health.

Here are some reasons why fast food is bad for your health.

Fast food contains more calories.

The majority of junk foods are loaded with calories. Large portion size and high fat content are the main reasons for the high energy content.

An average person needs to consume about 400-600 calories in a mealtime. (If he takes 3 main meals and 2 healthy snacks.) The calorie content of many items is far more than that level.

For example; KFC chicken pot pie has 790 calories. If you eat that and drink 300 ml of Pepsi, which contain 170 calories, you will have a total of 960 calories.

A McDonald's Big Xtra Hamburger with cheese have 810 calories. A Burger King's Club Chicken Sandwich is loaded with 700 calories.

Think that if you eat 220 more calories a day, you will gain one pound of extra fat in your body in two weeks time. That means 24 pounds in one year. That is a lot of weight gain. So, don't visit those restaurants more than once a week.

Fast food contains more unhealthy fat.

Most of the convenient foods contain high levels of saturated fat. This type of fat is mostly derived from animal products such as meat, eggs and butter. Palm oil and coconut oil also contain significant amounts of saturated fat.

Eating too much saturated fat can increase bad cholesterol level in the blood. Elevated levels of cholesterol are the main cause of heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular diseases.

Another type of fat presents in these foods is called trans fat, which is the worst type of fat. We do not need to eat trans fat, even in tiny amounts.

Consumption of trans fat is linked to elevated levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood. In addition, it can lower the amount of good cholesterol (HDL) in you body.

Fast foods are high in sodium.

Sodium plays several important roles in our body. We need to consume a certain amount of sodium every day.

However, taking too much salt is bad for the body. It can cause high blood pressure, obesity, and osteoporosis. In addition, experts believed that over-consumption of salt is linked to increased risk of developing bowel cancer.

An average adult need to consume about 1200 mg sodium per day. Many of the convenient foods contain far more than that amount.

For example; a KFC Double Down sandwich contains 1880 mg of sodium. Similarly, McDonald's Angus bacon and cheese contain 2070 mg of sodium.

Imagine you eat one of these items for your one meal time. then what are you going to eat for the rest of the day?

Eating too much fast food is bad for your health because they contain more calories, more unhealthy fat, and more salt. They can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, and coronary heart diseases.

Some shocking facts about fast food.

• One in four people in America visits fast food restaurants every day.
• Fast food restaurants distribute lots of toys to children. That may be a major contributor to childhood obesity.
• Every day about 50 million people eat at McDonald's.
• Fast food is a major contributor to the obesity epidemic.