Obesity is a problem that is increasing in the industrialized world; solving it is not just about eating less and perform more exercise, but eating nourishing food that is not compromised by modern agricultural methods and manufacturing processes.

The dramatic increase in obesity and diseases related to it

American documentary film Super Size Me experiment follows a young man who wants to know what happens if you eat for a whole month, every day, only food fast food [1]. Look how Morgan Spurlock recorded his experience of eating McDonald's food three times a day for 30 days. As the story unfolds, we learn increasingly more about the problem of increasing obesity in the US [2]. Meanwhile, we follow a thorough investigation of the effects of physical, mental and emotional excessive consumption of food fast food.

As you probably could have guessed, Spurlock feels sick very quickly and get fat. What is surprising is that fatten faster and feels worse than could have been anticipated even his team of doctors. This experiment in nutrition raises an important question: is really like fast food consumption of food because the dramatic multiplication of the number of people suffering from obesity? And what does the fact that eating fast food type to be so unhealthy for us? There are other factors involved? These are pertinent questions for us all, because obesity is not just a problem for Americans. It spreads around the world with a rate increasingly higher. According to current estimates, one billion overweight adults worldwide, 300 million of whom are clinically obese [3]. Only the United States, the number of such people has doubled in the last 20-25 years.
 
Current estimates show that 30% of the US population are obese and 65% of Americans are overweight [4]. Since one of the biggest exports from the Western world is the American culture, it is no wonder that our habits - and therefore our health problems - speed spread worldwide. In many other countries such as Russia, Germany and the Czech Republic, adult obesity rate is between 23% and 26% [4a, 4b]. In Australia, about 20% of the population is obese [5]. In the UK and Canada, the rate of obesity among adults is closer to 15% [6]. These values ​​grow because there was also an amazing increase in the number of overweight children and obese patients. It is estimated that in the US, 22 million children under five years of age are clinically obese, twice more than in 1980.

In adolescents, the rate is even more alarming because tripled since 1980, reaching in their case, from 5% to 16% as it is today [7]. The World Health Organization is well aware of what is now called the epidemic "globezitate" [8]. She informs us that many of the chronic diseases associated with obesity lead to serious worldwide spending billions of dollars due to the costs of public health services and lost working hours.

Obesity is the second - after smoking - the top causes of preventable diseases. Obesity is a major risk factor in arteriosclerosis, diabetes and cancer - diseases of modern industrialized society. The risk of heart attack, stroke and depression - not to mention here numerous diseases including nonfatal joint degeneration and gastritis - is much higher among the obese. In the film we talked about Spurlock believes we can see clearly that the industry is the largest contributor to the problem. He repeats the current dogma on obesity, although most of us already know this story. First, he argues that people consume too much food, too many calories. Second, it tells us that we eat too much fat. Third, it states that we do not do enough exercise. I have already heard many times these explanations. We do not make enough effort? Or the problem is actually different?

Here's a list of ideas circulating on obesity:
1. Obesity is the result of excess food consumption, that we eat too many calories.
2. Obesity is the result of excessive consumption of saturated fats. Consumption of fat - especially animal fats - leads to fattening.
3. Obesity is the result of a lack of will and a weakness of character.
4. Obesity is a genetically determined characteristic, such as eye color and you can not do anything about it.
5. Obesity is caused by carelessness, greed and lack of "moral fiber."
6. Obesity is caused only by lack of physical movement.

All I suspect at some point that eating fast food and candy kind are not good for us. The percentage of Americans who attend consistently fast food outlets is probably around 20%, however the percentage of overweight Americans is almost 65%.

Clearly, obesity connection - fast food can not be held liable for all of them. We have so much confidence in our diet based on "meat and potatoes", but we fail to recognize that even these foods are different than they were before. Meat from animals sick and is full of hormones, antibiotics and other drugs. Quality protein and fat meat was radically altered due to diet abhorrent that these animals were bred.

Genetically modified potatoes have been treated with pesticides and strong and persistent with synthetic fertilizers and other additives. In the past it was known that food bought from supermarkets for home-cooked quality was far superior food we buy at fast-food restaurants. But nowadays we can not make this assumption. Perhaps in fact we refuse to accept that is the true state of our food. In any event, the agricultural industry is delighted that blame the food like fast food because it diverts public attention from them. ( for more health tips visit http://health-tips.ca )

Sad fact is that the food they buy at McDonald and food we buy at the supermarket is not so different as it used to.

At some level we feel like, now we have the situation under control. Government and health authorities have conducted studies and made their recommendations known. Things are going for them as they were planned. However the situation desperately requires an analysis deeper and gain a greater understanding. We have to look obesity from a different perspective in order to change how things evolve. Our current way of approach will not lead to solving it. Like its roots, obesity is a symptom of larger problems. Using a holistic point of view, just like the one offered by traditional medicine systems, could provide a deeper understanding of this difficult situation.

Bucket theory

Explanation of obesity is based on the popular "bucket theory". This hypothesis states that the body is like a bucket: the food we put in the bucket fills and exercises we make empty bucket. So that people who grow up in weight actually fill their excess and their little empty buckets. The message that we were put on the neck fact is that we eat too much and do too little exercise. But it is more than that!

This theory assumes that all calories are treated equally, that all have the same impact on health and disease. It does not take into account differences between food produced in a healthy food produced in an unhealthy way. Skip to consider the difference between particular qualities associated with each category of food. Look to consider the real needs of the human body. First, ignore all the other factors that contribute to obesity, besides overeating and lack of exercise. "Bucket theory" based on the assumption that all normal body processes take place in a person becoming obese, but such things do not happen in reality.

We have to abandon the idea that obesity is the result of normal physiological mechanisms. For the body to produce the kind of pathological accumulations that might occur if obesity need him to be in a mode different from the normal. Things happen as a body would operate in survival mode, thus creating this type of body fat as a last attempt to preserve life in unusually harsh conditions, both domestic and foreign. Certainly there is a lot of disturbance functional, metabolic and hormonal abnormalities and pathogenic influences. My guess is you can not take a normal person, healthy and turn it into an individual only obese by over-eating and lack of exercise [9].

Among other possible factors involved in obesity include multiple nutritional deficiencies, organ dysfunctions, addictions, depression, exhaustion and feelings of psychological and spiritual empty. Telling an obese person we need to eat less and do more exercise is too simplistic to be an effective strategy in combating this complex problem. And this is precisely the point where we are now. It is necessary to make a complete assessment of the situation and consider all the issues that we face.

People become obese for a variety of reasons, or rather as the result of multiple factors. It is also true that we need to examine more closely what we eat: the food we consume more and which less. Fat consumption really makes us fatter? People ate a lot of fat for a long time. Some cultures derive their calories from fat 70% and this has been true for many generations for thousands of years [10].

Why now we have so many problems with them? I've always eaten fat food - this has not changed. The thing that has changed is the type of fat you consume. For example, milk fat consumption has dropped steadily in recent years. Similarly, oil consumption coconut has fallen sharply compared with a period of just a few decades ago. Meanwhile, consumption of vegetable oils has increased very sharply [11] - no doubt because this type of fat (especially hydrogenated oils and partially hydrogenated) constitutes the main ingredient in many foods prepackaged we buy at the supermarket .

Another dubious ingredient that is often found alongside hydrogenated vegetable oils is syrup with a high fructose corn obtained. Currently these two ingredients we consume more than ever. My experience in treating obese patients in a clinical practice "alternative" scenario suggests that obesity presents a more complicated than the simple absorption of excess calories and lack of exercise.

Examination showed me sick that it's not just about an excess of tissues but are present at the same time greatest shortcomings. In Western science we compare these types of shortcomings with lack of vitamins, minerals and enzymes and endocrine glands are exhausted. In clinical practice it is also very common to see patients with an excessive accumulation of debris and body while a deficiency of elements necessary for good health. The process by which this transformation takes place has certain characteristics that coincide with the American way of life and Western ideology. It is inherent in our nutritional choices in how we care for our bodies, in our approach to their emotions, labor, childbirth and so on. For many generations we have not really taken a conscious and healthy on life.

The problem is not simply the accumulated fat. We must take into consideration that processed and prepared foods that we buy at the supermarket is not as easy to digest as their natural counterparts. As a result, there are many things that are absorbed through the gut into the blood, which can not be assimilated by the body's normal functions. Obesity is a combination of accumulation of this type of indigestible materials coupled with body energies exhausted, depleted reserves endocrine and digestive capacity weakened. The end result is a loss of complexity in the entire system; body turns into a garbage bag full of stuff that does not need and is not able to digest or eliminate them. Outside, we can see that things are clearly different. We not even say fatty, because we know that it is about something else. "Cellulite", "waste in the body", "spare tire", "beer belly". Even in common language as we know it is simply about some normal fat deposits.

An obese body fat actually has a chemistry different from that found in the body of a healthy person. Each cell in the body of an individual (whether obese or not) has a certain amount of fat therein. The cell barrier forming defining each cell is called a phospholipid coating and is composed of fat - in a typical blood cells are about 30% saturated fats and 30% of unsaturated fats. This means that there is a coating of fat molecules of the surface of any cells.
 
Just like a balloon keeps the inside, so the cell membrane contains all components of the cell. Each cell in the body is constructed in the same way. The cell membrane is an intense activity. Hormones and other molecules attach to the cell membrane and are to engage in all essential functions for life. Everything that is necessary for the cell to function and survive must pass through the membrane. Cell membrane must act as a "barrier selection", which means it must allow certain molecules selectively pass through, while preventing the passage of undesirable materials.

These membranes require a constant supply of new molecules of fat to replace those that were lost through various processes. There must be available a suitable combination of saturated and unsaturated fats, good quality, in order to ensure proper functioning of these complex structures. If there is no blood present in the fat molecules suitable body incorporating any available fat molecules. In obese humans, cell membranes contain a mixture denatured fat molecules [12]. As a result the cells are no longer able to operate normally. The membrane can no longer function as a selective barrier, and the cell allowed to enter within them any floats in the bloodstream. As the fat molecules increases ever more, they allow the accumulation of lipids and more inadequate.

Some healthy components such as for example lipase enzyme that breaks down fat molecules are clearly absent. The fat itself can be used as a storage area of ​​fat-soluble substances, many environmental toxins are fat soluble: they are "oily" in opposition to the "watery".

As a result, these fatty tissues accumulate toxic and stores them indefinitely. The fat is capable of synthesizing its own potentially toxic compounds: for example, estrogen is produced by the fat tissues both in women and in men. While for good health is essential to a balanced amount of estrogen when it is in too large quantities can cause all sorts of problems. Estrogen helps to build tissue growth and thus help maintain body fat. Also it is a potent tumor growth factor.

Distortion of food sources

We can not blame fast-food restaurants for all our troubles. The food made entirely of manufactured industrial mixtures is usually standard in today's market. The ingredients produced in the laboratory, such as for example oils, partially hydrogenated and hydrogenated, which many studies have linked to the appearance of it lot of chronic degenerative diseases such as diabetes, cancer and obesity can be found in almost all foods wrapped [13].

Preservatives, fillers and sweeteners are added to our food. It is difficult to find in a supermarket products contain no sugar or syrup with a high fructose content obtained from corn. Genetically modified organisms are already commonplace, according to estimates about 70% of all processed foods containing it. It seems that the agricultural industry feels no remorse before subjecting genetic manipulation of our food resources, since these procedures in the future plans to become even more widespread. As long as we remain uninformed and indifferent to these actions, we will still sell the same type of products leading to higher profits for the industry.

It seems that consumer welfare is given little consideration, first as marketing strategies that try to promote this true waste as healthy. Many individuals who buy and consume food derived from agricultural industry do not seem to know how it is actually produced. It is no coincidence that much of this information is hidden from the public. Animals mass produced by the agricultural industry are kept in extremely cramped. They are fed with anything less, including animal carcasses "recycled". They are given drugs, hormones and antibiotics just to not die before rising enough. All these processes profoundly unnatural changes the structure of the meat, resulting in changing the balance of fatty acids, resulting in a lack of omega-3 while an overabundance of unhealthy omega-6. This added to the meat toxins and chemicals. ( for more health tips visit http://health-tips.ca )

The products of animal manure, grains and soybeans genetically modified are not healthy. Normally cows eat grass and hay, but when you have an abnormal diet, it changes drastically meat quality, so that proteins and fats contained are not as healthy as they were before. Interest in the cultivation of agricultural products locally grown much lately, so you might not need to look too far from your house to find them. Many cities have farmers markets, where local producers sell food directly to the public. Agricultural cooperatives that help the local economy again began to gain in popularity as an alternative to the usual networks of supermarkets. In addition, there are many organic and biodynamic farms open to the public. There are many internet sites that offer public help in finding a local vendor.

 The current trend of treating obesity is to place the entire responsibility for this problem on the shoulders of those who are most affected by it. In some ways this approach is correct. If people would stop buying food that is sold in supermarkets, the food industry would stop them and therefore produces supermarkets would not sell it. If food manufacturers or not any obligation to consumers, this is beyond the scope of this article. Also, if the advertisement in the media have an effect on mass consumerism, and therefore on obesity, as many have suggested, and this goes outside the scope of this article.

Even if we are all exposed to socialization processes that have led to a life of "consumerism" in the table, each of us has the ability to change any of these behaviors at any time. Perhaps the first step is to become aware of what was going on.

Psycho-spiritual aspects of obesity

One of the most important components of obesity is psychological dependence. People eat for many reasons: for fun, to console, as a substitute for sex or whatever. When such excessive behaviors are addressed, they cultivate complacency, this resulting in their inability to take risks and try something different.

There is a spiritual vacuum that is associated with obesity, in which people try to create a state of inner fulfillment in different ways using food. It seems that each of us has to face a lot of stress and internal conflicts, which require a soul-searching to reach a resolution. But so long as we treat and self-anesthetize us with a poor diet will be difficult to have access to these deep problems. Nature addiction is to keep us in a state in which constantly have to deal with the suffering caused by something deep and unknown within us. Until we begin to give a little addictive, we will never see what actually causes the suffering and the state of emptiness. Food addiction can become almost secondary to the complacency in self-destructive thoughts and feelings. When we are full of negative feelings such as lack of self-respect, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, however do not contribute to a better outcome.

For some individuals, living in a state of depression contributes to obesity through reliance on certain foods that bring them relief. This observation is based on the idea that unhappy people eat more to feel better. Another possibility is that depressed mood itself directly contribute to obesity by decreasing the efficiency of the body's physiological functions. Keeping unpleasant emotional states creates stagnation and blockages in organs, preventing their proper functioning. To overcome addiction must live as men whole. All the different aspects of life must be engaged and tasted. We must be present at least to some extent in all our processes - physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. When we neglect any of these parts of our degeneration is inevitable.

In modern society, we tend to consider only the physical aspects of the body. Anything related to the mind or emotions is exiled to the brain and nervous system. However, within each body there is a connection between these different levels. Many traditional systems of medicine acknowledge the intelligence that is present in every part of the body tissues. Within each organ there are emotional and thought patterns. These energies constitutes an inseparable part of the body, just like physical substance. And this energy component may become as sick and dysfunctional.

Our decisions dietary effect on tissues not only physical but also our mental and emotional health. When we link between psychological and spiritual disorders such as depression and obesity, we sometimes assume that the problem lies only in our conduct food. But oriental medicine directly linking emotions proper functioning of organs. According to this way of thinking, weight gain may actually be the direct result of feelings of depression, regardless of any change in diet. Experimenting continuously certain emotions and thoughts can have the effect of lowering the functional efficiency of the internal organs. Not only can the depressive feelings, but any body part.

The disease is inevitable when organs not functioning properly due to the negative effects of incorrect diet combined with slowing effect of depressive emotions. When there is emotional trauma, repressed emotions and emotional excesses, all of which can have negative consequences for the internal organs. Tissues physical and emotional and mental sphere of consciousness is in a much closer relationship than previously thought. Great emphasis is placed on the need for physical activity. While it is true that people need to move and exercise to be healthy, physical activity is not enough. There should be movement and mentally and emotionally. People need to think and feel, to be whole human beings. ( for more health tips visit http://health-tips.ca )

Our modern way of life not only destroys our ability to perform physical exercise, but also our ability to feel and think. Our daily schedule leaves little time for us to think for ourselves. It seems instead to offer our space we need so we can feel and release emotion, fall easy prey to their quibble in them, with handy solutions that allow us just learn to live with these dysfunctions and not to solve them.

Obesity treatment

As we have seen in this article, obesity is a condition caused by multiple factors. I sketched a picture that differs significantly from the commonly accepted myths and misconceptions related to obesity. In summary:

1. Obesity is a condition involving malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies major.
2. Obesity occurs due to improper functioning of the digestive system due to a diet poor in nutrients followed a long period of time.
3. Obesity is backed by an endocrine balance due to consumption of processed vegetable oils, sugar, artificial hormones and toxins from the environment.
4. Obesity has its roots in addictions, states of depression and mental and emotional inertia.

Obesity is associated with avoiding foods that would actually be beneficial, such as healthy fats from animal proteins. The solution commonly prescribed, "to eat less and do more exercise" generally fails because it does not address any of the fundamental causes listed above. If we want to overcome obesity, each person must use the power of decision that is available again and decide how they wish to live. Each of us several times a day can choose a life of health or a life of disease. A decision we take this power and use it fully is what we desperately need.