OBESITY

Obesity means having too much body fat, to the extent that it has an adverse impact on your health. What and how much you eat play a significant role in how much you weigh. Most fat calories, especially saturated fats and trans fatty acids found in junk foods are immediately stored in fat cells, which add to the body’s weight and girth as they expand and multiply. Carbohydrate calories from cereals, breads, fruits and vegetables and protein calories from fish, lean meat, skim milk, on the other hand, are converted into fuel almost as soon as they are consumed. If your calorie intake is more than the calorie spent, you put on weight. Certain foods like refined white flour carbohydrates combined with low fibre intake may also interfere with food and energy metabolism. After the age of 40, the body’s metabolic rate slows down by 5 per cent every 10 years; and if you do not improve your eating habits, you will put on weight.

Lack of physical activities and exercise result in low energy expenditure; the result is weight gain and obesity.