Obesity as a Tough Reality

A consequence of lifestyle, obesity is not only a problem of physical appearance

Corina Cristea, 24.05.2024, 13:30

A consequence of lifestyle, obesity is not only a problem of physical appearance. It is at the same time, or primarily, a health problem frequently associated with various complications such as type two diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stroke and some types of cancer. Diet, sport and quality sleep are among the countermeasures indicated by specialists. Dr. Lygia Alexandrescu, university lecturer and nutrition specialist, who focuses on balance, told us about this on Radio Romania:

“The first school is the mother when it comes to nutrition and common sense. We don’t have to have the science of nutrition, we don’t have to have the science of food biochemistry. We must know that we have energy to consume and we must give the body fuel, good quality gasoline. And this can be done with foods very close to nature, as little processed as possible. Buying ready-made will obviously lead to weight gain, because it also has a lot of salt, it is also fried in who knows what, we know very well that everything that is bought ready does not have the original quality of the food. It all comes back to education. As the Chinese say: if you want to have a healthy generation, educate the population for 30-40 years and then you will have a healthy generation.”

The data presented by the WHO reveals a harsh reality – obesity is a global public health problem. And Romania is no exception – over 60% of Romanians struggle with extra pounds. What can we do to improve the situation? Again, Lygia Alexandrescu:

“We need feeding. The term diet appeared in ancient Greece, when the lifestyle called daiata was defined as a set of notions that involved sleep, so rest, hydration, food, movement, well-being. All these form the diet. When we say diet at the moment, we mean food, and not what we eat, but what we don’t eat. When we talk about dieting we talk about restriction, which is totally false. If we talk about food, we have to talk about what we need, what keeps our cells healthy, and then really customization is very important. There are a lot of criteria that we take into account when it comes to drawing up a food plan: the person’s age, gender, type of effort they make, emotional state, genetics, current analysis. The discussion with the attending physician, the discussion with the nutritionist, the discussion with the sports coach, all these lead to the formation of a personalized food program.”

The daily life of overweight people is by no means a quality one, with many experiencing, for example, low self-esteem, sometimes even from an early age, followed by depression. Or the previously mentioned diseases, including the vascular ones, for which the nutrition specialist Lygia Alexandrescu made several recommendations, valid, moreover, for anyone who wants to adopt a healthy lifestyle:

“When it comes to strokes, the Mediterranean diet is the most suitable, that is, a diet in which we eat fish at least 3-4 times a week, dietary cooking – in the oven or boiled, or baked in baking paper, not in aluminum foil. Along with it, first of all, dark colored vegetables, in such a way that we have many antioxidants and a quality carbohydrate. As little sodium as possible, snacking on fruits with a low glycemic index between meals, and here I mean blueberries, our Romanian apples, or, if it’s past 4 p.m. – and we don’t eat any more fruit – 4-5 nuts, which protect our heart and brain from vascular disease. Good quality bread, where fiber must be present, at least 60 grams per meal if we are talking about an adult, in the morning, or at lunch. The baked potato is also recommended, let’s try to cool it a little before eating it, so that the starch does not settle as easily as when we eat the potato hot. And lots and lots of salad. Everything that is raw helps the body to eliminate that LDL cholesterol, the harmful one, which oxidizes and gives the risk of atheroma, the presence of atheroma at the vascular level. Good hydration is again very important, drink water at room temperature, 10-15 minutes after eating. Seasonal soups are also highly recommended, with a bit of protein, that is, we dilute with egg and sour with borscht to have probiotic food that also has no salt. And, very importantly, when we had a vascular disease, well-being – to learn to smile, to learn to be thankful for what we have. In terms of exercise, walking is recommended.”

Obesity statistics from the WHO reveal that more than 4 billion people worldwide could be overweight or obese in 2035, and childhood obesity will increase by more than 100%, which would mean that almost 400 million children could live with obesity above 11 years of age. Adult obesity is expected to increase by more than 60%. Prevalence among men will increase by 73%, from 14% to 23%, and among women by 50%, from 18% to 27%.