How to Prevent Obesity? – Foods You Need to Consider

How to prevent obesity if not by consuming foods which are rich in nutrients and healthy? The following are some of the most essential you need to consume daily.

In the approach to prevent obesity, as well as in its treatment, it is evident that the multitude of factors that concur in the development of this disease must be taken into account.

The prevalence of obesity worldwide continues to increase, as demonstrated by this study by the Harvard School of Public Health, which estimates a mean increase in body mass index (BMI) of 0.4 kg / m2.

In this situation, and regardless of institutional public health measures, health professionals have the responsibility to implement measures to prevent obesity and treat people who already have this problem.

The fundamental causes of obesity are, according to this report from the WHO (World Health Organization):

  • Sedentary lifestyles.
  • High fat diets.

Both factors result, to a large extent, from the changes taking place in society and from the behavior patterns of the communities.

How to reduce obesity? – Different aspects

Diet to reduce overweight

In the therapeutic approach to obesity, dietary aspects play a fundamental role. Without them, the result of the different treatments is practically doomed to failure.

Other types of interventions, such as physical exercise, are of at least questionable utility if they are not included in the context of dietary treatment. In any case, exercise should be an important measure to carry out in weight loss programs, as this study by the Universidad de La Frontera (Chile) assures.

On the other hand, in recent years, various drugs have demonstrated their effectiveness in reducing weight, such as orlistat, sibutramine and rimonabant. These have confirmed its positive results in clinical trials in patients on a hypocaloric diet.

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In addition, it must be borne in mind that most of these drugs have an anorectic effect, so, ultimately, their pharmacological action is based on facilitating the monitoring of a diet.

Also mention that, even the surgical treatment of obesity, can, in the long term, fail if the patient does not change his eating habits.

Despite this key role, it must be recognized that traditional dietary treatment, even when properly performed, does not obtain completely satisfactory results in a sustained manner either.

This is because most obese people who start dietary treatment drop out; of those who continue, most do not lose weight; and of those who lose it, most of them recover it again.

Undoubtedly, the great problem of dietary treatments is the first point pointed out: the lack of follow-up that any type of diet suffers from.

Foods that help you prevent obesity

To prevent obesity, we must follow a balanced diet and a regular plan of physical exercise. A specialist can supervise them both.

It is important to note that very restrictive diets are never healthy. The reason for this is that they cause significant loss of lean (muscle) mass and promote eating disorders. For this reason, it is important to establish a normal calorie diet plan and always adapted to each patient.

The dietary recommendations are the same as for people with normal weight, mainly limiting the intake of saturated fat. In addition, in the following classification, we can find a series of foods that help prevent obesity:

Satiating Foods

A very important factor in preventing obesity is knowing how to choose satiating foods. As a general rule, satiating foods are all those rich in fiber.

This phenomenon is due to the fact that the fiber retains water, which causes an increase in volume in the stomach, generating a feeling of satiety. When feeling this sensation, the desire to eat uncontrollably and continuously decreases.

Some foods with these properties are:

  • Vegetables and greens.
  • Some fruits.
  • Algae.

Low calorie foods

Modify your diet and lead an active life to prevent obesity.

Low calorie foods are those that offer a low level of energy. The idea of consuming them is that the body acquires fewer calories than it needs to burn the accumulated fat.

Low-calorie foods, as long as you eat them with other food, can help prevent obesity.

Some examples are:

  • Asparagus.
  • Spinach.
  • Cucumber.
  • Artichokes.

Conclusion

To prevent being overweight, it is essential to carry out a diet plan by a specialist that allows you to be consistent and not give up. On the other hand, it is also important to do physical exercise.

The most important aspect in the prevention and treatment of obesity is consistency and the motivation to achieve it. Do not give up!

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