HOW TO PREVENT AND OVERCOME OBESITY

North Americans are progressively becoming fat and sick, and ultimately die of obesity; the reason being that they buy the wrong foods and consume too much of everything. Food manufacturers are partially responsible as they advertise incessantly, and condition children and adults to consume the wrong foods and in large quantities.
Statistics reveal startling figures – 25 per cent of children (four and five year olds) entering American kindergarten schools are overweight and obese.
In Canada, Statscan reports that 61 per cent of the population is overweight or obese, those being older than 36 years of age.
There are several reasons for this epidemic. Children watch too much TV, and see too many fast food advertisements; parents fail to discipline their children when it comes to food; fail to explain the adverse effects of consuming the wrong foods and too many soft drinks; children play much less than they should, and eat whenever they want, rather than at set times and at the table.
When it comes to purchasing, most people buy huge quantities of packaged foods and this leads to over consumption and waste.  (An estimated 40 per cent of all foods purchased is thrown away at a cost of billions of dollars. This is especially true for singles, or old people who live on their own).
Discarded food affects garbage disposal and incurs additional costs to municipalities. There are certain things we can do to eliminate or reduce over purchasing and overeating.
It is proven that when there is a lot of food in the fridge or freezer, you consume more! Buy what you need and frequently. Use frozen foods infrequently.
Always go shopping with a full stomach and make a list of the quantities of ingredients you need.
Avoid buying canned foods, frozen prepared entrees, pre-washed salads and ready-to-use dressings, and sausages. All contain too much salt, fat and some preservatives.
If you buy meat, go to a butcher that sells organize meat, and if organic is unavailable, buy meat from areas close to home.
Buy to the extent possible. Locally grown, and in season food.
Store food properly, and never overload your fridge.
Cold air must circulate freely to be effective.
Cook food properly i.e ground meat must be cooked thoroughly to avoid ingesting e-coli bacteria, that is distributed throughout the mass during grinding. Steaks can be enjoyed medium-rare. A hamburger cooked well done is safe, but fails to provide as much eating pleasure as a medium-cooked one. You are better off on the safe side by cooking a hamburger well.
Cook only enough for one meal. If you have leftover cool then bag them quickly and refrigerate. Leftover food must be thoroughly heated before service.
Use different sets of utensils for meats, chicken and vegetables to avoid cross contamination when cooking all.
Buy seafood from reputable fishmongers and avoid frozen, filleted fish. If you eat sushi and sashimi, buy fresh fish and if not possible, then ask for fish frozen to – 85 C when caught. It is called sushi grade.
Avoid convenience foods as all contain too much salt, fat, or flour or sugar, or all. Many fast food chains mainly sell these four ingredients and make billions of dollars of profit, and if you eat too much of their food you are likely to gain weight and possibly acquire diseases that may be become serious over time.
When buying meat, ask for organically raised meat. “Industrial” food contains to many growth hormones and antibiotics. Ingesting too much of both can have undesirable side effects.
Most of the vegetables and fruits in North American stores, at least in Canada and northern USA, are pricked unripe and shipped thousands of kilometres to distant markets. They ripen in transit or in warehouses, or hit the shelves unripe, lacking the nutrition they should.
It is important to eat at the table, at regular times, healthy foods in adequate quantities. Eating while watching TV is not a good idea. Most people think that have eaten well when their stomach is uncomfortably full. Actually, one should leave the table only ¾ satisfied.
 Instead of dessert, try to eat fresh fruits and try to incorporate a glass or two of red wine daily into your diet.
It is best to eat a substantial breakfast, adequate lunch and very little for dinner (fruits, cheese, bread and a glass of wine).
Even government issued diet guidelines have been proven wrong. Up to recently, guidelines recommended reducing meat consumption to once a week and in some cases even once every fortnight. Now research proves that up to 120 grams of lean meat daily does no harm. Eating too much carbohydrate is also not recommended (excess carbohydrate consumption can lead to increased probability of diabetes), contrary to many food guidelines, and one egg per day is fine too!( One egg contains 250 mg. of cholesterol and the daily intake of 300 mg is recommended)
Above all exercise daily, even if it is not very rigorous. Consistency is key.