Everywhere you look there are articles about obesity. Statistics show which states or cities are the most obese; fad diets, miracle pills and programs guarantee a more slender you. All of it blames the individual; none of it looks for the reason why some people are obese. It is assumed that people are too lazy and stupid to know what is best for them. My observations on “the battle of the bulge” found that that is not always the case and there may be a lot more to consider.

Europeans have long had a diet of rich foods yet do not have the same problem of obesity. The body requires nourishment in order to function optimally. Sadly, processed foods seem to remove the fuel we need, replacing it with chemicals that add taste but lack nutrients. The additives in food do not trigger the response needed to produce the effect of fuel injection.  Furthermore, consuming those chemicals puts an added stress on the bodies’ ability to process what it has ingested. In short, the changes made to our foods under the guise of helping our physical condition, actually do more harm than good. Artificial sweeteners, also, do not assist your body in producing the insulin response. So you drink more diet soda, believing that it won’t hurt because it is not sugar. In my opinion, the added chemicals are toxic. Understand that sugar is an addictive substance  and should not be excessively consumed. If you learn to be moderate, it won’t hurt. When God created man, He created all of the nutrients our bodies would need. We  were not meant to eat or drink the chemicals so rampant in our food supply today. In short, eat natural foods.

Our sedentary lifestyle is a factor in choosing good health. You do not have to go to the gym or run a marathon. Walking will do the trick if it is done daily. Walk the mall in bad weather, walk the neighborhood where you live, walk to the store when you can. Enjoy your walk, window shop, look around. Appreciate your surroundings. Let it be a joy and not a chore.

One other possibility of an obese condition is micro-organisms. I gained about 25 pounds after being infected by a tick. It took 12 years for my eventual diagnosis but by then my liver and immune system were both affected. Lyme Disease is under-diagnosed and the same tick that gives you Lyme Disease can give you a number of other infections like Babesiosis, Bartonellosis, Ehrlichiosis, and RMSF to name just a few. For every one person with Lyme, there are ten people who have Lyme and have not been diagnosed (CDC statistics). There is NO accurate test for Lyme Disease in humans. Most of today’s doctors tend to prescribe pills for the symptoms you present rather than trying to find out WHY you have the symptoms in the first place. Lyme Disease causes a slight swelling of the brain which affects the hypothalamus, a body systems regulator. It can also cause an insulin resistance which could account for the increase in type 2 diabetes. Until we learn to live without all of the products that have an extended shelf life, and until the medical profession advocates for the patient rather than the pharmaceutical companies, obesity will continue. If you don’t want it to become your new normal, be selective in choosing what you put into your body.