Obesity is an increasing problem worldwide, but the United States leads in fat. Why is this? Several factors stand out as causes. Modern life is more sedentary now than in the 4 million years man has inhabited the planet. Most of that history was lived as hunter-gatherers who literally did not know when they would eat the next meal. Consequently, our bodies evolved to store fat which would be converted to energy when needed. Sedentary lifestyles are not conducive to burning off stored fat. To make matters worse, when the body is confronted with a substance it is not programed to digest, such as synthetic ingredients in so-called "diet" foods, its default mechanism is to store the substance as fat tissue. Exercise and activity is therefore essential to controlling weight gain.
Our bodies are inhabited by millions of microbes, some of which are beneficial and aid body function, while others are detrimental. One of the bad microbes is Candida, which thrives on sugar. Our diets are loaded with extra sugar. Most processed foods contain added sugar; carbonated beverages are the worse offenders. Candida proliferates in our guts, feeding on the high sugar intake, thus imbalancing the operation of our digestive tract which depends on beneficial microbes to breakdown foodstuffs. Candida can cause a person to crave more sugar, similar to the experience of drug addiction. Reducing sugar intake and ingesting beneficial microbes, or probiotics, can restore the proper operation of our digestive tract. Processed foods are also loaded with preservatives which make it difficult for beneficial microbes to breakdown ingested foods. Obviously preservatives prolong a product's shelf life, allowing more time for sale. But biology dictates fresh food is best for human digestion.
Another supplement worth trying to control weight gain is digestive enzymes, particularly amalayse, lipase, and bromelain. These enzymes are necessary to the chemical reactions that reduce nutrients to usable molecules that our bodies can convert to energy and muscle, not fat. Consuming these enzymes can increase the digestive tract's energy conversion efficiency. To give any benefit the enzymes must survive the stomach's high acidity, so look for enzyme complexes that are formulated to reach the intestines.
For some people, emotional eating is a difficult problem to overcome. When our system is stressed by anxiety, depression, or other emotional upset, our body prepares to "fight or flight", a biological reaction that is hardwired into our organism; the body stores fat for potential use in defending itself. There are natural substances that suppress appetite. One of the most effective is Caralluma Fimbriata, a succulent plant found in India and northern Africa. Native hunters would consume the plant to allow them to go without eating for days. Ingesting the plant reduces the production of the hormone, ghrelin, preventing the production of a hunger-inducing molecule. It is available now as a dietary supplement.
So if you are a couch potato who
compulsively consumes sugary beverages and processed foods high in fat
and carbohydrates while watching your team lose the big game or the
latest plot twist in your favorite soap opera, you should understand
why you do not lose weight.
