| I have a (wholly unsurprising, considering my | | | | an American in, say, Phoenix may find geography |
| profession) confession to make, dear readers: I'm | | | | working against him. Who has time to spend an |
| overweight. Not alarmingly so, like the rotund | | | | hour walking to and from the grocery store these |
| McDonalds victims we see on television or the | | | | days? |
| huge guy creating his own Lake Mead of sweat | | | | Solution: |
| next to you on an airplane, but I do have a belly | | | | We all need to drive at some point, but take a |
| on me. And unfortunately it's only getting bigger. | | | | long, hard look at your daily commute and |
| But hey, I'm not alone! A striking 67 percent of | | | | determine when a car is truly necessary and |
| Americans are currently overweight, and of those | | | | when you're just being lazy. If the store's a |
| people almost half are obese-that is, their Body | | | | couple miles away, ride a bike. If it's a mile or less |
| Mass Index is over 30. We're all aware by now of | | | | away, walk-this goes double for folks in the |
| the dangers inherent in obesity: high blood | | | | warmer areas. A Minneapolis resident in winter has |
| pressure, heart disease, depression, and other | | | | an excuse to drive that short hop to the store; a |
| general nastiness; according to the U.S. Surgeon | | | | Boca Raton resident does not. And while you're at |
| General, it kills 300,000 people per year. To put | | | | it-take a brisk walk a few times each week |
| those numbers into perspective, cigarettes kill | | | | anyway! |
| between 400-500,000 Americans per year. When | | | | Portion size. |
| our eating habits are killing us almost as much as | | | | Ideally, dinner should be the lightest meal of the |
| tobacco, it's time to think about our lives. | | | | day, as the human body stores calories more |
| And while other countries are having this problem, | | | | efficiently at night (energy burns faster earlier in |
| too, they're nowhere near as bad off as the US | | | | the day). However, while most Americans eat |
| of A. Why? Why us? Of course names like | | | | minimal breakfasts and often small lunches, dinner |
| "McDonalds" and "Burger King" immediately come | | | | is usually a smorgasboard, particularly when we |
| to mind, but fast food is only one part of a much | | | | dine out. And we're dining out a lot. Everywhere |
| larger collection of problems; everything from our | | | | around the country, people are hitting up |
| biological wiring to the size of our country itself | | | | restaurants more than ever before. Increasing |
| factor in, creating one big overweight whole. | | | | culinary sophistication and an ever-growing group |
| Biology. | | | | of foodies are both factors, but as usual it all boils |
| This one isn't unique to America, but it is especially | | | | down to time. Americans are busier than ever; |
| problematic in the industrial First World. Human | | | | many families dine out or order in up to three |
| beings just aren't wired to consume as few | | | | times per week rather than slaving away in the |
| calories as possible; epochs of evolution have | | | | kitchen for hours after work. |
| conspired to make us awesome at saving calories | | | | Solution: |
| and lousy at losing them. It's much easier, after all, | | | | For starters, follow your mom's advice and chew |
| to eat 100 calories than it is to burn them off. It | | | | your food. We've all heard it a dozen times, but it |
| may be a curse now, but if you're a starving | | | | bears repeating: your body doesn't automatically |
| hunter-gatherer and there's no | | | | know when it's full. It takes the brain a good ten |
| commercially-available food for another several | | | | minutes to send the "stop eating" signal, and you |
| thousand years, you want every bit of nutrition | | | | can scarf a lot more strip steak in ten minutes. |
| you can glean from your dinner. The human body | | | | On the same track, drink plenty of water. |
| can survive for 8 days without any food; imagine | | | | Good-old H20 takes up a lot of space in your |
| how long you can go on a little. And in America | | | | belly, meaning the "I'm full" response will hit you |
| especially, a little is never enough. | | | | quicker. |
| Solution: | | | | And finally, if it applies: stop dining out so much. |
| There isn't one, really. You can't change millions of | | | | You'll feel less compelled to eat everything in sight |
| years of evolution with willpower alone. What you | | | | when you didn't pay someone else to make it for |
| can do is restrict your calorie intake and increase | | | | you. On that note, here are some delicious, |
| your calorie use, making this little biological | | | | healthy, and quick recipes to ease the restaurant |
| stumbling block irrelevant. | | | | withdrawal! |
| Transportation. | | | | Chicken Mediterranean Salad |
| The world's love affair with cars has plenty of | | | | Encrusted Walnut Chicken |
| detrimental environmental effects, but as it turns | | | | Broiled Lemon Fish Fillets |
| out there are some physical problems, too. | | | | Cream of Roasted Walnut Soup |
| Americans especially drive everywhere, foregoing | | | | Bean and Cheese Enchiladas |
| bicycles or their legs in favor of shorter trips to | | | | Barbecue Pork Skillet |
| the store or to work. The Surgeon General's | | | | Armed with these recipes and more from our |
| office recommends 30 minutes of intensive | | | | Quick & Easy and Healthy sections, take a |
| exercise at least three times a week or 20 | | | | crack at our nation's obesity problem--whether |
| minutes of moderate exercise daily, and in the | | | | you do it by shedding some pounds yourself, or |
| Information Age most of us rarely walk farther | | | | helping out someone else you know. If you're |
| than the space between our parking spots and | | | | concerned about your health, check your Body |
| our chairs. It's not entirely our fault; while smaller | | | | Mass Index. After that--maybe I'll see you at the |
| European cities make walking everywhere easier, | | | | gym! |