General
World Obesity Day: Expert advises Nigerians on healthy eating habits
“You can reduce your risk of obesity by making healthy choices such as eating right, staying active, quitting smoking, avoiding alcohol and knowing your family history.”Obesity is associated with a lot of health and psychosocial problems, including the risk of poor hygiene and skin infection, especially along skin folds.
“Obesity is a complex disease involving an excessive amount of body fat.”Obesity is not just a cosmetic concern. It is a medical problem that increases your risk of other diseases and health problems like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers,” he said.
“The amount of muscle in the body tends to decrease with age.”Lower muscle mass leads to a decrease in metabolism.”These changes also reduce calorie needs and can make it harder to keep off excess weight.”If one does not consciously control what one eats and becomes more physically active as one aged, one will likely gain weight,” he said.
Ajayi said that weight loss could improve or prevent the health problems associated with obesity, adding that dietary changes, increased physical activity, and behavior changes could help weight loss.
According to him, prescription medications and weight-loss procedures are additional options for treating obesity.
“Although there are genetic, behavioral, metabolic and hormonal influences on body weight, obesity occurs when one takes in more calories than one burns through exercise and normal daily activities.
”The body stores these excess calories as fat,” he said.
Ajayi said that Nigerians should promote the eating of healthy foods like vegetables, high fiber diet, increased water intake, reducing intake of processed foods and carbonated drinks.
He also said that Nigerians should promote physical activity, preconception and pregnancy care, early childhood diet, nutrition and physical activity for school-age children and weight management.
Ajayi said that family inheritance and influences contributed to obesity, adding that genes inherited from parents might affect the amount of body fat stored and where the fat was distributed.
He said that genetics also played a role in how efficiently the body converts food into energy, regulates appetite and burn calories during exercise.
Ajayi said that gain was common during pregnancy, adding that some women found it difficult to lose the weight after the baby was born.
He said that breastfeeding after childbirth could be the best option to lose the weight gained during pregnancy.
The doctor said that not getting enough sleep or getting too much sleep could cause changes in hormones that increased appetite.
He said that craving foods high in calories and carbohydrates could also contribute to weight gain.
“Stress and many external factors that affect your mood and well-being may contribute to obesity,” according to him.
Ajayi said that things that had an effect on one’s mood and well being might contribute to weight gain, noting that people sought more high-calorie foods when experiencing stressful situations.
NAN
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