A change in lifestyle can help stem the obesity epidemic

Reversing the obesity is a monumental but not insurmountable task. Obesity is caused by consuming more calories than you burn in activity over along period of time. Preventing obesity requires maintaining energy balance by matching intake with output in the short term and in the long term.

On a personal level, this means paying attention to which foods you choose, consuming smaller portions than we are accustomed to, and learning to incorporate exercise into our recreation and everyday life. As a society we need to make this doable by transforming cities and communities into places where it is easy to walk or bike to the store, school, or office; by manufacturing healthier foods and packaging and serving them in more reasonable portion sizes; and by incorporating exercise into the school day and the work day.

The only way to stop the obesity epidemic is to change the way we eat and the way we live, the factors that caused average American body weight to increase in the first place. The causes of obesity and solutions to the problem for individuals and the population are discussed more throughout the chapter.

By Mary B. Grosvenor, M.S., R.D. and Lori A. Smolin, Ph.D. - "Nutrition Everyday Choices"