Health Matters! Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds

Lack of activity is an important factor in the increasing incidence of obesity. Walking or cycling instead of using a car, going to exercise classes and taking part in team sports such as football can all help a person maintain a healthy body weight by increasing energy output.

The role of food

All diets containing more energy than a person needs can cause weight gain. Fat provides just over twice as much energy per gram (37kJ/g) as carbohydrate (16kJ/g).

It is recommended that:

• about 50% of our energy intake should come from

carbohydrate.

• no more than 35% of our energy intake should come from fat.

• about 15% of our energy intake should come from protein.

A lifestyle change

After a person discovers they are overweight or obese their lifestyle will need to change to reduce weight.

Many factors lead to a person becoming overweight or obese.

Doctors or dietitians can provide information on lifestyle changes that can lead to weight loss. This can be a good opportunity to make general improvements to their diet and physical activity levels.

Childhood obesity

Children who are very obese are not put on specific slimming diets.

Guidelines to help children maintain a healthy weight include:

• 60 minutes of physical activity each day;

• at least 5 portions of fruit or vegetables a day;

• eat less fat;

• child sized portions of food at each meal;

• swap high sugar food and drinks to low sugar alternatives.

Overweight but not obese

Being overweight (BMI 25-30), but not obese, is still a risk to health. People in this range should not gain anymore weight and ensure they participate in physical activity and eat a balanced diet to become a healthy weight.

In many countries, there are cultural pressures for people, especially women, to be slim. People may try to lose weight even though they are in the normal weight range for their height or only slightly overweight.