Eat For Your Health: Obesity

To conclude our series on Eat For Your Health, we are tackling obesity. Ending our series with a health issue that is quite broad in scope is fitting because so many people in Canada experience obesity on a daily basis. Approximately one in four adults and one in 10 children in Canada have clinical obesity (Canadian Obesity Network). Obesity, like diabetes, is a chronic disease, developed over time. Despite its reputation, research is beginning to show that obesity is more than a lifestyle issue. The Canadian Medical Association declared obesity as a medical condition in October 2015.

Before I send you off to Savour and Shine to learn about the clinical and nutritional side of obesity, I want to talk a little bit about the stigma attached to this health issues.

Talking about weight and diet in general is a sensitive issue. It’s personal. It can feel isolating and debilitating. It can turn a physical illness into a mental illness.

All you have to do is look around you. Fat-shaming messages are everywhere. It’s so easy to fall prey to these messages and either begin to believe them yourself or project these messages on to other people. Here are some messages that I have heard in my life:

You’re too fat.

You’re too thin.

Have you lost weight?

You look so good!

You shouldn’t be ashamed of having curves.

You should eat less.

Some of these messages are overtly negative, while some are more latent. The problem is that every single message focuses on my weight, my body, how I look (or should look) and skirt past my intelligence, interests, and inspirations.

I’ll be the first to tell you that I’ve spent the better (or worse) part of 24 years trying to reconcile issues with my body and my weight. It has been a rough roller coaster ride, but I am better for it now. I’ve reconciled with my image. By eating clean and exercising, I have found that beauty is not found in a dress size, but in pushing myself the extra mile or letting the sweat drip off the bike or stretching my body.

Our bodies are more than weight. Our bodies are temples. We must take care of them. Eat clean. Train mean. Ignore the haters. One day at a time.

Now, back to our series. Before checking out the meal plan below, head over to Savour and Shine to take a look at how increasing fibre, watching your “drinkable” calories and avoiding processed foods can help manage the symptoms of obesity. Then, find your way back here for this week’s meal plan.

We are keeping it Mediterranean, so you will find recipes that will help you unleash your inner goddess, try a few new foods, experiment with different cooking techniques and indulge cleanly and healthily.

If you are following along with us, be sure to tag your food photos #eatforhealth.

EFYH- MP Obesity