Obesity Rates Growing Throughout United States

Waistlines are expanding throughout the United States at an alarming rate and the percentage of Americans considered obese in 2011 has reached 36%, projected to reach 42% by the year 2030 according to the Trust for America Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. An astounding 67% of Americans are considered overweight today.

Obesity has been historically defined as an abnormal accumulation of body fat, usually 20% or more over an individual’s ideal body weight.  More recent guidelines for obesity use a measurement called BMI (body mass index), which is an individual’s weight multiplied by 703 and then divided by twice the height in inches. A BMI of 25.9 to 29 is considered overweight; BMI over 30 is considered obese.

Obesity has been associated with a variety of common health problems including arthritis, adult-onset asthma, high blood pressure, gum disease, sleep apnea, among others. Chronic obesity has been associated with some of the leading causes of death in America including heart disease, strokes and various forms of cancer.

The causes of obesity are mostly related to diet and exercise. Sedentary life-styles or lack of regular exercise, for example, can be a significant contributor to obesity. The American diet which features larger portions and generous amounts of meats, dairy and processed foods in the diet is also thought to be a major contributor to expanding waistlines in America.

If you are concerned about your waistline or curious if you are considered overweight or obese, click on the link here (http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/) to get an immediate reading of your current Body Mass Index (BMI). This site has resources and suggestions which you can access to find more information about obesity. It’s important to consult your physician before making significant changes to your diet or exercise regimen.

O’Meagher Farms promotes healthier eating by offering a variety of all-natural foods (which are all plant-based) on its website. Please visit us at http://omeagherfarms.com

Chronic Obesity Tied to Leading Causes of Death

A persistent, expanding waistline is a significant factor in four of the leading causes of death in Western-oriented diets according to conclusions published in the New York Times best-selling book, “Forks Over Knives”.  The book reveals that the same unhealthy diets which are the root cause of obesity that  promote  harmful formation of plaque in arteries – are the same kinds of diet which can lead to heart attack and stroke. Perhaps more alarming, the National Cancer Institute has concluded that many forms of cancer, particularly colon, breast, endometrial, kidney and esophageal have been linked to chronic obesity.
There have been some key research studies conducted over the past several decades which seem to support this inescapable conclusion. T. Colin Campbell, PhD conducted a study of the Chinese diet over a 36 year period involving over 6,500 Chinese people in 65 rural villages. Highlights of this study demonstrated that Chinese participants living on a plant-based diet had cholesterol levels in the range of 81 to 135, compared to the average American cholesterol level of 200. Dr. Campbell’s study also found that in certain pockets in China where plant-based diets were most common, researchers could not find a single person out of 100,000 who had died from heart disease.
Closer to home, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn  Jr., conducted a 20 year study at the esteemed Cleveland Clinic which demonstrated that a plant-based, oil-free diet did not only prevent heart disease, but showed remarkable promise in reversing it. According to Dr. Esselstyn, “Plaque does not develop until the endothelium, or lining of the arteries is injured – and it is injured every time people eat meat, dairy, fish and chicken…”
That fact that so many leading causes of death have been linked to obesity and a diet rich in meats, dairy and fats, is reason enough for individuals to evaluate their diets and make a concerted effort to incorporate more plant-based foods into their daily meal plans. For more detailed information please visit http://forksoverknives.com
O’Meagher Farms promotes healthier eating by offering a variety of all-natural foods (which are all plant-based) on its website. Please visit us at http://omeagherfarms.com

Two Keys to a Healthy Diet: Avoiding Overly Processed Food and Foods with Preservatives and Additives

According to the New York Times best-selling book, “Forks Over Knives” one of the keys to improving health and reducing the incidences of obesity in the American population is to embrace and follow a plant-based diet. Citing numerous studies and statistics about the negative long-term effects of diets rich in fats from dairy products and meats, the book lays out a strong case for improving health by incorporating foods based on plants and herbs into your diet.

Among the six specific recommendations to follow a plant-based diet are (1) avoiding overly processed foods, and (2) avoiding preservatives and additives.  Overly processed foods are foods which contain things like bleached flour, refined sugars, and extracted oils. In most cases these items have been stripped of their nutritional properties. Additives and preservatives are simply that, artificial preservatives and taste enhancers which don’t necessary improve your waistline or the food’s natural flavor.

O’Meagher Farms is committed to providing all-natural foods which contain only natural ingredients which are both healthy and flavorful. For more information about the all-natural product solutions at O’Meagher Farms, visit our website at +www.omeagherfarms.com