When it comes to living in America, we tend to take it for granted that controlling our weight will be a constant, lifelong struggle. But did it always have to be this way? We’re, of course, super proud of our 21 day cleanse. This leaves the question, however, of why there is such a demand for effective weight control methods in America? Before you go looking up how to do a juice cleanse, it’s important to understand just how serious the obesity epidemic is in America – and what causes it.
What An Obesity Epidemic Means
At first glance, calling obesity an epidemic seems a little off. The word epidemic is designed to refer to virulent diseases, after all. However, when it comes to cold, hard numbers, it’s challenging to find a better word. It’s estimated that approximately two-thirds of Americans have a higher Body Mass Index (BMI) than is healthy. And in America, roughly a third of all people are obese, which means having a BMI over 30. When you factor in that approximately 4 million people a year die directly from being overweight, it puts the severity of those numbers into real perspective.
Why America?
Contrary to what you might have heard, America isn’t the nation with the highest obesity rates in the world – but it consistently manages to score in the top 20. (If you’re curious, countries from Oceania generally top the list, with Arabic countries also hitting high numbers).
Why does America manage to keep being a top scorer for obesity? It comes down to a few factors. One of the major ones is, of course, the average American diet. Take as an example a country that consistently scores near the bottom of the obesity list – Japan. The traditional Japanese diet focuses on plenty of seafood, vegetables, and minimal sugar or fat. Perhaps even more importantly, serving sizes are kept modest.
In America, on the other hand, for every advertisement you’ll get for something like a 21 day cleanse, you’ll get two or three for high-fat fast food. America has enjoyed decades of incredibly agricultural bounty, which has encouraged us to go big or go home when it comes to portions. More food, more obesity.
However, there are also more subtle reasons for the rise of obesity in America. A lot of how we work and live is designed to make us gain weight, even if by accident. Take American cities. A lot of American cities are designed to be only navigable by car. A lack of daily options for walking can have a creeping effect on weight gain.
Think of the jobs we do these days as well. You’re much less likely to get outside for your job or even move around the office. Everything we need is conveniently all at a single computer – often right inside our homes. There’s no real incentive to get out of our comfy office chairs.
And part of it must be chalked up to simply complacency. Obesity in America is nothing new. We’ve been living in the obesity epidemic for so long that we’ve simply accepted it as part of the American landscape.
The Risks of Obesity
Obesity might have been reduced to the punchline of jokes at America’s expense, but it’s no laughing matter. Higher BMIs lead to various adverse effects on your overall health, such as a greater risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, gallbladder disease, arthritis, sleep apnea, mental illness, and even cancer.
You can get medication and treatment for all these conditions. Still, the best solution is to simply never encounter them at all. That means tackling your high BMI directly to cut back on these severe risks.
Thankfully, just like modern America provides many avenues for weight gain, it also offers many options for weight loss. If you’re looking to quickly lose weight, there’s little more effective than a detox diet. Try out one of our shorter cleanses to get started, or undertake our 21 day cleanse for a guaranteed transformation of your quality of life.