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4th May 2024
Gum Health Day, and is promoted by the EFP (the European Federation of Periodontology). This year the slogan is "Gums… read more
Encouraging Healthy Eating for Obesity Awareness, 2018
8th January 2018 | Posted by: Vanessa Giraud
National Obesity Awareness Week begins today
The aim? To improve the health of the nation, through encouraging healthy eating, less snacking, and more exercise
What’s the problem?
According to the NHS: “The term “obese” describes a person who’s very overweight, with a lot of body fat. It’s a common problem in the UK that’s estimated to affect around one in every four adults and around one in every five children aged 10 to 11.”
The best way to see if you and your family members are in the ‘healthy’ range, is to check your BMI. The NHS offers a handy BMI weight calculator, with explanatory information that you can access here.
The way we live now is responsible for a rise in obesity levels. Driving, watching the television, or sitting at a screen – these are our modern problems. Nowadays, we consume more calories than we burn off, and so we store the excess. We compromise our health with our diet choices, especially when we eat fatty and sugary foods.
The solution?
There is really only one way to maintain a healthy weight, and that’s to get the right balance between the calories we consume and the energy we expend.
Dental Practices are also encouraging healthy eating
Our focus is on preventive care. We understand how important it is to look after our overall health, as well as our teeth and mouth.
Cutting out snacks benefits our teeth as well as our weight. The more often we snack, the harder it is for anti-bacterial saliva to keep down the acid that eats into tooth enamel. So by snacking less, our saliva can do the good work of helping keep our mouth in good shape. Though we do still need to brush at least twice a day!
Give exercise a go!
Couch to 5K is a great running programme to get started. There’s no costly equipment, no expensive gym membership. Exercise doesn’t have to cost more than a pair of trainers and some time.
If you decide to tackle life-style changes, be sure to set realistic goals and seek professional advice as needed
Related articles encouraging healthy eating
- How much is too much sugar?
- external link to NHS Change4Life