How to determine if a
Child is obese
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Are You Obese?
There are two types of fats in the human body -
essential body fat and stored body fat. The first type
is what is needed to maintain life and the reproductive
functions, while the second type gathers in the
connective tissues and around the body organs and is
what usually causes obesity.
How can you determine what the percentage of fat is in
your body? Simply divide your total amount of fat by
your body weight.
The ideal percentage of fat in the human body is between
1% and 19%. This means that if you have 20% body fat or
higher, you are generally considered to obese.
Obesity is usually divided into three categories: mild,
moderate and gross (also known as morbid
obesity).
Mild obesity is the most common, with 90% of obese
people falling into this category. Mild
obesity is diagnosed when the weight is 20%-40% above
normal weight limits.
Only 9% of people who suffer from obesity fall into the
moderate category. Moderate obesity occurs when the
weight is between 40% and 100% above the normal body
weight.
Lastly, only about 1% of those considered
obese are classified as “grossly obese”. To be grossly
obese, you must weigh over 100% of your normal body
weight.
Although only 1% of the obese population is considered
to be grossly obese, that number is quickly rising, as
child obesity rates are skyrocketing around the globe.
Many fast food companies target young children with toys
and greasy, fattening products.
| A typical children's meal at a popular fast food restaurant contains
roughly 600 calories, 23 grams of fat (6g saturated),
and over 800mg of sodium. |
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Obesity is undeniably a
worldwide problem, but there are ways to fight it.
Knowing your daily recommended amount of calories, fat and carbohydrates is
essential for staying healthy. Many people lack one of these nutrients and
consume too much of another. This leads to an
unbalanced diet and can result in weight gain. It is important to know how much
to eat exactly and what is present in the food that you eat.
Reading nutrition information on packaged food is essential for knowing what is
in your meal. Many chain restaurants offer nutritional information for most, if
not all items on their menu. If you take the initiative to learn what is in your
food, and you know how many calories, carbohydrates, and fat you need daily, you
can lead a healthy lifestyle and fight obesity.
According to the CDC, the best defense is maintaining a healthy body
weight and a low BMI or Body Mass Index. (Generally, BMI of 20 to 25
is considered healthy. BMI of less than 20 suggests an individual is
underweight while 25 to 29 indicates an overweight person. 30 and above
is a sign of obesity).
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