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Foods to Avoid if You are Obese

Submitted by Loring A. Windblad on June 24, 2010

Obesity is a condition where an individual tends to be excessively overweight when compared to the normal level of weight that a person of the same height should be. It is also characterized by an extremely high ratio of fat to body mass. Obesity causes physical mobility problems and is also responsible for further health complications that can occur as a result of the increased effort required for body organs to function. Obesity also tends to be a vicious cycle as it makes physical activity more difficult, and the lack of physical activity itself is responsible, in part, for obesity. Curing obesity involves several changes in a person’s lifestyle.

One must change the type of food being consumed as well as the quantities of food being consumed. One must also exercise regularly in order to burn off the excess fat that has accumulated around the body.

When it comes to foods that one should avoid during obesity, one needs to consider two sides of the condition. It is important to reduce one’s food consumption, particularly food that is eaten in between meals.

Overeating is one of the main causes of obesity. The other side of the diet issue is the type of food being consumed. Consuming healthier foods is likely to reduce obesity.

There are several foods that are high in fat content and their intake should be avoided or minimized by a person who is obese. There is also a consideration that must be taken with regards to the type of fat in question. Unsaturated fats are less harmful than saturated fats.

Meats are the first group of foods that one must look to moderate. Meats like pork, lamb and beef are high in fat content and also contain a lot of saturated fat. Meats like poultry or fish have a lower fat content and are less likely to cause obesity. Any food that is deep fried should be avoided. Fried foods are extremely fatty and batter fried foods even more so as the batter itself tends to absorb a large amount of cooking oil which is then ingested. Dairy products tend to be high in fat content although there are low fat varieties available in the market which should be preferred. Eggs are a good source of protein, but contain a large amount of fats, particularly in the yellow yolk part and this should be avoided. Junk foods like chocolates, sweet desserts, ice creams etc should be avoided as they tend to contain a lot of fat. For packaged foods you can read the fat content on the box itself and understand the implications.