We don’t have to be doomed to obesity

The Dec. 6 article, “More than half of US kids will be obese by 35,” should be a wake-up call to all people and the health-care delivery system in particular.

Fifty-five years ago, obesity was a symptom involving 5 percent or less of the population and rarely seen in children. Today it’s a disease, affecting a third of our population. Twenty percent of school-age children are obese, and we are seeing pre-adolescent children with type II diabetes, which used to be known as adult onset and usually wasn’t seen before age 40.

Type II diabetes and the other diseases that often accompany obesity — high blood pressure and some cancers — usually develop around age 35 (which is why that age was studied), and they need treatment. If obesity is to be the norm among 35-year-olds, will 35 be our new middle age? The average 35-year-old will be taking three or more prescribed medications daily. Women still in their child-bearing years will find it more difficult to conceive and carry a high-risk pregnancy to term.

As daunting as the forecast may be, there are available remedies to avoid this impending crisis. We are becoming increasingly aware that there is a direct correlation between what we eat and the diseases we develop. Changing from the standard American diet to a whole-food/plant-based diet can prevent and reverse many of our chronic diseases. I was suffering from obesity, high blood pressure and disabling arthritis when I made this diet change almost a decade ago. All of these conditions disappeared, and I have remained free of these or any new problems. I am enjoying better health, energy and overall outlook than before I retired in 1992.

A number of us have whole-food/plant-based pot luck dinners together and teach and support one another, with positive benefits. On Feb. 17, Dr. Brie Turner-McGreivy of the USC Arnold School of Public Health will join me in presenting a nutritional seminar at Shandon Baptist Church (shandon.org). This might be a good place to start addressing weight and health concerns so you can avoid contributing to those projected obesity statistics.