Let us focus on what we can do and not what we are restricted from doing.
I was interested to read in the news that Boris Johnson, Uk Prime Minister is to highlight the issue of obesity as being a risk factor in the possible wake of a second wave of infections of Corona Virus.
According to the Independent – Government to launch weight-loss drive in anticipation of second wave. Studies show that Covid-19 disproportionately affects obese people.
As somebody who takes a serious interest in her health and works with a diet and nutritional product, I have always instinctively knew that our best bet was to take care of our immune system as well as taking care of our hygiene, adopting social distancing measures and wearing masks.
However, we were told not to run posts about diet products being a help towards the fight against COVID incase people would be mis-led into thinking they would be a cure. I agreed with this at the time as there are always scrupulous companies out there willing to use a crisis to make a profit. Nobody has been told to stop posts about buying masks and plenty of people have set up small businesses making them. A good thing too as there was a shortage. I found it intriguing that companies promoting good health seemingly had to tread carefully and now finally we can all say obesity is a bad thing, adding to your risk of catching Covid19.
In the early months of the pandemic we had little to go on. Reports coming out of China were saying, people more at risk were the elderly and people with underlying health problems.
As the pandemic hit Europe and the US, both wealthy nations and both facing problems with obesity in their populations, we are hearing now that people with obesity are at greater risk. In one study published in the Lancet using patients at the Lyon University hospital in France, it has been noted that in severe cases of COVID19 people were 1.89 times more likely to be obese.
Of course obesity is linked to other health problems, most commonly we think of is diabetes, chronic heart disease and kidney and liver problems. but it does lead us to wonder that the underlying problem is our diet in the first place and if we can address that it could possibly lift us out of this inevitable downwards spiral towards poor health. It is not rocket science.
It begs us to believe that there has also been a societal problem adding to fatalities of COVID19. Did we really need nine months of studies to tell us this? Probably not. The other interesting factor is that in the US we were seeing a lot of younger cases and the trend has been that they were suffering from obesity. In the UK two thirds of our adult population are considered to be overweight according to data from Public Health England. At last some governments are waking up, Boris has commented on his own weight problem and how it related to his Corona Virus attack.
Most people that I work with decided to take their own health into their hands by making lifestyle choices. It may have not stopped everyone from catching this virus, maybe we need another study to tell us that. However my gut feeling is that eating healthy, and avoiding obesity will at least give you a fighting chance and that is something worth taking.
One thing this awful pandemic has done has highlighted the importance of diet and nutrition when it comes to good health. We all want to live the best we can, do we not? There is another problem though and that is the emotional eaters. Struggling everyday and facing fast food in your face, by the food corporations. Hopefully the governments will tackle their methods of getting us to eat more crap. I believe they have a lot to answer for. Everyday I speak with people battling so hard that in the end they persuade themselves they are happy with their lot. Just to justify how they eat. The fight has gone out of them. This has to stop. I sat with a lady in her thirties. Clearly obese who proudly announced she could eat a Kentucky meal for three. And then went on to say she was happy with her body. Her mind needs to accept what her future holds for her. Deep down I am sure she knows but by saying she is happy with her situation only tells me she is in denial. I asked her what that meal cost and she laughed, it cost me a fortune she said. She needs help and support if she wants to be risk free. Healthy food does not have to be expensive. Addictive food on the other hand always will be. You will end up spending on useless empty cals with no nutritional value not to mention the cost to your health.
A lot of emotional eaters find it easy to be caught in the clutches of food manufactures, offering quick fixes. Here the government can intervene. They are already talking about banning supermarkets from doing special offers on chocolates and cakes.
Last month, researchers at Queen Mary University of London wrote in the British Medical Journal that the food industry should be held partly accountable “not only for the obesity pandemic but also for the severity of Covid-19 disease and its devastating consequences”. (Independent)
Whilst healthy food products cannot be offered as possible cures we have to as a society look at some of the causes that add to the risks of catching or even dying from this virus not to mention other diseases. It is a war, a battle and a fight for us all but our health is somewhat in our own hands and studies or no studies ,it is down to us to do something.
We can turn our emotions towards clutching at a better healthy lifestyle. When I am made to feel bad for not taking another drink or eating chocolate cake or tucking into pizza, facing comments like ‘Go on enjoy yourself” I just remind myself how much happier I am now than I was when I was obese. It is not too late ever to change.
If you want to support the NHS or any other medical services, start today and keep yourself in a healthy state.
Boris, I did not vote for you, but I am with you on this, It is a thumbs up. You have taken your time but I feel it is better late than never. I would even let you do a 16 day wellness boost………Picture this. Boris doing squats, Maybe someone should suggest it.
