What Can We Do to Prevent Obesity?
Obesity—defined as a BMI (body mass index) over 30—is a worldwide crisis. And it might be hitting uncomfortably close to home: A whole bunch of us may be stepping on the scale or taking a good look in the mirror after a year of pandemic-related lockdowns and thinking: What have I done? And what can I do to change it?
It turns out that even before the pandemic, the traditional way of weight loss—cut calories, amp up exercise—wasn’t really working. That’s because it overemphasizes eating less, period, instead of eating more really good food that won’t make you gain weight. “A high-quality diet will almost automatically lead to better calorie control—you’re going to be eating foods with higher satiety,” says JoAnn Manson, MD, DrPH, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and chief of preventive medicine at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, a contributor to the new documentary Better, which explains how Americans can turn back the current epidemic of obesity and diabetes.
Excerpted from Eat This, Not That!
