Defuse the junk food timebomb

by ROSALIND RYAN, femail.co.uk

A study released this week reveals that nearly half the adults in Britain could be obese within 20 years thanks to junk food and a lack of exercise.

The report, by the World Health Organisation, found that diets packed with sugar, fat and salt were among the main reasons why people are piling on the pounds. Our couch-potato lifestyles, such as taking less exercise, are also creating an obesity timebomb.

In Britain, the number of obese women has jumped from nine per cent two decades ago to 21 per cent today, while the number of obese men has more than doubled from eight per cent to 17 per cent.

But you don't have to end up as one of these statistics.

Follow our brief guide below to discover what really makes up a balanced diet.

  • The Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition (COMA), a former government advisory body, says that adult women - those between the ages of 19 and 50 - need to eat 1,940 calories per day, while men need 2,550 calories.

    The average calorie intake in the UK is currently 1,680 for women and 2,450 for men, but it is where we get these calories from that is causing the problem. At the moment, 38 per cent of our energy comes from fat, three per cent more than the recommended amount. Too much fat in the diet can cause heart disease, obesity and certain cancers.

  • Our daily fat intake should only be 35 per cent of our total food energy (calories) and only 10 per cent should come from saturated (animal) fats. This equates to a rough total of 76g of fat per day for a woman, with 21g of saturated fat.

  • You can work out if you are a healthy weight for your height by calculating your body mass index. You can do this by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared (your height multiplied by your height). For example, a woman weighing 60kg who is 1.67 metres tall (nine-and-a-half stone and 5' 5'' in height) will divide 60 by 1.67x1.67. The answer should be 21.5 giving her a 'healthy' calculation. A BMI between 20 to 25 is in the 'desirable or healthy' range. A BMI over 25 is classed as overweight and anything over 30 is obese.

  • The amount of protein you should be eating varies according to your body weight. COMA recommends that you eat 0.75g of protein for every kilogram of your body weight per day. So a woman weighing 60kg (nine-and-a-half stone) should eat approximately 45g of protein every day. This is the equivalent of one medium sized steamed chicken breast or one small grilled rump steak per day.

  • The amount of fibre in our daily diets is below the recommended daily intake to keep us healthy. Government guidelines say we should be consuming 18g of fibre every day, but the

    average Briton is only eating 12g a day. A lack of fibre in the diet is associated with constipation and some gut diseases such as bowel cancer. You can find fibre in foods such as whole grain breads and cereals, beans, pulses such as lentils, and fruits and vegetables.

  • Contrary to the trend in celebrity diets for cutting carbohydrates out of our diets, the British Nutrition Foundation says we should be eating more of them. They advise 47 per cent of our daily calorie intake to come from carbohydrates - but this does not mean dosing up on cakes and biscuits. Carbohydrates include cereals, pulses, pasta and potatoes but also foods such as fruit, vegetables and milk. It is important to eat a balance of all these foods to keep your body working efficiently.

    Follow the link below for more official guidelines on diet and exercise.

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