Obesity.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Obesity/Pages/Factsaboutobesity.aspx

So obesity is the developed world's biggest health problem, with 9,000 deaths a year in England caused by it according to the NHS (link above).

Being obese leads to more serious health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and even infertility.

So with all these risks, why are 2/3 of UK adults considered over weight or obese?

Food can be used as a comfort. When someone experiences a painful event, their relationship with food changes. They eat less or they 'comfort eat'.

Also, food is a sociable element, therefore eating in groups is encouraged.

To maintain a healthy weight, it is not difficult to work out that you need a healthy diet and exercise. What annoys me, is all these silly dieting ideas produced by women's magazines, which continuously claim that certain foods help you lose weight etc.

This is so ridiculous because they only way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more. Not difficult. Yet when these magazines and celebrities confuse the facts about food, it becomes understandable that people are finding it more difficult to understand the concept of a 'balanced diet'.

Food can be a serious addiction, for example, chocolate contains 'mood lifting' properties, which help a person feel better, caffeine helps us feel more awake and sugar gives us more energy.

However, the effects of these foods can be damaging if they aren't monitored. They will store as fat and clog up arteries.

Exercise releases endorphins, which make us happy, yet finding the motivation to exercise is much harder than finding the motivation to eat a Mars bar.

Obesity is a slippery slope, what begins as a treat turns into an addiction.

Also, losing weight is generally much harder than gaining it.

Although i don't think it is acceptable for someone to let themselves get ridiculously big, i can understand how easily it is done.

Therfore; allowing a child to eat an unhealthy diet from day to day is unacceptable.

If adulta allow themselves to become obese then that is their fault. They will generally understand how food works and have no excuse for it. However, most children are not aware of the dangers of unhealthy food and find it difficult to distinguish between healthy and fatty food. All parents should teach their children about food, control their diet and encourage them to do exercise. If this fails then the obesity epidemic will continue for years to come and cost the NHS stupid amounts of money.