India ranks third among the countries with the most obesity in the world. There is increasing incidence of overall obesity and childhood obesity especially in urban areas. To reduce causes of obesity is of vital importance.

The growing rate of obesity in India is making India an unhealthy nation, as Indians become increasingly affected by many obesity related problems such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease etc. According to TOI (Index 2015) childhood obesity among adolescents (13-18 years) has grown from 16% to 29% in the past five years in India. To control this, we need to understand causes of obesity and take charge of the health of the people around us by imparting health education and right nutrition practices. Unlike older days, childhood obesity is very prevalent these days, creating an alarming situation for the future. In a world where childhood obesity is increasing among young children and teenagers, the need to educate everyone about right eating and weight management becomes important. Many causes of obesity are making India the hub of obesity. These include:

• Eating Habits: Wrong eating habits are among the major causes of obesity. Obesity never develops overnight; its progresses from poor diet. Similarly, wrong eating habits from the childhood make people obese. Healthy eating habits should be inculcated from the childhood itself to reduce the chances of children becoming obese.
• Fast Foods: There has been a drastic rise in the number of obese people in India due to increased availability of junk food. Globally, as people tend to eat out more often, the consumption of junk food is among key causes of obesity. During childhood, children fed junk food will find it hard to develop good eating habits.
• Lack of Physical Activity: With advent of modern technology in India, people have become more robotic and depend mostly on technology for daily chores. For instance, instead of taking stairs, they prefer using a lift or an escalator. Instead of walking, people choose to drive to errands. This lack of physical activity aided by technology boom is making us physically inactive and leading to people becoming obese.
• Lack of Awareness: Most people are becoming aware about the health risks of being obese and moving towards the path of fitness and wellness. However, the major population in India still lacks basic knowledge about right nutrition, which is again among major causes of obesity in India.

Steps to Combat Obesity:

• Laying the foundation of Right Nutrition: Health education starts right from the childhood itself. Parents are most responsible for setting benchmarks for their children. Right nutrition is the first step in fighting obesity. Parents need to be role models for children if they want them to follow healthy eating practises. Instead of feeding children packaged or junk food or aerated beverages, reduce eating or ordering out for food. Feed children fresh or home cooked meals to prevent childhood obesity that follows children becoming accustomed to outside food.
• Behavioural Modification: Behavioural modification can also help to reduce obesity in the longer run. Behaviour change can definitely eradicate other causes of obesity. Changing wrong eating behaviours such as eating excess junk foods, or consuming empty calories in the form of sodas and soft drinks should be discouraged. Instead, eating balanced meals, which contain more fresh fruits and vegetables, should be encouraged.
• Exercise: Reduced physical activity is one of the major causes of obesity. One must burn more calories than consumed to reduce weight. Right nutrition, in conjugation with exercise and other methods, can help one achieve the desired results to reduce obesity.
• Dietary Supplements: Taking help from natural dietary supplements can trigger the weight loss process, with safe supplement selection being very important. The product that I like most is LOSE FAT™ from BestSource Nutrition. It is a healthy way to reduce weight, even in clinically obese persons. This product contains Garcinia Cambogia (Vrikshamla) which helps to control appetite and food cravings, green coffee bean extracts to boost the metabolism, extracts of green tea and grape seed extract that provide beneficial antioxidants, and cinnamon that supports healthy blood sugar levels. Along with a balanced diet and exercise, this product can speed up the weight loss process by boosting the metabolism, which often falls drastically as a person becomes more obese.