While no one would argue that Delaware has an obesity problem or that exercise is a good thing for health, exercise will not trump nutrition when it comes to losing weight. It takes roughly 3,500 additional calories spent in exercise to burn one pound of fat, according to Harvard. Walking or jogging uses up about 100 calories per mile.
To quote Harvard, “If you walk briskly at a pace of four mph for half an hour on five out of seven days, you’ll log 10 miles a week. At the end of three-and-a-half weeks, it’s possible to lose one pound even if the number of calories you consume stays the same.”
For example, 170 calories are consumed in the minute or two that it takes to eat the serving size of four mini Snickers. It will take the eater about two miles of walking to burn those calories off. However, no weight is lost during this walking. To lose weight one must consume 500 calories fewer per day for a week. So it is not exercise that plays the trump card; it is the food one chooses to eat.
Minimizing or eliminating animal proteins and fats (oils/butter) and substituting plants will go far farther in reducing obesity than exercise ever will. It all has to do with calorie density. Fresh veggies contain about 100 calories per pound, legumes around 550-600 calories per pound and oils around 4,000 calories per pound. Eating plants is good for us and for the planet. It’s the food one chooses to eat that matters the most - not exercise.
Commentary by Sally Fintel
Lewes
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Dorothy Greet invites you on a journey to amazing good health and vitality through Plant-Based Eating.
A heart attack turned her life upside down at age 70.
Now, with a Cornell Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition, this retired clergywoman teaches free classes to community groups upon request.
To contact Ms. Greet, email dgreet@aya.yale.edu.
For more information on plant-based eating go to greetplantbased.blogspot.com.
