A story posted in mid-July on MSNBC.com’s diet and health section begins as follows:
With excess weight a greater problem than ever, the question of whether
changing eating habits or exercise is more likely to produce weight
loss is vital.
No, that question isn’t vital. It misses the point entirely.
Here’s the point: Most of us aren’t as healthy as we could be because we make poor food choices, eat too much, and move too little. As a result, the majority of the population is overweight. These are indisputable–the kind of obvious conclusions the U.S. government presents in its 2005 Dietary Guidelines.
If those factors are endangering our health, the solution is striving for greater health by making better food choices, eating the appropriate amount of food for our activity level, and engaging in regular physical exercise.
So why does this article’s author–a registered dietician–pose the irrelevant question "should we eat better or exercise in order to lose weight?"
The problem–overweight–has multiple causes, including too many calories and too little activity. The solution has to involve both food choices and physical exercise.
You can find the full article here.
