Big, Fat American Lion Book

A short debut guide presents the common causes, complications, and cultural norms surrounding weight issues.

Without preaching, Boccaletti supplies facts and statistical studies dealing with the causes of obesity and severe weight problems. He aims to reach a general audience with clear, accessible information. From the beginning, the book highlights the importance of instilling healthy habits early, as the author notes that when children consume extra calories, they develop additional fat cells that can never be lost. Adults only shrink and grow the fat cells already existing in the body, making it important to manage weight from an early age. The book covers strategies to keep the body hydrated and the metabolism functioning healthily, such as drinking water and eating nonprocessed foods like cucumbers, spices, and other whole vegetables and fruits. This volume is appropriate for anyone interested in a broad overview of the issues surrounding obesity, including disorders that stem from severe weight gain, like diabetes, hypertension, and asthma. The author provides historical and geographical data, such as the countries of the world with the highest body mass indexes per capita, noting shocking statistics, such as the fact that the United States is 68 percent overweight or obese, compared to 38 percent worldwide. The book doesn’t just deliver facts, but also suggestions that are practical and simple, such as getting outside for a few hours a day to garden or walk, sticking to natural foods, and reducing salt and sugar. But the author reinforces that the most important tool a person possesses for maintaining health is frequent movement. The author, with extensive corporate experience, also highlights the tactics companies use to advertise and lure consumers toward eating large amounts of processed foods. At times, parts of the book are a bit simplistic, such as explanations of how businesses profit from marking up products and remain driven by profit, not human benefit. But the vast majority of the guide supplies well-researched data that a reader can use to understand the impacts and causes of corpulence in the United States and beyond.

A concise, informative look at the problem of obesity and the factors that make it a rapidly growing epidemic.