GreenMindFulness

Most people find it easy to understand the problem of over-consumption of fossil fuels. The fossil fuels like oil and coal are being exploited faster than they are generated by nature, and we will end up in a situation where we can no longer depend on fossil fuels to supply the world energy expenditure. That is why a lot of time and money is spent on researching alternative sustainable energy sources, which will not be affected or depleted when we expend them.

Another energy issue that somehow many people find difficult to understand is the energy balance on a personal level. However, the problem is the opposite. On average the energy intake of the population in most western countries by far exceeds the energy expenditure, and as a result we see more and more people of serious overweight. Treating obesity is an extremely difficult task, but prevention is, in theory, very easy: “maintain the energy balance”. If you uptake more energy, you have to expend more energy, in order not to gain weight.

The Dutch Nutrition Centre acknowledges increasing obesity as a national problem, and they have employed a Master Plan to help the Dutch maintain their energy balance. I am looking forward to see the same kind of initiative taken in the rest of the European countries with increasing obesity in their population.