Food, Diet, and Health

Americans tend to think of starvation and malnutrition as an issue that developing countries face. What people do not realize however is that many Americans are also malnourished, or over-nourished, causing an epidemic of heart disease, and diet related deaths across the nation. In the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans” published by the U.S department of Agriculture and the department of Health and Human Services, the main component to the epidemic is a poor diet (lack of nutrients) and a lack of physical activity.

  

As stated, "Calorie balance is key to maintain a healthy weight." When consumers resort to eating a diet primarily based on heavily processed foods, they without a doubt are over consuming the number of calories their body needs on a daily basis. 

 The main foods and nutrients that most people need to increase in their diet are, to no one’s surprise, fruits and vegetables, including dark greens, red and orange vegetables, beans, and peas. 

According to "Dietary Guidelines for Americans", the top 5 diet related diseases are no mystery to current health professionals. Cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and various types of cancer all contribute to the overall obesity in the nation and are some of the leading causes of death. 

The devil behind the diseases is no mystery to dietitians. It is not surprising that our nation is suffering from such chronic health diseases related to food. In fact, some of the most popular food consumed, coincidentally also has the highest number of calories. The top ten sources of calories for "overall" consumers above the age of 2 are: 

1. Grain-based desserts (cake, cookies, pies, sweet rolls (Twinkies), pastries

2. Yeast breads (including wheat bread)

3. Chicken and chicken mixed dishes

4. soda/energy/sports drunks (Gatorade, Red Bull, Coke)

5. Pizza

6. Alcoholic beverages

7. Pasta and pasta dishes

8. Tortilla, burritos, tacos

9. beef and beef mixed dishes

10. dairy desserts (ice cream) 

It is clear that Americans are not eating nearly enough of the foods which best provide the daily recommended vitamins and minerals that “Dietary Guidelines for Americans” suggest. Currently, Americans are eating 75% of the total calcium they should consume. It would not be very difficult to reach 100% calcium because it can be found it some of our favorite dairy products, and even dark green vegetables such as spinach or kale. The most difficult category of food where Americans are only consuming 15% of the recommended daily intake is whole grains. Part of the reason is consumers are often fooled by labels into thinking they are eating whole grains. Labels such as "wheat bread" or even "whole wheat flour" do not actually come from whole wheat grains. Some recommended whole grain foods are, brown rice, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, and whole oats. The difficulty in getting more of these foods into our diet is often price and availability at our local stores. Ironically, a lot of whole grain products are more readily available in more underdeveloped nations where the grains are considered a staple to one's diet.

        

What’s probably saddest of all is the fact that foods that Americans should eat less of, or avoid altogether, are often the staples of almost every American meal. Sodium, saturated fat, refined grains, and calories from solid fats and added sugars are ingredients in which we exceed the recommended intake. The most difficult one to cut down on appears to be sodium, of which Americans consume an average of 149% of the recommended daily intake, in various foods. Sodium appears to be everywhere from baby food, to smoothies, to TV dinners. It is hard to escape, unless an honest effort is made. Calories from solid fats and added sugars can be controlled just by looking at the ingredients label of a product and making substitutions. Whatever types of food you enjoy the most, you can easily make accommodations in order to avoid added sugars.  An effective strategy is to avoid heavily processed foods. If you are craving something sweet, eat fruit with natural sugars as oppose to fruit snacks. If you are craving a big ball of butter, opt for nuts or nut butter.

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While the people of the U.S struggle with food choices, our neighbors in western Europe are also following similar patterns, with some exceptions. Studies done on the Mediterranean diet (Spain and Greece) show that the people consume almost double the amount of caloric vegetables that the U.S consumes. Greece also consumes double the amount of fruit compared to people in the United States.

The statistics on the obesity epidemic are more than shocking. 72% of all adult men in the U.S are considered overweight or obese. Women come in at 64%. This means that 1 in every 3 adults are on the road leading to chronic disease and unexpected death.  The best response to our nation’s health problems would be for all Americans to improve our diets, consume a balanced calorie intake, avoid sugars and processed foods, engage in more exercise and take a serious look at what is on the shelves of our pantries.