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American Diet

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The Average American Diet America today is in the middle of a nutritional crisis. Throughout the country, the obesity epidemic has struck every population demographic. According to recent projections made by the United States Government, 63.9 percent of Americans are either overweight or obese. That is over half of the population! What exactly is the culprit behind this crisis? How can someone fix this issue? The answers lie in the average American Diet. The diet consumed by Americans is one of, if not the worst diet in terms of saturated fat, trans fats, lack of carbohydrates, over consumption of protein, and overall malnutrition. Recommended Dietary Allowances adopted by nutritionists around the globe and countries such as the …show more content…

And for goodness sake, people need to put their sandwiches on wheat bread. White bread has lower levels of protein, iron, fiber, and complex carbohydrates and has higher levels of sugar and simple carbohydrates than wheat bread. Another issue is our consumption of vegetables and fruits. The average American should obtain around 3 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruits every day. Most Americans don’t bother to take in half of this recommended amount, which is clearly an issue. Again, the solution to this is fairly simple and easily obtainable. Instead of having fries with a meal, a salad or a side of broccoli and carrots is a simple alternative. For dessert, cake can be replaced with a banana or an apple. These small differences in the diet really do make a large difference in the long run. Vegetables provide us vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes, minerals, and fiber. While fruits also provide the body with minerals, vitamins and antioxidants, they also provide the body fructose, which is later converted to glucose for energy. Changing the average American diet is not as difficult as it sounds. Providing the public with proper information about food and what is actually in it, along with making healthy food choices readily available to the average citizen will go a long way to curbing and preventing the obesity epidemic. The benefits of eating healthy are monumental. A longer, more active,

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