Healthy Diets In America

MyPlate from the 2010 dietary guidelines for Americans and the Healthy Eating Plate from the Harvard School of Public Health have many similarities and some differences. They both have strengths and weaknesses.

I chose to address the questions what are the strengths and weaknesses of the American diet, as well as, what is distinctive about American food. I chose these questions to focus my research paper on because of the relationship between the American diet and health care. The United States is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, due to immigration, which is what makes it so distinctive. The diet also has many flaws including the cause for rising medical issues. I have a pre-nursing major, so diet plays a big role in the medical field. My purpose for researching the American diet is to be able to…. With the Industrial Revolution, the inventions of many new products such as processed foods, refrigerators, and fast food chains.

The state of the American Health in the U.S has become an increasing concern of many Americans. An article entitled “11 Facts about American Eating Habits,” addresses the state of food in the U.S by stating, “Healthiness of the food we eat decreases by 1.7 percent for every hour that passes in the day.” Experts and scientists in the U.S has raised questions about regarding the different ways food is now being produced. While individuals are usually not aware of the ingredients that food contains, many people continue to have unhealthy eating habits. In the past few decades, food production has included numerous artificial ingredients that are said to be the cause of various health problems. Various artificial ingredients that are commonly

The weight in America is ballooning out of control and the American public needs help. There are a number of contributing factors that tie into the growing waistline of America such as a sedimentary lifestyle, over consumption of food which leads to a higher caloric intake, and the marketing of unhealthy choices by food companies through television ads and radio station commercials. In regards to the over consumption of food, the only person that is truly affected by this is the individual themselves. After all, they are the ones that will suffer from the chronic health conditions such as respiratory related issues due to shortness of breath, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. All of our lives we have been told we are what we eat. If you consume food with little or nutritional value it will definitely show in your body and if you consume foods that contribute substantial vitamins, mineral, and proteins to the body that to, will also show. Food companies do have a right to market what is most profitable, it just so happen that what is profitable is inexpensive to make and detrimental to one’s health if consumed on a daily basis. However, millions of Americans have tried to get there weight under control on their own and many have been successful at it. According to numerous new reports, the Diet industry gross approximately 60 billion dollars a year but only a few million have shown long lasting results.

The United States is currently under attack by a commanding disease that is seeking to bring this great nation to an early demise. This disease sucks the energy out of many individuals and takes control of the body by sparking heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, and even cancer. With the help of major junk food companies, this outbreak continues to claim thousands of lives each year. In our country today, this epidemic trails tobacco use in the second leading cause of preventable death. Many researchers have studied this horrible plague, and the only cure is the motivation to live a healthier lifestyle. Although the profits from major junk-food companies contribute significantly to America 's economy, the nation is blind to the

America is a great country; with high emphasis on freedom, education, acceptance, and philanthropy, there is a strong basis to create a diverse, successful country. However, there is one aspect that America lacks: nutrition. The average American’s diets exceeds the recommended intake of solid fats and added sugars, refined grains, sodium, and saturated fats, and the average amount of calories consumed per American has increased approximately 600 calories per day. Clearly, America struggles to keep citizens’ diets nutritious. In fact, recent studies have projected that by 2030, half of all American adults will be obese (US Dept. of Health). At this rate, Americans will struggle

Shifts in the “Food Marketplace” have greatly affected our food choices and habits in the last 40-50 years. As one woman stated in the film The Weight of the Nation, “It’s so hard to combat with what the tv is telling you to feed your kids”. Advertising has come to a whole new level in our generation; you can’t turn on the television without seeing an advertisement for fast food or something equally as unhealthy. As another woman put it, “you are taught that you can eat anywhere, anytime of day, and that eating is a glorious thing”. Another shift that has occurred is an economic one. If you go into a poor neighborhood corner store like they did in the film, you would see chips, sugar, sweets, etc. All of these unhealthy foods are cheap, incredibly cheaper than fresh fruits and vegetables. Obesity rates in these poor areas are much higher than in areas with a higher average income. Culturally, our country is changing to one that is always moving; we don’t have time to prepare a meal for the whole family. It’s much quicker to buy unhealthy fast food that you know your family will enjoy than to prepare a healthy meal that they will grudgingly consume. The film mentioned that our bodies were originally built for scarcity. We are wired to react to things that are sweet and contain a lot of fat because when an animal was killed we had to be able to eat as much of it as possible. The signals telling us to stop eating had to be overridden. Now, we consume so much fat and sugar not

One of the most unhealthy diets in the world is that of an American. It is made up of processed foods and a good amount of television. America easily has the most fast food restaurants in the entire world. Leave it to McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King or any other fast-food restaurant to serve extremely cheap and even unhealthier food at any time during the day or night. ”It tastes good so why not?” That seems to be the question many people are asking now-a-days. Because it is so easily accessible and processed, it is made to be very tasty and extremely unhealthy. Many Americans find his or herself indulging on the these fatty foods of America on a day-to-day basis. While it may taste good at the time, it has a terrible effect on your body

The reality is that food (nutrition) is the primary factor in disease prevention and treatment, but America as a whole has forgotten that. We view food as a pleasure center, not a life giving substance. We value taste and presentation over content. We laugh at true free range pastured eggs being healthier than factory produced soy and corn fed egg products. Our recipes are full of psuedo foods that have been taken apart and recombined to please the pallet instead of feed the body.

The food you eat can be safest & most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison – Ann Wigmore. People crave the unhealthy food instead of eating the healthiest meal. In what ways our modern diet and eating habit in the U.S.A are not healthy. America’s has consumed more calories than before. The U.S diet and eating are not healthy, because obesity is increasing and decreases the overall health.

“A nation’s diet can be more revealing than its art or literature.” Throughout the article, the author argues that fast food has been a pivotal influence on the American diet. He stated that in the past, households spent 75% of their income on home-cooked meals, however, today approximately 50% of the income is used on outside restaurants; specifically, fast food. In summary, he disputes how fast food has practically been implemented in the average American diet. Thus, resulting in a transformation in our health, economy, landscape, and culture.

Good nutrition is a key component to living a healthy lifestyle since you are what you eat. In the United States more than one-third (78.6 million) are obese and approximately 17% (12 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese (CDC, 2015). According to the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), individuals that live in poverty such as low-income families are vulnerable to obesity due to limited resources and lack of access to healthy affordable foods, fewer opportunities for physical activity, cycles of food deprivation and overeating, high levels of stress, and limited access to healthcare (FRAC, 2010).

Premature death due to poor eating habits in the United States is counted at 310,000 to 580,000 each year, higher than any other factor. Diabetes is the cause of death in 68,662 cases each year (“Why...”). As cultures begin to merge dietary problems begin to become present throughout generations. Traditional eating habits are altered and have been changed specifically by the ‘American’ diet found in the United States. These changes could have created previously unknown diseases and health conditions, such as diabetes, to become prevalent within a culture. This can be seen in the Marshallese communities which have a growing problem with diabetes and a significant population in the United States. The Marshallese communities have an increasing rate of type-two diabetes. Approximately 28% of the population over the age of 15 years old is diagnosed with diabetes. The study of the Marshallese communities is still young, and there is little information gathered about them. UAMS (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) has recently been approved for a 2.1 million dollar grant to help improve diabetes self-management in the local Marshallese communities located in Northwest Arkansas. This study will help to determine the cause of the large increase of type-two diabetes. With these results, UAMS and other research centers could better understand what to focus on when

Many Americans are struggling to consume a good quantity of healthy foods in their day to day diet. When faced with choices they cannot help, but to make poor decisions. There are many causes for the lack of consumption of healthy foods from processed foods to even one’s own family and friends, can prevent the amount of unhealthy intake in their daily diet. Why have so many people fallen from their healthy ways?

One important part of having a good workout is having a good and healthy diet. If you trying to lose weight by exercising but you're eating something like McDonald’s everyday while drinking a large soda you are not going to lose very much weight. Eating lots of junk food is not very good for your health or weight due to the excess amount of sugar, salt, and fat found in them. Eating healthy can be hard for many people though because healthier alternatives are often more expensive or they are misled into thinking what is healthy for them and what is not.