Americans' Unhealthy Diet
With Americans consuming junk food amounting to more than one-third of their calories, drinking large quantities of soda and chomping on empty calories, their diets are making them sick, fat and susceptible to early death. When you know the aspects of an unhealthy diet, what its effects are and how to make simple changes, you can arm yourself with the know-how to start eating healthier.
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Identification
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People who consume excess amounts of certain food items and not enough nutrient-dense foods have an unhealthy diet. This could be some combination of too much sugar, cholesterol and saturated fat, which are prevalent in the fast food that is eaten daily by one out of eight Americans.
Significance
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Unhealthy diets lead to obesity, cardiovascular disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes, all of which can lead to premature death. This is the result of having a hamburger, fries and a Coke as the typical all-American meal, according to the book "Fast Food Nation."
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Misconceptions
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Many Americans mistakenly think their food choices aren't that unhealthy. They also think healthy foods cost too much money or believe preparing healthy meals takes too much time.
Warning
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Children born in the 21st century could be the first generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents, according to a 2005 report in the New England Journal of Medicine. This is mainly due to the rapidly rising rates of childhood obesity related to poor eating habits.
Prevention
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Cut out fast food meals. Make small steps by packing your lunch, replacing meat-centric meals with whole grains and eating fruit for an easy portable snack.
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