The Ugly Truth About the Standard American Diet

Think back to the last meal you ate. Just cast your mind back. If you’re grazing on something right now, take a look down and check out what’s in your bowl. Are you eating a balanced and healthy snack, or are you consuming something that’s full of empty calories and sugars? The ugly truth about the American diet is that many Americans are overweight, and that many Americans eat far too many calories from the wrong foods. A study that was performed recently found out that thirty years ago, we used to consume around 1850 calories a day. That number has now jumped an additional 350 calories (or around two extra cans of soda a day) and that means that more and more of us are putting on extra weight every year.

Let’s take a look at some of the cold hard facts about the American diet and take a look at how we can begin to address some of these issues head on instead of slowly getting fatter as a nation.

Portion Sizes

When you think about what it is that we’re eating, you would be quite right to say that an American family from twenty or thirty years ago would be far more likely to sit down to a meal of pork chops and potatoes than one of today. Today’s families are more likely to be found nibbling on a tofu stir fry with brown rice, truth be told, so what is it about today’s food that’s seen the rise of obesity and health problems? One of the biggest indicators would have to be portion sizes. Once upon a time, food manufacturers made food portions the size that humans needed. We ate until we were full, and then we stopped eating. Now, everything is HUGE and comes out on plates as big as sinks, in some cases! No wonder people are eating more and more… It’s not on the restaurants and food vendors to tell us when to stop eating, but the portion sizes are getting larger and larger.

Health issues

Many people don’t get enough vitamins and minerals from their food in their daily diet. Many people eat a lot of fast food or unhealthy snacks and so are missing out on the opportunity to enjoy a healthy diet. Luckily, there is a growing trend among the food industry that a lot of foods that we get nowadays are being bolstered and boosted with supplements. What that means is that even if you’re taking natural osteoporosis supplements to ensure you get your calcium intake for the day, there’s also plenty of help coming from the food industry. We need to ensure that we’re eating the right amounts of foods and in the right quantities; too much is no good, and too little is no good either.

Obesity

Being overweight is a huge part of what is wrong with Americans today, and many people are struggling with health issues that are directly caused as a result of being overweight or obese. Being obese puts massive strain on the heart, body and bones and it’s vital that you work to maintain as close to a healthy weight as possible in order to live a long life.

So how do we fix these problems?

As part of the solution, we need to take more responsibility for making healthy choices in regards to food and portion sizes. The health food industry needs to continue to grow, just as the fast food industry needs to shrink and to loosen its stranglehold on Americans and their stomachs. It all comes down to exercise, diet and making the right choices for our bodies, so make sure that you’re choosing the right thing for you and your family and you’ll see your health improve in time.