According to a USDA report assessing the healthiness of consumers' at-home eating choices, the average American is failing with regards to nutrition. As troublesome as this is, it's even worse when you consider the fact that it is more difficult to eat healthy when outside of the home, and more than 40% of Americans eat fast food and roughly 25% of Americans eat out at least once a week, according to numerous research studies.
Unfortunately, Americans have chosen fast and cheap over quality. This means highly processed foods with low-cost, unhealthy ingredients with long shelf lives. The most concerning processed foods are those with dangerous chemicals added to them to add flavor, texture, sweetness, or to preserve the so-called integrity of the product. The typical processed food contains unhealthy amounts of fat, sodium, sugar or artificial sweeteners, and other dangerous ingredients, many of which we don't know the long-term risks about. It is easy to see something has gone wrong when you look at the substantial rise in health issues among Americans in recent years.
The problems with processed foods obviously lies with the latter type- foods that are high in sugar, saturated fat, salt, artificial sweeteners and flavors, food dyes, and preservatives. This makes them not only unhealthy, but addicting as well, a most unfortunate combination when considering one's long-term health. Many of the food additives that are most commonly used are linked to dozens of illnesses and dangerous conditions in addition to those already mentioned, including autism, Alzheimer's, cancer, infertility, neurotoxicity, among others.
How did this happen? How are these dangerous chemicals in our food supply? While the public appears to believe that the FDA has significant power over food additives similar to the pharmaceutical industry, it is an unfortunate mistake. The FDA actually has very little legal authority over chemical companies, who basically approve their own additives and chemicals, and are not even required to notify the FDA when new ingredients are being added to food products. It is a broken system.
As much as technology has evolved over the past few decades, I'm likely to remain old fashioned when it comes to my food. I want whole foods grown on a farm not in a beaker. The risks related to processed foods and the current food additive approval process should be an eye opener to everyone. I'm not sure why Americans continue to poison themselves. Is the truth too hidden? Are we too busy to find out or put in the extra time to make a clean, healthy meal? I'm not sure what the answer is, but I do know that we need to pay closer attention to the food supply and the dangerous chemicals being added to it every day. The corporations will continue to make hefty profits from these additives and processed foods for as long as we allow them to. We have to stop making poor choices.
Reading food labels is a great way to start so that you can truly see what you're eating on a daily basis. Eating organic, whole foods, coupled with lean proteins and essential fats is the best way to avoid harmful chemicals and future illness.
Unfortunately, Americans have chosen fast and cheap over quality. This means highly processed foods with low-cost, unhealthy ingredients with long shelf lives. The most concerning processed foods are those with dangerous chemicals added to them to add flavor, texture, sweetness, or to preserve the so-called integrity of the product. The typical processed food contains unhealthy amounts of fat, sodium, sugar or artificial sweeteners, and other dangerous ingredients, many of which we don't know the long-term risks about. It is easy to see something has gone wrong when you look at the substantial rise in health issues among Americans in recent years.
The problems with processed foods obviously lies with the latter type- foods that are high in sugar, saturated fat, salt, artificial sweeteners and flavors, food dyes, and preservatives. This makes them not only unhealthy, but addicting as well, a most unfortunate combination when considering one's long-term health. Many of the food additives that are most commonly used are linked to dozens of illnesses and dangerous conditions in addition to those already mentioned, including autism, Alzheimer's, cancer, infertility, neurotoxicity, among others.
How did this happen? How are these dangerous chemicals in our food supply? While the public appears to believe that the FDA has significant power over food additives similar to the pharmaceutical industry, it is an unfortunate mistake. The FDA actually has very little legal authority over chemical companies, who basically approve their own additives and chemicals, and are not even required to notify the FDA when new ingredients are being added to food products. It is a broken system.
As much as technology has evolved over the past few decades, I'm likely to remain old fashioned when it comes to my food. I want whole foods grown on a farm not in a beaker. The risks related to processed foods and the current food additive approval process should be an eye opener to everyone. I'm not sure why Americans continue to poison themselves. Is the truth too hidden? Are we too busy to find out or put in the extra time to make a clean, healthy meal? I'm not sure what the answer is, but I do know that we need to pay closer attention to the food supply and the dangerous chemicals being added to it every day. The corporations will continue to make hefty profits from these additives and processed foods for as long as we allow them to. We have to stop making poor choices.
Reading food labels is a great way to start so that you can truly see what you're eating on a daily basis. Eating organic, whole foods, coupled with lean proteins and essential fats is the best way to avoid harmful chemicals and future illness.
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