Written by Khila V.
The normal breakfast of the average American would be a bowl of cereal (possibly sugar-cereal) with low-fat milk, and a glass of orange juice. Seems pretty healthy, right? In reality, this meal contains enough sugar to top your daily sugar limit (21 grams of sugar). The American diet is so unhealthy today, because of low-fat, and fat-free foods, our intake of milk, and the lack of fruits and vegetables.
Low-fat foods have never been healthier than foods with fat. The food industry just wants you to think so, so they can sell more products and pass it off as ‘healthy’. Firstly, Low-fat foods have an unusual amount of sugar. When you separate the fat from the food, you take the flavor away. The result of this makes the food taste stale. How does the food industry find away around this problem, you ask? Simple: They just add more sugar. Have you ever tried going on a diet, only to realize that your weight isn’t decreasing, but if anything, increasing? You’re probably eating the same exact types of unhealthy food, except there’s an extra word slapped onto the package: Fat-free. All of this sugar and lack of nutrition from these fat-free foods aren’t healthy at all. In addition, the sugar will get you totally addicted, so you won’t be able to stop yourself from eating more fat-free or low-fat foods. Fat-free and low-fat foods are everywhere these days, so it’s hard to avoid. At the end of the day, all that sugar you’re eating can lead to some serious health risks. Already, the sugar you’re consuming daily is sure to earn you some extra, unwanted pounds.
Another problem in the American diet is the unusual amount of dairy, which can be traced back to milk. Of course, the average american would think milk to be completely healthy, as it contains the calcium you need for your bones. You would probably think so, too. First of all, there are many more safer ways of bringing calcium into your body, and apparently, milk isn’t one of them. Milk contains many more toxins that your body is better off without. Think about it: Milk was made to turn a calf into a 300 pound cow. Also, nature never intended humans to drink cow’s milk, and same goes for every other species on Earth. Drinking another species’ milk simply isn’t natural. Of course, a daily dose of milk may not be healthy, but drinking milk or consuming dairy once in awhile in small amounts is all right.
Ask yourself, and be truthful: Do I eat any greens? When I say ‘greens’ I don’t mean that single piece of lettuce or pickle sticking out of your turkey sandwich. At least half of your meal should be fruits and vegetables. The American diet is so unhealthy today mainly because of the lack of these leafy greens and healthy fruits.To explain further, fruits and vegetables have all these minerals and vitamins that helps your body to flourish and lose weight. On the other hand, you have all this meat and cheese. Many people's’ diets mostly rely on dairy and meat in forms of junk food to make up their meal. Although meat is a good source of protein, there are other sources. Animal protein isn’t essential for the healthy human diet. Next thing you know, you’re eating enough junk to create an alarm inside your body. To clarify, when you feed your body mostly meat and cheese, your body panics, because it isn’t getting much nutrition. As a result, your body kicks into survival mode, and stores fat. Additionally, greens and fruits have so many amazing health benefits that the average American diet misses out on. For example, someone I knew had a very high level of sugar in his blood, even before he had recovered from cancer. Within a week of green smoothies and exercising, he had his sugar level decrease amazingly. If he hadn’t quit his normal, unhealthy diet, this amazing change wouldn’t have happened. Greens did wonders for him, and it can do so for you!
Unquestionably, the standard American diet is so unhealthy, because of low-fat, and fat-free foods, our intake of milk, and the lack of fruits and vegetables. The low-in-fat foods are packed with added sugar, milk isn’t meant for humans to drink, and a hearty amount of nutritional fruits and vegetables are missing from the average American diet.
Khila V. is a 17-year-old writer from Colorado. She hopes to one day publish one of her articles in the New York Times. Until then, she writes articles for her school newspaper and on her blog.
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