The American Diet

Most Americans do not care much about the nutritional value of the food they are consuming. That's why the United States has the world's highest proportion of obesity. This is a serious problem because one in three adults is obese and one in six children is obese. There are many factors in the usual diet in the United States, but most factors are attractive and unhealthy. Americans add too much processed food to everyday diet. Some say that meals from other countries are better than American meals because of their high nutritional value.

The government recommends that American diet includes rich fruits and vegetables as well as less meat and processed food, but only 12% of people can maintain this healthy diet. Conversely, meals that most of us follow, "standard American meals" or "Western meals" are quite different, as shown in the following figure. The third driving factor of "the trinity that appeals strongly to the heart" is energy saving. This means selecting the easiest and easiest way to get what you need. (The second factor, birth rate, or sex is not related to this particular part). Go to eat and check this third box in a wide range of fast food restaurants. A ready-made meal that can be eaten during meals or takeout without prior planning, shopping, or cleaning. This is a fast lifestyle for busy American families. Currently, up to 40% of meals in the US are consumed outside the home.

Transferring from a standard American meal to a vegan diet may result in health benefits because you spend more time and energy to plan a meal and choose foods. Many of us who consume a typical American diet eat convenience foods that provide more fat and protein than we need. If you are not consuming currently recommended fruits, vegetables or whole grains, you may feel better when you start adding more nutritious foods to your meal.

Taking into account the shortage of vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains in American standard diet (SAD), DASH diet is a great advance. DASH diet is an alternative to food-promoting foods that make up the majority of SAD (processed foods and animal products), promoting healthy whole plant foods. Since the development of DASH diet therapy, many randomized controlled trials evaluate the effectiveness in improving blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors. The reduction in blood pressure and cholesterol levels reported in these studies can improve the health of many people and delay the progression of heart disease according to these guidelines. But I think we should have higher goals. Although DASH's diet is better than SAD, it is not able to effectively prevent heart attacks and strokes and restore existing heart diseases.