Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Why it is important to follow the food guide pyramid
The importance of the food pyramid
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Why it is important to follow the food guide pyramid
Sunday afternoon, laundry is mostly done and the house is as clean as it is going to get. With the grocery list in hand you head out the door and drive up to the grocery store for your weekly shopping. The list has the basics: cereal, peanut butter, yogurt, salad dressing, juice, and crackers. You do not question the staples because th…………. This is where the problem lies: people do not know what they are eating. The typical American diet is riddened with excessive amounts of added sugers, additives,oils, and sodium. Many foods are also genetically modified or contain harmful preservatives and pesticides.
The ideal diet consists of nutrient dense foods. Colorful fruits and vegetables, lean meats and poultry, whole grains, dairy, and unprocessed foods is what a healthy diet should be made up of. It should also entail adequate portion control, and little to none added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats. Buying whole foods sounds simple enough,
…show more content…
•About three-fourths of the population has an eating patterns that is low in fruit, vegetables, dairy, and oils.
•More than half of the population is meeting or exceeding total grain and total protein foods intake, but would benefit from increasing the variety of foods consumed within these food groups, to improve nutrient intake and adequacy.
•Most Americans exceed the recommendations for added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium.
•Most Americans are consuming too many calories”.
The problem is most people are not informed of what a healthy diet is. With most Americans not consuming a variety of whole foods, their diets consist of processed foods with excessive sugar, sodium and additive amounts. What does the foods in your shopping list all have in common? They are convenient and they are all highly processed. Most processed foods contain added sugars, sodium, and fats that wrack havoc to your
In Escape from the Western Diet, Pollan discusses how Americans have become obese due to their diet of mainly processed foods. He makes the case that for Americans to once again become healthy, we must return to eating “whole foods”. Pollan brings up the fact that Americans don’t spend as much time nor as much money on
Although avoiding foods that contain certain ingredients is helpful, it seems to be unavoidable to those with a low socioeconomic status based on their economic, environmental and personal factors. "...[It] is not surprising considering the current structure of food prices is such that sweet and high-fat foods provide dietary energy at a low cost, whereas the energy cost of lean meats, fish, vegetables and fruit are likely to be higher" (Inglis, 2008). Another suggestion Pollan brings up is the idea that people should spend more money on nutritional foods in order to better their health (Pollan, 2007). As I previously mentioned, this suggestion disregards low-income households because money can be a barrier as to why they are not buying nutritional foods but unhealthy foods. What makes matters worse is the fact that Pollan states, "not everyone can afford to eat well in America, which is shameful, but most of us can….and those of us who can afford to eat, well should" (Pollan,
The population in the United States as of 2009 was 307,006,550 the younger population is projected to slightly increase and eventually plateau though the older population has been steadily increasing and projected to continue on an upward trend (Vincent & Velkoff, 2010). The lack of a healthier diet is something that has been highlighted in the media for the past decade and more often than not we are seeing the effects of overindulging and the consumption of highl...
Nutrition and health have become more popular in today 's society. Our generation is becoming more and more indebted to the idea of being healthy and eating nutritious meals. However, in “The American Paradox,” by Michael Pollan he argues that our unhealthy population is preoccupied with nutrition and the idea of eating healthy than their actual health. He also mentions the food industry, nutrition science and how culture affects the way we eat and make food choices. While Pollan is right about all these factor that affect our eating habits, there is more to it than that. Convenience, affordability and social influence also affects our food choices making them inadequate.
In recent studies, it was discovered that most of the foods that Americans consumed are foods which had gone through so many processes and thereby losing most of its nutritional values. Unhealthy nutrients are also been added to foods as additive during production to either preserve flavor or enhance its taste and appearance. An individual cannot simply trust what he or she is consuming at a fast food restaurant or even a cheap prepared meal at a grocery store. Processed food or western diet needs to be replaced and totally taken out of the American life and diet; this will help the Americans to live a healthier life, and spend less on medical bills.
The typical American diet is about 50% carbohydrate, 15% protein, and 35% fat, which is over the dietary guidelines for the amount of fat (below 30%), below the guidelines for carbohydrate (above 55%), and at the upper end of the guidelines for the amount of protein (below 15%) recommended in the diet. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_pattern_diet). Not only is the Standard American Diet completely lacking in terms of the quantity of macronutrients being consumed, but the quality of the foods that most Americans are eating is extremely poor as well. The Standard American Diet is high in animal fats, low in fiber, low in complex carbohydrates, and low in plant-based
Proper nutrition is important in maintaining a long and healthy life. Most Americans are rushed due to their busy work schedules, and do not take the time to plan their diets properly. Like me, most Americans are unaware of the importance of eating a healthy diet and consuming too many foods without the proper nutrients. Throughout my life, I have been fortunate. I have not had any major health problems, and have been able to consume most foods without having to worry about gaining weight.
After taking a closer look at the American diet, it 's clear to see Americans are in a lot of trouble. The average American diet is filled with lots of greasy fast food, large cuts of meat, salty junk food and sugar-laden sodas. This tradition is then passed on to the children and creates a legacy of ailments, disease and a lower quality of life. To many people, plant-based eating sounds like a death sentence. In reality, it 's all about getting creative with the foods you already like. It also involves intentional meal-planning and organization. However, your health is worth it. The ability to experience a better quality of life should be motivation enough to start changing your eating habits. Consider a few of these simple ways to incorporate plant-based eating into each meal without eliminating delicious taste.
Take a second to understand why fast food firms choose to sell products that are unhealthy. Their unhealthy products are in a high demand in the food market; in fact, they are simply giving us what we demand for. Most firms have started putting food labels on their menus so there is no room for excuse when making the right food choices. Nobody is forcing us to eat a whole box of Krispy crème donuts or a super-size meal at McDonalds. I believe that we are always looking for shortcuts in life and now we can anticipate there is a shortcut in what we put into our bodies. So we are consistently after things that are cheap, fast and affordable. Who better to attend to our needs than the fast food industry?
Since 1916, the United States Department of Agriculture (the government agency responsible for all U.S. policy regarding agriculture, food, and farming) has revised their recommendations several times. Unfortunately, money talks and the USDA’s recommendations are based on outdated science and are influenced by people with business interest. Even so, its recommendations are considered almost “holy” by physicians, nutritionists, and dieters, but in reality, they are the root cause of the problem. A single visit to our local public school cafeteria and it will become clear that they do not have the best interests of the children at heart. What they are feeding our innocent children is preposterous. Doctors, the people we trust and expect to be “the experts”, do not know much about the subject of nutrition. A vast majority of medical schools in the U.S. require just 25-30 hours or less of nutrition training, and some do not require at all. So doctors must rely on the ...
Eating is extremely important, it is also important to eat healthy. Most Americans eat without any concerns; they are not questioning or researching what they are feeding themselves or their family. A lot of that has to do with their financial stability, not having the time to prepare a meal due to their time-consuming work schedule, also lack of knowledge and education on what they are consuming. In this bibliography, I will go over all three articles and explain what they are about.
Most Americans do not care enough to take a look at the nutritional values of the food that he or she is consuming. That is why America has the highest percentage of obesity in the world. This is a serious problem because one in every three adults is obese, and one in every six children is obese. There are many factors that go into the regular American diet, but most of those factors are not appealing nor is it healthy. Americans put way too much processed food into their daily diet. Some would say that other countries diets superior the American diet because of nutritional values that it carries. Other countries have proven that an active lifestyle is a huge element in the average weight of the country. There are many things that Americans could change about their diets and lifestyle that would help them to become healthier.
Many people in America, from toddlers to the elderly, have shown numerous signs of bad health. People have the desire to keep on eating due to more, new things being merchandised as “new and improved items” from the producers. For example, nowadays, people are eating pure junk that they find satisfying on the grocery food shelf. As, stated by Michael Pollan, in his article, “Eat Food: Food Defined” he affirmed that “real food is the type of things that our
“Healthy eating” means eating a variety of foods that gives you the nutrients you need to maintain your health, feeling good with your health conditions, and having enough energy throughout the day (Nordqvist). A poor diet can cause harm a person’s daily life activities. Research from Eating Healthy Might Prove Too Expensive for Poor ABC News shows, that the price of eating healthy foods may be expensive to a family who earns a low-income. So, eating fast foods may be more convenient for them knowing that the prices are way less. However, everyone should make the effort to stop eating foods that will later on harm your health. As mentioned in the article “Healthy Eating”, “Healthy eating is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically
Junk food has been proven to be unhealthy long time ago. Junk food started to grow more and more recently and spread fast all over the world. Junk food reveals any food with high calories and low nutritional value. A big problem with junk foods is that satiation value of them is low, that means people need to eat a large amount of that unhealthy foods to feel full. So it is like eating a lot of poisons for a long time, what do you think the result will be on the health condition of the humans? Another problem of junk foods tend to replace other healthy foods; people who drink a lot of soda there is no room for healthy natural fruit juice in their stomach, people who are snacking on cookies, they’re not eating fruits and healthy vegetables (WebMD