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America is unhealthy, and were dying as a result.

McDonalds, one of our most popular eateries boasts meals that are nearly 1000 calories and full of preservatives and potentially harmful chemicals. Our favorite activities including watching Netflix and using social media are sedentary. The American lifestyle is ridiculed in the media and popular culture for being hedonistic and slovenly. Now, there is actual evidence to back up this claim.

In 2016 the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Survey reported that 97.3 percent of American adults are unhealthy based off of factors including whether or not participants had a good diet, exercised moderately, were smokers and if they kept their body fat under control.

The standards of health that were applied to each participant survey are attainable and adjustable relative to each individual. The average healthy person is not expected to be a fitness guru or marathon runner. We need to take this report as a wakeup call, especially considering the rising death toll.

A study released this month by Tufts University reported that over 318,000 deaths per year are hastened by unhealthy eating. Over half of the deaths are consequences of major cardiometabolic killers such as diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. Heart Disease is the most prevalent disease in America, with over 610,000 people, thats 1-in-4 people, dying every year from it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Risk factors for the disease include diabetes, obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol consumption, reported American Health Association President Steven Houser. He also noted that most of these factors, including high blood pressure are on the rise. The nature of our predicament is bittersweet because we know the proper solution we must change our habits: eat healthier and exercise more. Yet, our poor health seems to be the last thing on our minds. Or is it?

While it is the responsibility of the CDC, the Food and Nutrition Service, the Food Research and Action Center and several other federal agencies to educate the population on proper nutrition, Americans obviously suffer from a gap in their knowledge.

MyPlate is the latest government backed nutrition advice to date. It suggests that the average person should consume primarily vegetables and grains and then fruits and protein followed by dairy and oils. Food literacy is incredibly important to teach and advocate for, but that only holds true if the information being taught is correctly. Much of the nutrition advice from the USDA is problematic or flawed according to research.

The USDA suggests that variety, and quantity are key factors when attempting to eat nutritious foods, and also recommend to choose foods and beverages with less saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.

They do not address the major health concerns that are fast food and packaged or processed food, which are often low in sugar, sodium, and saturated fats, but chalked full of chemicals as a result.

The chemicals the food industry uses to substitute sugar and other natural ingredients are often far worse for us than the real stuff. Artificial sweeteners have been approved for use in limited quantities by the FDA, but the true safety of such chemicals remains a controversially debated.

The studies that were conducted were done using far smaller amounts of diet soda than the 24 ounces a day consumed by many people who drink diet soda, according to Harvard Health Publications. So the effects of the actual average amount consumed by Americans could likely produce different probably negative results. It seems like an odd discrepancy when the people who conduct such studies have ready access to statistics on how much soda the average American consumes.

Healthy foods are also known for being unaffordable. In comparison to a large soda at McDonalds 99 cents, a bottle of water costs $1.69. Canned fruits and vegetables usually go for half that of fresh or frozen produce. Some people simply cannot afford to buy the fresh option, all well knowing that it is better for them.

We need to collectivize our efforts to create a plan to make fresh food more accessible to every class and to ensure the comprehensiveness of food literacy.

This is the opinion of Jennifer Lee, a freshman communication studies major from Los Angeles, California. Tweet comments to @LALoyolan, or email csontag@theloyolan.com.

http://www.health.com/mind-body/less-than-3-percent-of-americans-live-a-healthy-lifestyle

http://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2017/03/07/deadly-diets-study-tufts

https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm

http://www.healthline.com/health-news/why-is-heart-disease-on-the-rise#1

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/artificial-sweeteners/art-20046936

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The reality of the American Diet - Los Angeles Loyolan (subscription)

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