Processed Foods Make Up Majority of Calories Consumed by Americans
- Healthy Eating
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Over the past few years, it has been noted that people in the U.S. have been consuming fewer calories. However, there has been a recent surge in the consumption of processed foods, which contradicts the growing trend. People are eating more processed foods; sales figures from the leading retailers in the country clearly show that this is the case. Hence, it comes as no surprise that obesity is on the rise and weight-related health problems continue to exacerbate. People are paying more for healthcare than they ever did.
However, no one seems to realize that what they are eating the most, in this case processed food, is what is leading to these health problems. In addition to this, the information available both online and offline about the health problems which can be caused by eating processed foods is abundant. Still the purchasing habits of people are quite the opposite of what they should be. A recent survey showed that 60% of the calories people consume come from the processed food they are buying.
Generally, the items which are processed before being made available for sale are less nutritious than the fruits and veggies that every nutrition and health expert keeps imploring people to eat more of. In fact, the quantity of sugar, salt and unhealthy fats in processed foods are considerably greater. The survey mentioned above spanned over a period of 12 years, so you can’t say it was a flash in the pan. Moreover, over 150,000 families took part in it. Over the study, taking an average of four years, the families combined purchased over 1 million items.
These items were then divided into processed and unprocessed. The results clearly showed that more than 60% of the items purchased were processed foods. So, it goes to show what the average American family is eating and the picture is quite clear: despite all the warnings and hullabaloo over the increased calorie intake, the weight gain and the health problems, people don’t want to let go of processed food.
They have their reasons. After all, buying processed food proves cheaper, it’s easier to find and you don’t have to spend that much time preparing it. Yet, the cost at which Americans are opting for convenience is too huge to ignore. We need to start finding healthier calorie sources.
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