Originally published May 26 2014
USDA releases report on Americans' eating habits, and it's not good
by Raw Michelle
(NaturalNews) It's widely known that the traditional American diet, with the high consumption of processed and other junk foods, is not healthy.
However, new information from a report completed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture demonstrates just how destructive the eating habits of Americans truly are (1). In a nutshell, the report finds that, while some healthy foods are indeed consumed, they are either not eaten in the quantity they should be to obtain proper nutrition or are eaten in way that has been prepared unhealthily. In other words, French fries don't count as "healthy" just because they are made from potatoes. Yet, considering that 60 percent of potatoes eaten by Americans are fried (1), it would seem that the majority thinks otherwise.
Eating habits well below nutritional guidelines, dangerous to health
Unfortunately, the findings get even more alarming. The national nutrition guidelines for adults is two to three cups of vegetables daily, yet Americans eat much less at just 1.5 cups daily. Of that, a mere 10 percent comes from the dark, leafy ones known to boost the immune system, improve circulation and blood purification, and reduce inflammation (2), further reducing the health benefits of the already-low national veggie consumption.
Sadly, it gets worse. When away from home, eating habits are even more unhealthy. When it comes to how Americans eat potatoes, 10 percent of them are eaten fried at home, but outside of the home, almost 60 percent of them are eaten that same unhealthy way. As for tomatoes, they're enjoyed, but sadly in the form of a sauce that's atop a fattening, salt-laden pizza. So it goes.
The news is eye-opening, but not surprising.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), healthy eating and obtaining proper nutrients is essential to help reduce many leading causes of death including stroke, cancer and heart disease (3). Still, it's estimated that by 2050, about one out of every three Americans will have diabetes (4), yet another reason to make healthy eating choices that includes enjoying organic, fresh foods preferably obtained from a local farmer's market.
Sources for this article include:
(1) http://www.npr.org
(2) http://www.naturalnews.com
(3) http://www.cdc.gov
(4) http://rawandnaturalhealth.com
http://science.naturalnews.com
About the author:
Raw Michelle is a natural health blogger and researcher, sharing her passions with others, using the Internet as her medium. She discusses topics in a straight forward way in hopes to help people from all walks of life achieve optimal health and well-being. She has authored and published hundreds of articles on topics such as the raw food diet and green living in general. >>> Click here to see more by Michelle
Raw Michelle is a natural health blogger and researcher, sharing her passions with others, using the Internet as her medium. She discusses topics in a straight forward way in hopes to help people from all walks of life achieve optimal health and well-being. She has authored and published hundreds of articles on topics such as the raw food diet and green living in general. >>> Click here to see more by Michelle
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