Unhealthy Eating In America

Everything has a consequence. Positive or negative. A fact is that unhealthy eating will continue to result negatively in the people who eat it, and that is a fact that Americans will forevermore disregard. I am researching this issue because of the little knowledge I possess on the topic as well as to possibly enlighten those who don’t know much about this issue. Americans unhealthy food choices has resulted in numerous health issues, physically and mentally, It prevents them from doing normal daily activities that no one should have to struggle with. Also, excessive fast food eating has potentially ended up costing significantly more than the average American had intended, due to health costs. Influences are also a major cause as to why these

Over the past 40 years, obesity found in children from ages 6 to 19 has tripled (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation). Obesity rates are exceedingly high in children, but it is more frequent in adults. In 1985, none of the states in the U.S. surpassed an adult obesity rate of 15%, today those numbers have over doubled to 36.5% (CDC) as well as the number of fast food outlets (OAC). Unfortunately, If obesity is found in a person, there are most likely other physical and mental issues not too far behind. The mental impact on one’s brain due to unhealthy eating can be quite overwhelming. Eating a fast food diet results in loss of brain cells, therefore anxiety and depression are common as well as not being able to handle them. Because of the lack of control one has over depression and anxiety, they resort back to junk food, seeking relief, but it will only last for as long as they’re eating it (Fleck). Eating a junk food diet can affect all major aspects of the physical body, depending on the proportions and already present health issues. The main components in fast food consist of sodium, fat, and sugar, sadly those are also the main ingredients in heart disease, diabetes, and cancer (Pietrangelo and Carey). Fast food wouldn’t be such an issue if it offered more nutritional values, but this deficiency causes more unwanted health issues in

“People often say that healthier foods are more expensive, and that such costs strongly limit better diet habits,” (Rao) “But, until now, the scientific evidence for this idea has not been systematically evaluated, nor have the actual differences in cost been characterized.” Although a healthy diet requires $1.50 more per day than an unhealthy diet, those numbers will change when one continuously eats unhealthily and develops a health issue. Health problems such as cancer and type 2 diabetes need to be treated with chemo and very expensive medication that can cost $13,700 per year (ADA) and even over $17,460 out of pocket per year for chemo (Fauntleroy). With this in mind, buying healthy food items may be the cheapest option when comparing healthy and unhealthy diet costs. “When you consider the long-term health and financial impact, it's a good