The American Diet and Its Effects Essay -- Nutrition

The American Diet and Its Effects Today, we have many people suffering from various diseases, most of which are diet related. Basically, these complications are either as a result of increased intake of specific foods, or due to deficiency of some major nutritional components. What this means is that the health of human beings can only be assured by making sure the right foods and dietary compositions have been consumed (Swinburn & Waters, 2010). This approach can therefore make sure majority of diet-related diseases and complications will be addressed. This is because good diet is the beginning of good life. The American diet is a dietary habit that is highly associated with the high consumption of red meat, sugary desserts, foods high in fat content, as well as refined grains. A distinct characteristic of this diet is the fact that these foods are consumed as fast foods and they are characterized by ingredients that are either preheated or pre - cooked. Most of the American diet consists of products with high cholesterol levels associated with obesity and diabetes, secondly the sodium salts and sugars in the diets have negative effects on health where they progress blood pressure, heart diseases and stroke. Since our bodies factually depend on sugars, moderate glucose content is effective for normal functioning, but unlike glucose, fructose found in most American diet is metabolized differently from glucose. High Fructose levels in the liver increases uric acid which inhibits normal functions of nitric oxide cycle, a process that keeps blood vessels open or vasodilated.High sugar levels are also characterized with hyperinsulinemia and production of VLD Lipoproteins which elevates risks of heart diseases. American diet... ...case, I totally believe that obesity has become a major problem in our country (Swinburn & Waters, 2010). An obese person is at a higher risk of developing threatening health conditions such as stroke and other cardiovascular risks. Most obese children suffer from eating and sleeping disorders which interfere with the developmental stages of the child. Because of the poor diet compositions in our nation, obesity has thus remained a major problem. This calls for new approaches to deal with the situation before it gets out of hand. Works Cited Farber, L. & Blustein, J. (2007). Handbook of health care ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hills, J. (2005). Childhood obesity: prevention and treatment. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Swinburn, B. & Waters, E. (2010). Preventing childhood obesity: evidence policy and practice. New York: John Wiley and Sons.