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> Why Is the American Diet So Deadly? Too much sugar. Too carb heavy. Not enough fiber (fruits, veg). Fats demonized for a long spell. No time for prepari

> Why Is the American Diet So Deadly? Too much sugar. Too carb heavy. Not enough fiber (fruits, veg). Fats demonized for a long spell. No time for preparing whole foods in daily lives. No easy access to cheap, prepared whole foods. Edit: car-focused culture and zoning laws/planning that result in more sedentary day-to-day lifestyle that magnifies the effect of the poor diet.

pfdietz 2y ago
It's the carbs.
- gonzo41 2y ago
  it's not carbs. It is inactivity and the volume of cheap easy calories eaten.
  - lithocarpus 2y ago
    There's truth here, and, as I understand it, carbs with high glycemic index do have the effect of blood glucose and then insulin spikes which cause metabolic disease and lead to diabetes which is the primary thing that's deadly here.
- jibbit 2y ago
  is this true? If everyone prepared their own food from scratch, but still had as many carbs, outcomes wouldn't improve?
  - bumby 2y ago
    If calories remained constant, I predict the problem would persist.
  - dietr1ch 2y ago
    I don't think it's just the carbs, but they likely don't help in today's society. We became too efficient at packing carbs in our diet and at the same time too sedentary. Beyond macro-nutrients, what I think the true reason food in the US is bad is because of the other stuff. Many things banned in Europe (which is special because they use science for improving quality of life before profits) are not banned in the US, even though it's an advanced enough nation to be able to deal with the ban and look for better options. The problem in the US is that profits are of utmost importance. Anything that lowers your costs is good for business as long as it's hard to point at it (does colourant X cause cancer? maybe we need more studies, or just didn't know, we'll try better next time).
    - pfdietz 2y ago
      I wonder about micronutrients that aren't recognized as essential to life, but that have positive effects.
- luizfzs 2y ago
  With a side of car-centric city planning where shops are often far from where people live, so everyone just drive everywhere. Also, with a pinch of pedestrian-hostile design, where some places don't even have sidewalks.
  - galangalalgol 2y ago
    Pretty much every neighborhood created between 1940 and 1990 has no sidewalks, and even after that the zoning is such that the only place you can walk is to other residences.
- gigatree 2y ago
  Japan, Vietnam, France, Italy, etc. would beg to differ. But they also don’t spray their wheat with roundup so it’s probably better to stay away from carbs in the US just on that basis.
  - galangalalgol 2y ago
    Italy has the highest incidence of Celiac disease, so it isn't completely benign. But yeah, the portion sizes matter more.
- lithocarpus 2y ago
  I don't think it's carbs as such necessarily, but the glycemic index of the foods and their addictive qualities - i.e. how easy it is to way overdo the glucose spiking. Yes, if you cut the carbs the problem is solved, but there are different kinds of carbs and some kinds in moderation can be eaten regularly without causing big glucose spikes and metabolic disease. Personally I go for low carb to make it easier, but I still eat limited fruit and starchy vegetables and rice and beans. (Some kinds of fruit do spike glucose and I need to be careful with.)
resource_waste 2y ago
>Not enough fiber (fruits, veg). I'm not sure why people think fiber is great. Yes it pushes things through. Yes there are bacteria that eat it. So does other food. But it also makes you go poop more often, which is bad for your body. I mostly eat meats and relatively low fiber food. I don't track it closely, so occasionally I'll eat corn and it passes through. --- My point: "Why fiber?" Actually prove that the generic intake of 'fiber' is good. There are so many different types of fiber, the macro size of the fiber matters(ground pinto beans has a different gastro effect than whole), the actual molecules its made of, etc..
- acchow 2y ago
  Fiber keeps you feeling satiated for longer. Also, it’s bulking effect reduces your caloric intake while consuming the meal since the feeling of fullness can be reached with fewer calories.
  - tayo42 2y ago
    > Fiber keeps you feeling satiated for longer. Does this actually work for anyone? I eat these high fiber foods that get suggested and i never feel full for hours.
    - CharlieDigital 2y ago
      You have to combine fiber with protein and fat. Fiber fills you up now by taking up physical volume. Try eating the equivalent of 200 calories of broc vs 200 calories of bread or pasta. The problem is that your body can't digest fiber so the digestive system moves it along quickly! Fat and protein extends the feeling of satiation by turning off the hormonal signals for hunger. If you eat an apple, try it with two tablespoons of peanut butter (the kind with only peanuts and salt). If you eat a serving of carrots, add two whole hard boiled eggs.
      - tayo42 2y ago
        That is adding so many calories though? Adding the 2 tablespoons of peanut butter is another 200 calories. An example, im targeting 2200-2400 calories. with 3 600 calorie meals (which tbh is pretty hard to do 7 or 800 is more likely) , there isn't that much buffer to add stuff like thhat.
resource_waste 2y ago
>No easy access to cheap, prepared whole foods. Apples, Bananas, Carrots, Milk. I imagine there are other foods too. But its weird to see people think they don't exist.
- miltonlost 2y ago
  Now that's one filling meal!!! Those you listed also aren't prepared.
- CharlieDigital 2y ago
  In the US, there aren't many options for whole, prepared foods (meaning someone prepared the food from whole ingredients, fresh) for various reasons. One that is common, for example, is a rotisserie chicken. If you go to Asia -- Japan, Taiwan for example -- you'll find cheap, fresh, prepared whole foods everywhere to the extent that many households have very small refrigerators and many families have access to prepared whole foods even without having to expend the time cost of cooking at home. For a dual-income household, this is a big win. There's various reasons for this: lower labor costs, smaller land mass/higher density, better access to local/fresh ingredients, more favorable climate and longer growing seasons, etc.

pfdietz 2y ago

It's the carbs.

gonzo41 2y ago
it's not carbs. It is inactivity and the volume of cheap easy calories eaten.
- lithocarpus 2y ago
  There's truth here, and, as I understand it, carbs with high glycemic index do have the effect of blood glucose and then insulin spikes which cause metabolic disease and lead to diabetes which is the primary thing that's deadly here.
jibbit 2y ago
is this true? If everyone prepared their own food from scratch, but still had as many carbs, outcomes wouldn't improve?
- bumby 2y ago
  If calories remained constant, I predict the problem would persist.
- dietr1ch 2y ago
  I don't think it's just the carbs, but they likely don't help in today's society. We became too efficient at packing carbs in our diet and at the same time too sedentary. Beyond macro-nutrients, what I think the true reason food in the US is bad is because of the other stuff. Many things banned in Europe (which is special because they use science for improving quality of life before profits) are not banned in the US, even though it's an advanced enough nation to be able to deal with the ban and look for better options. The problem in the US is that profits are of utmost importance. Anything that lowers your costs is good for business as long as it's hard to point at it (does colourant X cause cancer? maybe we need more studies, or just didn't know, we'll try better next time).
  - pfdietz 2y ago
    I wonder about micronutrients that aren't recognized as essential to life, but that have positive effects.
luizfzs 2y ago
With a side of car-centric city planning where shops are often far from where people live, so everyone just drive everywhere. Also, with a pinch of pedestrian-hostile design, where some places don't even have sidewalks.
- galangalalgol 2y ago
  Pretty much every neighborhood created between 1940 and 1990 has no sidewalks, and even after that the zoning is such that the only place you can walk is to other residences.
gigatree 2y ago
Japan, Vietnam, France, Italy, etc. would beg to differ. But they also don’t spray their wheat with roundup so it’s probably better to stay away from carbs in the US just on that basis.
- galangalalgol 2y ago
  Italy has the highest incidence of Celiac disease, so it isn't completely benign. But yeah, the portion sizes matter more.
lithocarpus 2y ago
I don't think it's carbs as such necessarily, but the glycemic index of the foods and their addictive qualities - i.e. how easy it is to way overdo the glucose spiking. Yes, if you cut the carbs the problem is solved, but there are different kinds of carbs and some kinds in moderation can be eaten regularly without causing big glucose spikes and metabolic disease. Personally I go for low carb to make it easier, but I still eat limited fruit and starchy vegetables and rice and beans. (Some kinds of fruit do spike glucose and I need to be careful with.)

resource_waste 2y ago

>Not enough fiber (fruits, veg). I'm not sure why people think fiber is great. Yes it pushes things through. Yes there are bacteria that eat it. So does other food. But it also makes you go poop more often, which is bad for your body. I mostly eat meats and relatively low fiber food. I don't track it closely, so occasionally I'll eat corn and it passes through. --- My point: "Why fiber?" Actually prove that the generic intake of 'fiber' is good. There are so many different types of fiber, the macro size of the fiber matters(ground pinto beans has a different gastro effect than whole), the actual molecules its made of, etc..

acchow 2y ago
Fiber keeps you feeling satiated for longer. Also, it’s bulking effect reduces your caloric intake while consuming the meal since the feeling of fullness can be reached with fewer calories.
- tayo42 2y ago
  > Fiber keeps you feeling satiated for longer. Does this actually work for anyone? I eat these high fiber foods that get suggested and i never feel full for hours.
  - CharlieDigital 2y ago
    You have to combine fiber with protein and fat. Fiber fills you up now by taking up physical volume. Try eating the equivalent of 200 calories of broc vs 200 calories of bread or pasta. The problem is that your body can't digest fiber so the digestive system moves it along quickly! Fat and protein extends the feeling of satiation by turning off the hormonal signals for hunger. If you eat an apple, try it with two tablespoons of peanut butter (the kind with only peanuts and salt). If you eat a serving of carrots, add two whole hard boiled eggs.
    - tayo42 2y ago
      That is adding so many calories though? Adding the 2 tablespoons of peanut butter is another 200 calories. An example, im targeting 2200-2400 calories. with 3 600 calorie meals (which tbh is pretty hard to do 7 or 800 is more likely) , there isn't that much buffer to add stuff like thhat.

resource_waste 2y ago

>No easy access to cheap, prepared whole foods. Apples, Bananas, Carrots, Milk. I imagine there are other foods too. But its weird to see people think they don't exist.

miltonlost 2y ago
Now that's one filling meal!!! Those you listed also aren't prepared.
CharlieDigital 2y ago
In the US, there aren't many options for whole, prepared foods (meaning someone prepared the food from whole ingredients, fresh) for various reasons. One that is common, for example, is a rotisserie chicken. If you go to Asia -- Japan, Taiwan for example -- you'll find cheap, fresh, prepared whole foods everywhere to the extent that many households have very small refrigerators and many families have access to prepared whole foods even without having to expend the time cost of cooking at home. For a dual-income household, this is a big win. There's various reasons for this: lower labor costs, smaller land mass/higher density, better access to local/fresh ingredients, more favorable climate and longer growing seasons, etc.