Excess. Excess calories, saturated fats, added sugars, sodium and trans fats plague the American diet. American nutrition has made it nearly impossible to avoid consuming products that lead to high rates of obesity and diet-related chronic disease.

In fact, there are not only bad products and poor food choices that are easily accessible and reasonably priced, but it is advertised on TV numerous times a day. 

76% of sports sponsorships are tied to junk food, according to Jacqueline Howard, a reporter of CNN Health. 

It has been noted that young kids, living in a world surrounded by screens, see on average about 3-5 fast food ads a day. This has extended the rates to about 20% (approximately 12.7 million) of kids ranging from age two to nineteen already being overweight. 

Personally, I have felt that trying to eat healthy can even be misleading. For example, there is a long list of foods people would expect to be on the healthier side such as rice cakes, gluten free snacks, certain types of yogurt, ect…. However, they have the same amount of added unhealthy MACROS as any other food categorized as “unhealthy.”

Despite the broad range of food Americans consume, there needs to be an increase of fruits and vegetables.

Have you ever felt that you wanted to start a healthy lifestyle but became easily tempted by the restaurants that were closest, easiest or most affordable? If so, so have I. It is important to start to become aware of what we are consuming in order to bring ourselves to the strongest and healthiest version of ourselves. 

Does this mean that all unhealthy foods or a fast food run is bad? Absolutely not. All it means is finding a fair balance and consuming those foods grouped as “unhealthy” in moderation. 

So, let’s compare and contrast. Japan, for example, uses rice, fish, vegetables and pickles as major parts of their Japanese diet. America, however, has a large amount of meat, potatoes, cheese and dairy products consumed multiple times daily. 

Aside from this, the portion sizes in Japan are vastly smaller. In Japan, a small bowl of rice is usually the main dish— accompanied by fish or a plant-based protein like tofu or beans, soup, pickles, and other vegetable-based side dishes. Leftovers and overeating are rarely a sight to see in Japan, and drink sizes are smaller. Ultimately, one thousand less calories are consumed in Japan compared to Americans on a daily basis, says Janaki the contributing writer for INSIDER.

With the many contrasting guidelines on how to eat right and be healthy overall.  Michael Jacobson, the executive director of the Center for Science —also known as the man who created the term “junk food”, explains how simple it can be. 

“A good diet is rich in fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, seafood, low-fat proteins like chicken, and low-fat dairy products. And it’s low in added salt and sugar, which means eating more essentially unprocessed foods,” said Jacobson.

Jacobson also mentions how cooking at home might be more work, but is a great alternative to eating out.

“Most salt comes from processed foods — companies add it to everything. So if you cook at home, you can avoid those things.”

Overall, it is not impossible to start the healthy lifestyle you have been dreaming of achieving. In fact, you have already started by taking time to understand where the issues are within the American diet

“Health is a relationship between you and your body,” said quotation anthologist Terri Guillements.