American Diet Downfall

What do you know about the American diet? The modern American diet is a fascinating topic which can vary between each individual or the product they are consuming. Many Americans consume a variety of food each day, however many Americans do not analyze what they are consuming. This can be devastating to the consumer’s health and wellbeing. Many of the products that Americans digest contain chemicals that the average citizen cannot pronounce or even take a guess as to what the substance is. It is truly terrifying once you realize that the FDA allows these sorts of chemicals to be put in products and then allow producers to falsely advertise their products. The Food and Drug Administration is slowly destroying the American diet by allowing the

According to Michael Pollan, New York Times Magazine writer, “the FDA, under tremendous pressure from the industry, has made it easier for food companies to make increasingly doubtful health clams” (Pollan 15). What do you do when you are in a grocery store and see a label on the product that states it is “fat free” or “low in sodium”? Consumers may make assumptions that it is healthy for the body since it is on the label. Americans simply ignore the nutrition information and eat without question; however, they are not aware that the FDA allows producers to include false claims on their products. Due to this the general population is then tricked into thinking that they are being healthy. This is a vicious cycle where the producers make their profits while the American people are left dumbfounded. Pollan depicts the weakness of the FDA under corporate America within her article, this brings up several very interesting aspects. Does the FDA usually listen to the large corporations and if so what else are the American consumers fooled by? The fact that inaccurate health claims are being made makes on really question what is really going into the American diet. Inaccurate claims/labeling can lead to may complications, such as consumers who need to closely monitor their health. Such as a consumer who is purchasing a product expecting it to be “heart healthy” while in all reality they are maintaining the same type of damaging diet that is harmful to their body. The FDA has betrayed the American consumer by allowing biased lies on the labels on products. This is yet another one of the major factors contributing to the downfall of the American