Reasons For And Against The Standard American Diet

America coined its reputation as one of the greatest countries in the modern world- and yet, is also known as one of the unhealthiest. Why does such a powerful and prosperous country have such fame for its chronic illness and obesity rates? The Standard American Diet (abbreviated as SAD) is to blame. Food is becoming increasingly expensive, making it tough on lower and middle income families to afford to eat. Further, the food most people are able to buy is chock full of additives, sugar, fats, and pesticides. The choice of foods available and the climbing prices make for an unhealthy lifestyle. The Standard American Diet is unhealthy because the food contains unregulated additives and pesticides and is too expensive for most to afford. The

Scientists have crunched the numbers and determined that “healthy food is at minimum $1.50 more per day than unhealthy food” (See). While this may seem insignificant to some, for many, this is the difference between eating and going hungry. Because of this, people settle for what is affordable; junk. Even if people tried to make healthier choices, those choices may be too expensive to make in the first place. The average middle-income family will spend around $6,224 a year on food, while lower-income families will spend even less at around $3,862. On the other hand, a meal plan for a family of 4 following the MyPlate Nutrition Guidelines costs anywhere between $12,000 and $14,000 a year (Savoie-Roskos et al.). With the prices of healthy eating being so high, most people cannot afford to maintain a healthy diet. In a study done by Yale, it was even shown that produce in lower-income areas are poorer in quality than those of wealthier neighborhoods (Hathaway). Not only does the food cost more, it is much worse quality-wise than wealthier, chain grocery stores. People in low-income communities already have enough financial burden pertaining to buying groceries in general, not to mention shriveled, moldy, or unappealing produce for more than what it’s worth. Americans do not have the

All in all, it’s deemed to be one of the unhealthiest diets in the world despite originating in a well-developed, wealthy country. This diet and system from which it came fails citizens all over the country by being expensive and riddled with unsafe chemicals. The U.S. needs to reform its testing processes, its economy, and its values, in order to become healthier and beneficial to the people. Millions of people die a year due to this diet and the culture surrounding it, and it needs to stop. Food is a right, not a privilege. It should be both affordable and nourishing with no risks of chemical poisoning. Without change, the SAD will just contribute to more illness, poverty, and death. The Standard American diet is not healthy and too expensive to be feasible for the majority of