Percentages of cancer, diabetes, and obesity have risen. Over half of America has a chronic disease, while if you look at other countries, they have less than half the population with illnesses according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It should be mandatory for restaurants, fast food, and grocery stores to supply nutrients that help us, not make us ill.
Food should be something we can enjoy without thinking that it will lead to diabetes or cancer in the future. An article from Health Line said, “Fast food is a common meal option, but it’s high in calories and low in nutrients. Eating too much of it could affect nearly all parts of your body.”
Notice the part where they say low in nutrients; if we consume food that helps us function properly, we could eliminate some of the chronic diseases. Eating more protein, fruit, and vegetables could end up saving your life without you evening realizing it. Fast food is a quick option, but they highly process their food, creating an unnatural substance while using oils that lead to acne, diabetes, and weight gain, said British Heart Foundation in their article about processed food. Just deciding to stay home and cook a meal from your own kitchen could really benefit your life.
Allie Reed, a student at Bloomington North, expresses her expectations of the food she is being served “I don’t require the food to be 5 stars but I want it to be good.”
The expectation for the taste isn’t super critical but what we don’t think about is the quality of the items that are being brought out to us. Restaurants tend to have healthier choices and a better quality of food in general, but one of the main attributes in cooking and preparation is the ingredients you add to the meals. Simple ingredients like canola oil and vegetable oil are being normalized throughout society when they harm you internally, creating problems and ruining the nutritional value of our food. Healthline also contributes an article explaining results that further goes into detail in why some oils are harmful.
Grocery stores have a variety of food, which is good and bad. Some may argue that it’s your choice what you buy at the store, so if it’s not “healthy,” they are making that choice. In a Harvard article, Why is eating healthy so hard, they said, “Part of the problem lies in people’s misguided assumptions.”
Not many people understand why the food you consume matters. When people have grown up eating chips or soda their whole life, they might not understand why it’s harming them. Sadie Woodring, a student at Bloomington North, said, “It’s important to know where your food is coming from and if it’s sustainably sourced.”
If we carry along with just normalizing eating ultra processed food, diy, and oils, it might risk more people receiving chronic diseases. Marie Dittmer, registered dietitian at Health Ideas Place, had a quote of hers posted on KSL.com. “Does it provide the nutrients your body needs, give you energy to do the things you want to do, help you feel good?”
Everyone’s bodies are different and will require different nutrients, but in order to function, we need to be served with food that can contribute to health and taste. If you haven’t been aware about the outcome of food you are consuming, you can take steps by talking to dietitians who are learning more about what you have been eating and the effects of the food. If we have a demand for a quality of food that other countries are able to bring, we should be allowed the same opportunity of living a clean life away from chronic diseases.
