American cooking is good. In fact, some people would go as far as saying that no better food can be found anywhere else on the planet.Despite a good American cooking may be, are Americans eating healthy? The fact is the way Americans eat is causing a health crisis at this time. All those pastries, and fried foods are literally killing us.Although it is true that the traditional homemade cooking like biscuits and brown gravy had been the main staple in many American homes in the past, the rate of obesity was not as alarming as it is today.The American lifestyle has greatly changed over the years. Many homemakers of today also work outside the home and have less time to produce traditional hearty and healthy meals.
More and more Americans are eating out at fast food restaurants or ordering restaurant food in home rather than cooking their own. Greasy fast foods such as French fries and hamburgers, fried chicken, and pizza are affecting the general health of Americans.In fact, most fast food chains, whatever they may be, are saturated with cholesterol. Bad cholesterol - LDL-C is responsible for weight gain and medical conditions including obesity, kidney failure, hypothyroidism, Cushing disease, and more.
Taking in the bad eating habits of the American population, the lack of exercise, and a poor lifestyle of some and you have the recipe for disaster. America is considered an overweight nation and despite the media coverage and warnings given out by various health groups, the situation is not going to change in the near future. Anyway, approximately 80% of the nation's doctors do not really offer dietary services citing the lack of funds is a major deterrent for the services at this time.
Congress is currently looking at different ways to reform the health care system and they are concerned about the nutrition and dietary needs of Americans.They took the warning from physicians seriously and that preventive measures will curtail the possibility of chronic disease resulting from poor eating habits.Several organizations including the World Health Association or Organization (WHO), the American Dietic Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health all agree that obesity is a chronic disease.
To date, the US healthcare system treats diseases related to obesity, but does not recognize obesity as the cause of these various diseases. It does not really treat obesity as a disease on its own. Yet millions of Americans are obese and do go to the doctors for various diseases such as type II diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and metabolic syndrome for treatment and medication.
The American Sports Data organization stipulates that the obesity stats were measured at 13% in 1962, and by 2000, it has grown to 31%. According to the body mass index, 63% of the American population is overweight (over the 25.0 index), and 31% are actually overweight (over the 3.0 index).The more alarming situation is the childhood obesity, which is over three times higher than it was 20 years ago.
Most of the researched statistics ever documented are primarily focused on the body m. Looking at actually body weight, according to the recent findings by IHRSA/ASD Obesity Weight Control Report, they concur that American population is overweight.They cite that over 3.8 million Americans are presently overweight, with 400,000 individual reaching over 400 pounds. These stats are of epidemic proportions. The average American woman weight in at 163 pounds indicating that the average American woman is not physically fit and is running the risk of future health problems.
If the stats continue at this rate of growth, the situation with hit crises levels; with about half of all Americans becoming overweight or obese in the next few decades. The Surgeon General Report, as it stands, points to 300,000 deaths that resulted from obesity-related diseases in the US annually.
The Centers for Disease Control and prevention cite that chronic diseases of which obesity is included are responsible for a whooping 75 percent of the 2 trillion dollars that the USA is currently paying for health care every year.
Besides the health risks for obese individuals, there is a strain on the health care system and the health insurance companies are also feeling the strain. Obese people are in a higher risk category than a healthy person and therefore use the benefits more than others. What this does is to jack up the insurance premiums for all insurers and they are far too high as it is. Also, some health insurance companies will charge higher premiums for the obese individuals while others will not insure them at all.
This growing obesity crisis has everyone affected. It is not limited to obese people.verage-weight Americans are footing the bill in most cases. All the classes of society must intervene to make a healthier America. Governments, researchers, health care professionals, health insurers, media, social aid, social activist groups, the fast food industry, family, friends and the obese themselves must pool together to find solutions to this growing problem before we eat ourselves to death.
