Standard American Capitalism and the Standard American Diet (SAD)
- Karen Kuykendall
- 10 hours ago
- 10 min read
“The food environment is a strong predictor of how we eat’ … ‘And in America, the unhealthiest foods are the tastiest foods, the cheapest foods, the largest-portion foods, the most available foods, and the most fun foods.” - Dr. Scott Kahan, Director of the National Center for Weight and Wellness
I watched the charming new Netflix movie Nonnas this past week. Based on the true story of a man who opens an Italian restaurant after his mother dies, it currently ranks number two in popularity of Netflix offerings. Evidently, something about this film is causing a lot of people to give it a thumbs up. Its appeal might be Vince Vaughn's likeability, the feisty exchanges between the restaurant chefs, or the inviting dinner scenes, but I also think that it might be something more. Perhaps subconsciously, Americans know that food used to be experienced this way--homemade, nutritious, and truly delicious--and they are hungry for it.
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Unhealthy Diet, Unhealthy Nation
Over the past 75 years, the way Americans eat has completely changed, thanks to shifts in lifestyle, technology, and the food industry. In the 1950s, meals were usually home-cooked with natural ingredients (not including Crisco, of course). Although additives like high-fructose corn syrup, monosodium glutamate, and partially hydrogenated oils existed, most people were not exposed to high levels of these types of ingredients at that time.
Beginning in the mid-1960s, new options like microwave ovens and ready-made meals started changing how Americans ate. Whereas meals at home had previously featured primarily whole foods, the use of many new shelf-stable packaged foods started to become the norm for people who worked full time and had limited hours to cook. Frozen dinners, high-carb snacks, and sugary cereals soon became household staples, as they continue to be in most US homes.
Fast food became very popular during this time as well, with places like McDonald's, Burger King, and Taco Bell winning over more and more customers. These types of restaurants were cheap and convenient, which suited people with busy schedules. I remember when Wendy's came to my hometown in the late 1970s. Since my mom still did most of our cooking, it was a rare event for us to go to such a restaurant. According to the CDC, approximately 37% of Americans now eat at least one meal at this type of restaurant on any given day.
The changes in our collective diet are reflected by the changes in our collective health. Nearly 70% of the US population is now considered overweight or obese, compared with 15% in the 1970s. One out of every ten persons qualify as morbidly obese, a 90% increase since 1960. Equally concerning is the rate of childhood obesity, which has almost quadrupled from 5% in the early 1970s to 19% in 2020. Diet-related diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic gastrointestinal issues have increased dramatically. For the first time in decades, life expectancy in the US is declining, with diet-related diseases as a main cause.
Lack of Willpower, or Something Else?
At first glance, the blame for the deplorable state of our country's health would seem to land squarely on the shoulders of the people who are making bad food choices. While I'm not going to deny the importance of personal responsibility, I am also going to suggest that there is more going on here than a mere lack of willpower. The fact is that the more control of our diet that we have given over to corporate food manufacturers, the more we have seen our collective health deteriorate. So what is it about the modern food industry's products that is making us so sick? And if their products are so bad for us, why do we continue to eat them?
Two words explain this phenomenon: biology and profit. To begin with, human beings have spent most of their time on earth worrying about not having enough food. One of the greatest ongoing threats to people's survival was the lack of nourishment. As a result, our brains developed a reward system when we located food that would satisfy bodily needs. In particular, foods that were sweet or salty, as well as foods with a high fat content, triggered our internal reward system.
Through much research and experimentation, the food industry has perfected food that, while low in nutritional value, constantly triggers this system. The reason why snacks, pre-packaged meals, and fast food restaurant items are loaded with sugar, salt, and oils (sometimes called the holy trinity of food addiction) is precisely because these ingredients activate a dopamine release, thus causing cravings to develop that can be difficult to break.
Creating food that causes people to crave it and thus buy over and over again is obviously good for a company's profit margin. Creating addictive foods, however, is not the only way in which these companies generate their profits. The way in which the food is processed, as well as the choice of ingredients, also contributes to the bottom line. Enter the creation and development of ultra-processed foods, which according to many nutrition experts, is one of the greatest threats to a person's health in the modern world.
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The Ultra-Processed Fiasco
First, let's define what an ultra-processed food is. According to NOVA, a system developed by the Center for Epidemiological Studies in Health and Nutrition, School of Public Health at the University of São Paulo in Brazil and used by many researchers, the level of processing can be divided into four groups:
Group 1 Unprocessed or Minimally Processed Foods: Naturally occurring foods with no added salt, sugar, oils, or fats. | Milk, meat, eggs, fish, poultry, plain unsweetened yogurt, beans, fresh, frozen, or dried fruits and vegetables, oats, grits, pasta, rice. |
Group 2 Processed Culinary Ingredients: Food products from Group 1 that have been processed by pressing, refining, grinding and/or milling; they are used in home and restaurant kitchens to prepare, season and cook Group 1 foods. | Vegetable oils, butter, vinegar. Salt, sugar and molasses from cane or beet, honey extracted from combs and syrup from maple trees. |
Group 3 Processed Foods: Food products made by adding sugar, oil and/or salt to create simple products from Group 1 foods with increased shelf life or enhanced taste. | Canned vegetables, fruits, and beans; some salted or sugared nuts and seeds; salted, cured, or smoked meats; canned fish; fruits in syrup; cheese and freshly made bread. |
Group 4 Ultra-Processed Foods: Industrially created food products created with the addition of multiple ingredients that may include some Group 2 ingredients as well as additives to enhance the taste and/or convenience of the product, such as hydrolyzed proteins, soy protein isolate, maltodextrin, high fructose corn syrup, stabilizers, flavor enhancers, non-sugar sweeteners, and processing aids such as stabilizers and bulking and anti-bulking agents. | Commercially produced breads, rolls, cakes, cookies, donuts, breakfast cereals, soy burgers, flavored yogurts, ready-to-heat meals, such as frozen pizzas, soft drinks, and candy. |
It is the fourth group, ultra-processed, in particular that combines highly addictive substances with cheap food that has little to none of its original nutritional value. Inexpensive soybean, peanut, cottonseed, safflower, and corn oils all increase levels of Omega 6, which raises inflammation in the body. Low cost high-fructose corn syrup is particularly addictive and contributes to a myriad of health problems, including diabetes and heart disease. Ultra-processed foods have also been striped of fiber, vitamins, and enzymes, leaving the body heavy with calories yet starving for nutrients, thus perpetuating a vicious cycle of overeating.
It is not hard to see how creating food that is incredibly addictive yet of little use to the body will, over time, yield a population of overweight people that are suffering from a multitude of health complaints.
Wait, There's More
As if the manipulation of our food supply weren't enough to send the majority of uninformed people down the path of obesity and bad health, the powerful and wealthy food industry has three other techniques to ensure that the production of cheap, nutritionally-void food continues to garner record profits: advertising, lobbying, and sponsored research.
According to a US News and World Reports article:
On TV alone, the average child sees about 5,500 food commercials a year (or about 15 per day) that advertise high-sugar breakfast cereals, fast food, soft drinks, candy, and snacks, according to the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. Compare that to the fewer than 100 TV ads per year kids see for healthy foods like fruits, veggies, and bottled water.
Along with the bombardment of sophisticated marketing techniques used to appeal to both children and adults, companies also distract consumers through their packaging. "Whole grain" may be printed in large, bold letters on the box, implying that the product is healthy. These labels narrow the view of customers and convince them that the item is good for them because of that one factor, when in fact its processing and additives make it anything but nutritious.
In 2023, US food companies contributed 1.537 trillion dollars to the GDP, or about 5.5%. The money that giant ultra-processed food corporations such as PepsiCo, Tyson Foods, JBS USA, Nestle, and Kraft Heinz spent on lobbying law makers amounted to $1.15 billion in 2023, which was far more than the gambling, tobacco, or alcohol industries spent that year. Combine that amount of money with pressure on the US government to continue subsidizing cheap substances like soybean oil, and this industry has a powerful tool that works in its favor.
Further, a number of nutritional studies are directly sponsored by these companies. Approximately 13% of nutritional studies in the top 10 most-cited nutrition journals are sponsored by major food companies. Of those studies, about 56% reported findings favorable to the industry, while only 10% of studies without industry involvement showed favorable results. This data suggests a bias towards industry interests in research when the food industry provides funding. This bias should not surprise anyone. It also gives these companies the appearance of 'legitimate' findings (whether actually legitimate or not) to tout the benefits of their products, further reducing transparency.
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Changing the Profit Maximization of Food
The bottom line is that profit should never be the only consideration in business, especially when it involves a foundational issue like our food supply. The unwanted and dangerous effects of ultra-processed foods, which now make up 60% or more of the average American's diet, is not only self-evident but repeatedly proven in scientific studies. The fallout from this particular maximization of profit not only fuels the astronomical costs of our healthcare system but also impacts the productivity, longevity, and quality of life of the average US citizen. These results are too high a price to pay for cheap food.
Changing how Americans eat is a tremendous task, and one that will not take place quickly or without a concentrated, ongoing effort to educate people about their food and persuade lawmakers to do the right thing through sensible regulation of the industry. A number of items need to be addressed, including the following:
Nutrition education for all, especially doctors
At this point in time, US educated physicians receive almost no training in nutrition. As the primary gatekeepers for our health, it is imperative that they understand the effects of the modern food system and what to recommend nutritionally to their patients, thus avoiding a host of future medical problems. In addition, all students should receive basic nutrition training throughout their school years. WIC and SNAP recipients, a particularly vulnerable population, could also be required to take nutrition training as a part of those programs.
No advertising to children
Like the prohibitions on advertising tobacco to children, there should be an absolute ban on advertising ultra-processed foods during children's programming, as well as any sponsorship from those brands for child or adolescent-related events.
Labels should be updated to reflect what we know about various additives
Having a nutrition label is helpful, but adding warnings regarding known problems with ingredients would inform consumers and help them make choices. It would also compel food companies to consider using healthier ingredients to avoid the label.
In addition, there are a number of ways that people can personally contribute to improving their own health. Try picking one or more of the following suggestions:
Gardening: If the traditional in-ground version doesn't work for you, try a few large pots outside your home.
Making a list of easy, healthy meals to make: Items as simple as baked chicken, steamed broccoli, and baked sweet potato make a nutritious, easy meal.
Shopping locally grown foods: Farmers' markets and local farms offer an abundance of seasonal choices.
Choosing one day a week to make and/or bake: picking a day to make one or more recipes that can feed you through the week will save time later.
Substituting one food at a time: Start with one ingredient, such as high-fructose corn syrup, that you will completely eliminate from your diet.
Thinking ahead: Making a shopping list (I keep one on a Google drive that I can access through my phone) will save time and money.
Learning to read labels: Taking the time to read labels and see what is actually in the food you are eating can be an eye-opening experience.
Finally, use the power of your vote and the power of your dollar! Support legislation that
promotes corporate transparency, push for change in your own community and state where you see the need, and purchase food that aligns with healthy eating. There are great companies out there that are doing the right thing. For a list of some of them, click this link.
What I have said in this short post barely scratches the surface of this critical issue. For a more in-depth dive, watch Food, Inc. or read Good Energy by Dr. Casey Means or Spent by Dr. Frank Lipman. There are many other resources that explain the current state of our food supply and what can be done to improve it.
Food, the source of energy and life, is too important to be left in the hands of those who see it merely as a profit source. As in the movie Nonnas, the stuff we put in our bodies should not just add calories, it should nourish us as well. I hope for a time in the near future when our culture will once again view truly healthful food as the precious gift that it is. Meanwhile, my hope will help drive our work toward that goal. Join us!
Not sure? Let's schedule a call and talk.
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