By Tyler Kacalek
Over the past decades in America obesity rates, heart failure rates, and other forms of unhealthiness have been rapidly growing without the country of America seeming to care about it. Despite being ranked #1 in obesity rates in the world, America still continues to produce ultra-processed foods with devastating ingredients that ultimately take a toll on the health of the people of America over time.
Over the years, Americans have been trained and tricked into buying certain foods through the use of advertisements, marketing, and commercials that can be specious when showcasing different products from major companies. Companies like Coca-Cola, Hostess, and others all create new products that are mass produced and contain harmful ingredients such as seed oils, artificial flavors and dyes, and preservatives.
Americans are however not educated enough on the effects of overconsumption of these ingredients, which is why obesity rates have been increasing rapidly in America, and health rates have been plummeting.
Recently however, because of many social media influencers, public speakers, and politicians, the people of America are finally realizing how much these ingredients and foods affect their health. And ultimately figuring out the reason for America’s health crisis.
This influence that these people are having on the health industry is sweeping the country by storm, with people making short form content on platforms like TikTok, Youtube, and Instagram addressing dangerous foods, and giving alternatives for them to help people get their health back on track.
This movement has become so large that even politicians are speaking out about it, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the leader of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement. This movement consists of banning certain ingredients to be included in American-manufactured products, which will overall help Americans stop consuming these dangerous additives.
Recently, a wave of influencers, young men and women, politicians, and parents have all flooded the pages of social media constantly posting and consuming health related content. Addressing the dangers of certain foods and ingredients such as seed oils and artificial dyes. These ingredients are being frowned upon based on the effects that they have on human beings, and how harmful they can be in the long term. Many different studies have been conducted that show a positive correlation between seed oil consumption and inflammation rates, as well as obesity.
While these foods are okay to be consumed in moderation, they can have toxic effects when consumed constantly, which is something that is becoming normalized in our country. According to Health Cleveland Clinic, “Seed oils have high levels of Omega-6 fats, which can lead to inflammation.” This is because over-consuming these oils throws your Omega-3/Omega-6 acid balance off, which leads to unstable health and eventually, obesity.
While it is unnecessary to completely ban these ingredients from the American diet, it definitely must be limited. For example, adding a form of seed oils or preservatives to a product that does not need them is an unnecessary use of resources and also will cause more health problems for the people that consume those products.
According to a fellow student at BHS, Brady Gibbons, “America is eating too much ultra processed food, which is why we see our obesity rates skyrocketing, so the only way to limit obesity rates is by either eating less or producing less toxic food.” America is currently facing a health crisis, and the new wave of health movements and influences are slowly fighting back against it.
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