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Three common problem with the American diet:
1) Partially Hydrogenated Oil/Fat - it's cheaper than butter and increases shelf life of food but the human body doesn't break it down as well as the real thing. You've got to read the fine print to find it but it's all over the place.
2) High Fructose Corn Syrup - mentioned earlier in thread.
3) Grain Fed Beef - also commonplace in America. Cows are designed to eat grass (2 stomachs). In order for them to consume grain (cheaper, less land needed) they must be fed antibiotics as well. Without the meds, the grain diet will kill the cows. The grain-fed beef is missing Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) which normally helps our bodies burn the saturated fat as fuel. Ever try to find grass-fed beef in America? It's not so easy to find and usually priced at a premium. It's interesting when you cook the grass-fed beef because the fat flows out at a lower temperature!
Of course we don't exercise enough either but I think it all starts with the diet. And as individuals, we all pay for the above shortcuts through higher health insurance premiums. In order to improve the situation, the American consumer has to be more savvy, spend more money on better quality food and spend more time in preparing it. How many are willing / able to do so?
Markus
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