YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT! You have probably heard this before. How about , “what’s eating you”, or “what does your microbiome want to eat”? These raise the question, does our gut know how to breakdown the chemicals and additives in our food? Well, the answer becomes easy when you read the list of facts that define most of the foods consumed daily by most Americans.
- 12% plant-based foods, with 6% of this being from French fries, leaving a paltry 6% of daily caloric intake coming from plant-based foods (this number also includes things like fruit juice and ketchup).
- We’re consuming an average of 185 pounds of added sugar and sweeteners each year.
- We’re consuming an average of 3,400 milligrams of salt a day, more than double the recommended amount (triple the amount recommended by many experts), with the majority derived from processed food.
- It’s estimated that as much as 80% of all healthcare dollars are spent on treatment of conditions that are preventable.
- 70% of Americans are overweight or obese.
- Nearly one-half of the American population will be obese by 2030, according to a 2012 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
- Childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years: One out of three American children is overweight or obese.
- 37% of our children who are not considered overweight have one or more cardiovascular risk factors.
NEED ANY MORE REASONS TO EAT MORE PLANTS?
