The core issue in American health reform lies in the stark reality that the majority of chronic diseases plaguing Americans are largely due to lifestyle choices. It’s widely believed that a significant portion of heart attacks and strokes could be prevented through healthier lifestyle behaviors. Furthermore, lifestyle adjustments could positively influence numerous cancers also linked to lifestyle factors, notably obesity, smoking, and exposure to toxins.
However, over the past half-century, the health of Americans has declined. Current statistics reveal that 71% of Americans are overweight or obese, a rise from 66% just five years prior.1 This alarming figure translates to approximately 100 million individuals in America classified as obese. Disturbingly, contemporary diets heavily reliant on processed foods and Fastfood Foods are now considered potentially more lethal than cigarette smoking in terms of premature mortality.2
This 71% statistic is derived from classifying individuals with a Body Mass Index (BMI) exceeding 25 kg/m2 as overweight or obese. Interestingly, in regions known for longevity, the “Blue Zones” (Ikaria, Greece; Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California), and among centenarian populations globally, a healthy BMI is typically below 23 kg/m2, not 25 kg/m2. Applying a BMI threshold of 23 kg/m2 for overweight or obesity reveals that a staggering 88% of Americans fall into these categories. Even within the roughly 10% considered to be of normal weight, a substantial portion are grappling with health-compromising habits like smoking, alcoholism, drug dependency, or pre-existing conditions such as autoimmune diseases, hidden cancers, inflammatory disorders, digestive issues, irritable bowel syndrome, and other illnesses that contribute to lower body weight. Consequently, it’s plausible that only about 5% of the American population maintains a genuinely healthy weight as a direct result of healthy eating and lifestyle practices. A recent study highlighted this concern, indicating that a mere 2.7% of Americans adhere to a relatively healthy lifestyle that combines regular exercise with nutritious eating habits.3 The Standard American Diet (SAD) is unequivocally detrimental to health.
The term “Fast Food Genocide” is used here to emphasize the profound and widespread harm caused by dietary habits in our society. A significant portion of the population consumes a diet that is even worse than the already dangerous SAD. While many are aware that junk food, fastfood foods, processed foods, white flour, sugar, and sugary additives contribute to obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, dementia, and cancer, the strong causal link between unhealthy diets and mental illness often goes unrecognized. Currently, a concerning 1 in 5 Americans experiences a psychiatric disorder. Furthermore, the detrimental effects of processed foods are particularly pronounced in urban areas where access to fresh, whole foods is limited.
These underserved communities are often termed “food deserts,” characterized by reduced access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Due to limited supermarket availability, residents in these areas tend to consume more unhealthy fastfood foods and processed options, leading to a sevenfold increase in the risk of early-life stroke (before age 45). This results in individuals requiring nursing home care in their 30s, 40s, and 50s.4–7
The vulnerable populations residing in these food deserts also face double the risk of heart attack, double the risk of diabetes, and a fourfold increased risk of renal failure8–10. The reduction in lifespan due to food inequality is a shocking reality that is rarely discussed. A substantial proportion of individuals in these urban environments are overweight, prediabetic, or fully diabetic. Research has determined that compared to areas with easy supermarket access, the Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) for an overweight diabetic living in a food desert is an astonishing 45 years,12
A potential connection even exists between fastfood foods, processed foods, commercial baked goods, and sweets, and the destruction of brain cells and a decline in intelligence. Candy and sweetened baked goods can be addictive, stimulating the brain in ways that may contribute to more severe health issues.
Nutritional principles endorsed by the World Health Organization and most nutritional authorities emphasize vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and fruits as healthy food choices, while identifying salt, saturated fat, and excessive sugar as detrimental to health. Overconsumption of animal products may accelerate premature aging, elevate the risk of chronic diseases, and increase overall mortality. Numerous studies, tracking hundreds of thousands of individuals over decades, have consistently shown that higher animal product consumption is associated with an increased risk of death.13–17 Furthermore, refined carbohydrates may not only contribute to weight gain and diabetes but also to dementia, mental illness, and cancer.18–21 Mounting evidence suggests that heart disease is not solely driven by saturated fat and animal products but also by refined carbohydrates, including white rice, white bread, sugar, honey, maple syrup, and agave nectar.22–25
Research indicates that excessive calorie intake shortens lifespan, whereas moderate caloric restriction can slow down the aging process and protect both the body and brain. Americans consume more calories than any other population, often from foods with minimal to no nutritional value, such as soda and alcohol. Consider the impact of consuming just 50 extra calories daily. Over a decade, this seemingly small excess can lead to approximately 50 pounds of additional body weight. This excess weight significantly elevates the risk of numerous chronic illnesses and cancers, and ultimately reduces lifespan simply due to a minor daily overconsumption of calories.
Conversely, what if an individual consumed 50 calories less than their daily metabolic needs? Would this lead to unhealthy thinness or anorexia? Certainly not. Moderate caloric restriction, even by a small margin of 50 to 100 calories per day, can maintain a healthy weight, promote leanness without being underweight, and contribute to overall health. Body fat percentage would decrease, while skeletal and muscle mass remain strong. In this scenario, the metabolic rate would adjust accordingly. The respiratory quotient (calories lost through respiration) would decrease, body temperature would slightly lower, and thyroid function would subtly decrease, all contributing to a reduced metabolic rate, potentially slowing down the aging process. The secret to longevity and disease prevention might simply lie in moderate calorie reduction to slow down our metabolic rate. Caloric restriction, while ensuring adequate micronutrient intake, is the only scientifically proven method to dramatically increase lifespan across various animal species, including primates. The American diet is also deficient in antioxidants and phytochemicals crucial for normal immune function, optimal brain health, and protection against dementia, chronic illness, cancer, and premature aging.
A nutritarian diet is designed to achieve excellent micronutrient intake without excess calories. This dietary approach aims to prolong human lifespan, reduce cancer risk, and maintain optimal brain function throughout life. This principle is encapsulated in the equation: H = N/C, where healthy life expectancy (H) is proportional to micronutrient intake (N) per calorie (C) consumed over a lifetime. This equation emphasizes the importance of prioritizing nutrient-rich foods while minimizing or eliminating empty-calorie foods and drinks. It also encourages limiting calorically dense foods and avoiding eating out of recreation or when not genuinely hungry.
A nutritarian diet is abundant in phytochemicals and antioxidants. It is primarily plant-based, incorporating a diverse array of colorful vegetables, root vegetables, leafy greens, peas, beans, mushrooms, onions, nuts, seeds, and some intact whole grains. While the standard American diet and many traditional diets are grain-centric and lack sufficient exposure to the broad spectrum of antioxidants and phytochemicals (known for their anticancer properties), it’s important to recognize that not all plant-based diets offer equal cancer protection. For example, a rice-heavy, macrobiotic diet may limit phytochemical diversity, and brown rice produced in the US can be contaminated with arsenic, as extensively reported by Consumer Reports. Furthermore, white rice is a refined, high-glycemic food and therefore not a healthy starch choice.
In stark contrast, the SAD stands as almost the antithesis of a nutritarian diet. Over 55% of the SAD’s calories originate from processed foods, and approximately 33% from animal products. When examining fresh produce consumption (fruits and vegetables) in America, food consumption data suggests around 10%; however, this figure is misleading as it includes items like French fries and ketchup within the definition of “produce!” The actual consumption of truly nutrient-rich fresh produce is likely less than 5%. Processed foods, such as bread, pasta, salad oil, mayonnaise, doughnuts, cookies, rice cakes, breakfast bars, chips, soda, candy, and popcorn, offer minimal micronutrient benefits. A piece of chicken, nutritionally speaking, shares similarities with a bagel – both are rich sources of macronutrients (calories) but lack the necessary amounts of micronutrients, especially the antioxidants and phytochemicals predominantly found in plants.
High-glycemic white flour products with added sweeteners rapidly flood the bloodstream with glucose, devoid of fiber, nutrients, or phytochemicals. These baked goods are also high in acrylamides and advanced glycation end-products, further increasing glycoproteins in our tissues. The resulting glucose spike leads to abnormally high insulin levels, which can promote angiogenesis, fueling fat cell growth, cellular replication, and tumor development. The generous consumption of animal protein (including chicken, often mistakenly perceived as a healthier meat option) by most Americans promotes excessive insulin-like growth factor–1 (IGF-1), creating a synergistic combination of insulin and IGF-1. This may accelerate brain aging, hinder cellular detoxification and repair, and promote cancer.26 The SAD has engendered a nutritional crisis and a significant health emergency that cannot be resolved solely through governmental “health care reform.”
When we consider “fastfood foods,” we are not limited to just restaurant fare. Fastfood foods encompass chips, soda, cookies, candy, breakfast cereals, energy bars, French fries, burgers, pizza, white flour baked goods, and all other high-calorie, low-nutrient foods frequently consumed multiple times daily. These are primarily processed foods and, for many, the main source of caloric intake. These fastfood foods share common characteristics: easy and quick accessibility, no preparation needed, pre-packaged and ready to eat immediately. They are consumed rapidly and quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. These fastfood foods often contain numerous chemicals and synthetic ingredients. They are calorically dense, intensely flavored, and nutritionally deficient, typically containing excess corn syrup, sugar, artificial sweeteners, salt, coloring agents, and other potentially disease-promoting chemicals.
The rapid influx of calories into the bloodstream has dramatic biological consequences. Comparing 200 calories of white bread to 200 calories of beans illustrates this point. White bread is quickly metabolized into simple sugars (glucose), entering the bloodstream within 5 to 10 minutes, requiring a rapid and sustained insulin response that lasts for hours. In contrast, carbohydrates from beans digest much slower, releasing calories gradually into the bloodstream over hours. This slow release of glucose from beans minimizes the need for a large insulin response. As previously mentioned, the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) accelerates aging and chronic disease.27,28 AGE buildup is a major causative factor in diabetic complications like kidney failure, blindness, and leg amputations. Notably, these same glycated end-products and glycoproteins accumulate in the tissues of non-diabetics who consistently overconsume sugar and white flour products.
Furthermore, oils are also classified as processed foods. Upon consumption, oil rapidly enters the bloodstream, similar to high-glycemic carbohydrates. Therefore, anything cooked in oil should be considered a fastfood food. In contrast, beans, nuts, and seeds are whole foods whose calories are absorbed gradually over hours. Calories from oil are absorbed rapidly and are largely empty calories (lacking significant micronutrients and fiber), a combination that contributes to obesity, disease, and premature aging.
Consider a buffet dinner scenario. If guests are divided into two lines, with those on the right receiving a tablespoon of olive oil and those on the left an apple while waiting in line. Those who consume the 65-calorie apple will generally eat approximately 65 fewer calories from the buffet. However, those who consume the 120-calorie tablespoon of oil will typically not reduce their buffet intake by 120 calories. Oil lacks fiber and micronutrients and does not effectively suppress appetite. In fact, adding oil to food may even stimulate appetite. Consequently, individuals consuming oil not only fail to reduce their overall calorie intake but may even consume more than the 120 calories from the oil itself.29 Oil, when added to or mixed into food, promotes overeating behavior.
Nutrients and fiber are essential for regulating appetite and ensuring healthy calorie consumption. Extensive experience with thousands of patients has demonstrated that increasing the nutrient and fiber density of one’s diet reduces the drive to overeat.30 This is crucial because even moderate excess body fat accelerates aging and increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Moderate caloric restriction becomes comfortable and achievable with a diet rich in micronutrients and fiber. Adequate micronutrient and fiber intake eliminates the intense cravings and drive to overeat. Conversely, diets lacking in these essential components can turn individuals into food-craving, overeating machines.
Even more concerning are the effects of fried foods. Food fried in oil can produce carcinogenic and mutagenic aldehydes.31 Fastfood foods are often fried in oil that has been repeatedly heated and reused. A single serving of French fries or fried chicken from a fast food restaurant can contain 100 times the level of aldehydes deemed safe by the World Health Organization. Even the fumes from frying oil are toxic and increase cancer risk. Individuals working in restaurants that fry food or in movie theaters making popcorn face a heightened risk of lung and other cancers, even without consuming the fried foods themselves.32
The proliferation of fastfood food restaurants has dramatically increased the consumption of fried foods. Soybean oil consumption is now 1000 times higher than in the early 1900s.33 Humans historically never consumed 400 calories of oil daily, as is common in America, particularly in Southern states known for the highest stroke and heart attack rates globally.34 Conversely, using nuts and seeds as fat sources yields the opposite health effects.
The Physician’s Health Study, Nurses’ Health Study, Iowa Women’s Health Study, and Adventist Health Study, among others, involving large populations tracked over decades, consistently demonstrate the link between nut and seed consumption and increased lifespan. Clinical research studies with large cohorts and objective endpoints like mortality provide the most reliable evidence. These studies reveal that regular nut and seed consumption is associated with lower cancer rates, reduced cardiovascular death rates, lower sudden cardiac death incidence, fewer irregular heartbeats, and increased lifespan.
A 2015 meta-analysis encompassing over 44,000 deaths showed an almost 40% reduction in cardiovascular mortality among regular nut and seed consumers (one serving daily). The European PreviMed study, which randomized 7,216 participants to either nuts or olive oil as part of a Mediterranean diet, demonstrated a 39% decrease in all-cause mortality in the nut-eating group.35
When considering the health implications of animal protein, it’s crucial to compare it to plant-based protein sources, particularly for individuals with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, or cancer. When protein is derived from beans, nuts, seeds, and greens, the body gradually assimilates a complete array of amino acids to produce functional proteins and hormones, maintaining lower IGF-1 production. Adequate plant protein intake keeps IGF-1 levels within the moderate range of 100 to 175, considered optimal. The average American’s IGF-1 level is around 225, a level linked to cancer promotion. A diverse plant-based diet provides a full spectrum of amino acids that enter the bloodstream slowly. Additionally, digestion of gut bacteria and cells sloughed off from the villi endothelium aids in utilizing partially incomplete plant proteins, making them complete. Conversely, consuming large portions of meat, eggs, or cheese results in a faster influx of amino acids into the bloodstream. Being biologically complete, these animal proteins stimulate excessive IGF-1 production, again increasing cancer risk.36–43
The average American consumes 10 to 20 ounces of animal products daily, while the safe consumption level is likely less than 10 ounces per week. An estimated upper limit of 10% of calories from animal products might be safe for individuals with favorable genetics, but even this may be excessive for non-elderly adults. Perhaps under 5% of calories from animal products would be more ideal for lifespan and disease reversal. Optimizing health necessitates a diet rich in diverse colorful plants with phytochemicals and antioxidants, proven to increase lifespan and prevent cancer.
The animal products served in fastfood food restaurants are significantly detrimental to public health, generating dangerous carcinogens from grilling, barbecuing, and frying at high temperatures. The World Health Organization classifies processed meats (hot dogs, sausage, bacon, and lunch meats) as a class 1 carcinogen. AGEs are also most concentrated in barbecued and fried animal products, which also contain cancer-causing chemicals like heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and mutagenic lipid peroxidases.
The digestive cycle comprises two phases: the anabolic phase during eating and digestion, and the catabolic phase after digestion ceases. During the anabolic phase, calories are converted into stored glycogen, increasing fat storage and waste accumulation. Growth and fat storage hormones are activated in this phase.
Once digestion is complete, the body enters the catabolic phase, utilizing stored glycogen and fat for energy. This phase facilitates detoxification and cellular repair. The liver and kidneys work synergistically to eliminate aldehydes, AGEs, and other toxic metabolites. Repair and healing processes are enhanced during the catabolic phase when food is not being consumed.
Many Americans have accumulated such high levels of toxins in their bodies that they experience discomfort during the catabolic phase. Symptoms like fatigue, headache, stomach cramps, anxiety, or other unpleasant sensations arise when digestion stops and the body begins mobilizing waste and repairing damage. These symptoms are often misinterpreted as hunger or low blood sugar, leading to further eating for relief, despite no biological need for calories. This perpetuates a cycle of weight gain and ill-health. Every addiction has a “high” during the caloric rush and a “low” during withdrawal and repair from the disease-causing diet and metabolic waste accumulation. The American diet induces withdrawal symptoms and discomfort, promoting overeating and frequent eating. Lower food quality intensifies discomfort during non-eating periods, making healthy weight maintenance challenging.
In contrast, healthy individuals consuming nutritious food experience no discomfort during the catabolic phase, with no desire to eat again until glycogen stores are nearly depleted. True hunger is a mild sensation felt in the throat and base of the neck, heightening taste sensitivity and making eating more pleasurable. True hunger signals when to eat, making it harder to become overweight when heeding these bodily cues. Overweight status often results from eating outside of true hunger cues, either recreationally or to alleviate withdrawal symptoms from improper eating, leading to calorie overconsumption.
Enhanced detoxification and waste reduction occur most effectively during the catabolic phase. Extending the catabolic phase can contribute to longevity. Finishing dinner earlier and maintaining a 13-hour window between dinner and breakfast can promote longer life. A study of women with breast cancer followed for 10 years found that those with a 13-hour nighttime window before breakfast had a 26% reduced risk of death or breast cancer recurrence.44,45 This extended nighttime window was also linked to improved glycemic control and lower HbA1c levels. This benefit was achieved without dietary changes, calorie reduction, or food quality improvements, simply by shifting dinner time earlier.
The goal for optimal health is to eat as infrequently as possible. Contrary to common belief, frequent small meals can increase endothelial dysfunction, raising the risk of arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, many fad diets encourage incorrect food choices and eating patterns, such as frequent high-protein meals to mask detoxification symptoms. Continuous digestive activity accelerates aging.
Processed and fastfood foods are also high in salt. Manufacturers add salt not only to the surface but also within batters and meat products. High fructose corn syrup is also prevalent in most processed foods. The combination of added fat, sugar, and salt creates highly palatable and addictive foods. Both sugar and salt intake elevate stroke risk, especially with daily consumption over years. Furthermore, artificially sweetened soda consumption is also linked to increased stroke risk.46 High salt intake not only raises blood pressure but also causes microvascular hemorrhaging, damaging brain blood vessel walls and increasing hemorrhagic stroke propensity.47,48
Over the past 30 years, diabetes rates have surged in Japan, Korea, and China, often occurring at lower body weights than typically seen in America. This is likely due to the cumulative effects of increased fastfood food consumption, oil and sugar intake, coupled with existing high white rice consumption (a refined, high-glycemic food) in their diets.
Change is possible with focused effort and attention. With access to good information, emotional support, increased healthy food availability, and food preparation education, people are often enthusiastic and willing to embrace change. The tragic consequences of fastfood foods are evident in widespread obesity, diabetes, amputations, strokes, and blindness. However, without accurate information, people lack informed choices. Limited access to affordable healthy food and lack of cooking skills further hinder change.
The goal for healthcare professionals is to transform urban centers into zones of nutritional excellence. The American dream of prosperity and happiness should include equal opportunity for health. This critical information must be disseminated and acted upon by community leaders, educators, celebrities, health professionals, athletes, and politicians. Increased public awareness of the vital importance of healthy eating and collective action will significantly impact American health transformation. Working together, we can save millions of lives.
Acknowledgments
This work was presented at Lifestyle Medicine 2017, October 22-25; Tucson, AZ.
Footnotes
Authors’ Note: The opinions presented in this article are those of the author and may not represent those of the Guest Editor, Editor, or the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding: The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Ethical Approval: Not applicable, because this article does not contain anystudies with human or animal subjects.
Informed Consent: Not applicable, because this article does not contain anystudies with human or animal subjects.
Trial Registration: Not applicable, because this article does not contain anyclinical trials.
