Posted By Dr. Mercola | April 14 2012 | (log on for the rest of the story.)
Americans spend less on food than any country in the world
In 2010, Americans spent just over 9 percent of their disposable income on food (5.5 percent at home and 3.9 percent eating out); this is less than half or more of most any other country on the planet
The “faster, bigger, cheaper” approach to food production that the United States has mastered is unsustainable and is contributing to the destruction of our planet and your health
Easy access to cheap, poor-quality food is contributing to the rising rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other chronic disease
Nearly all cheap processed foods in the United States contain genetically modified (GM) ingredients and come from confined animal feeding operations, which contribute to environmental destruction, animal cruelty and the spread of antibiotic-resistant super-germs
To protect your health and the environment, strive to make 90 percent of your diet non-processed, whole organic foods; it may cost more to eat this way initially, but the amount it will save you in the long run is immeasurable
This is a dramatically lower percentage spent just decades ago in the early 1960s, when over 17 percent was spent on food, and even more of a “bargain” compared to 1930, when Americans spent over 24 percent of their disposable income to feed their families.
When you compare what Americans spend to what people in other countries spend, you’ll also notice some great disparities.
On the surface, having cheaper food may seem like an advantage, but in reality while Americans may be saving a few dollars on their meals, they’re paying big time in terms of their health, and the health of the planet.
No Place on the Planet Has Cheaper Food Than the United States
Dr. Wilson replies: Posted On Apr 14, 2012
I totally agree with this article. We have indeed paid a steep price for our cheap food made possible by government subsidies and inattention by the general public.
The great majority of my patients are suffering from food related illnesses—obesity, type II diabetes, hypertension, heart disease—the list goes on and on.
For years we were told that although our cheap food was often “empty calories”, we could do just fine as long as we didn’t eat too much. Now we know the truth. Excessive fructose mainly from sugar and high fructose corn syrup is the driving force behind insulin resistance and central (beer belly) obesity.
When you throw high glycemic carbohydrates into the mix you end up slowly cooking your brain from exposure to toxic magnified glucose spikes. There is emerging evidence that this food-induced brain dysfunction is driving the increased incidence of a long list of common brain disorders. We now call this disease process Carbohydrate Associated Reversible Brain syndrome or CARB syndrome.
When you have CARB syndrome your brain becomes confused because of unstable glucose levels and thinks there is a famine coming. It pushes you into a famine-protective metabolic mode where you store extra fat at virtually any caloric intake.
It’s starting to sound like our cheap food isn’t so inexpensive after all.