How America Became So Fat

Imagine a country where everything is big: the cars, the fast-food meals, and even the grocery store aisles are filled with jumbo-sized snacks and sodas.
Yes, we're talking about America, a land where the path to healthy living is buried under a mountain of fast food wrappers and jumbo-sized soda cups.
So, how did we get here? How did America turn into a place where choosing a salad over a burger is seen as almost revolutionary?
First up, history. When the Industrial Revolution rolled around, it moved people from farms into cities, and fresh, home-grown meals turned into canned food and quick bites. Then came inventions like the microwave and TV dinners, which traded nutrition for convenience.
Flash forward to now, and fast food is the king of meals. It's quick, it's easy, and let's face it, it tastes good. But it's also packed with sugar, salt, and bad fats. The problem is, a burger and fries cost less than a healthy, organic meal, making fast food the go-to option for many.
Today, fast food isn't just a convenience; it's a way of life, offering a smorgasbord of sugary, salty, and fatty delights that our ancestors wouldn't even recognize as food.
It's not just about what we're eating but how we're living. Our car-centric culture has us zipping from one drive-thru to the next, with the only exercise being our foot moving from the gas to the brake pedal. The average American's idea of a workout often involves running...out of chips during a Netflix marathon.

Portion sizes are another big issue. What used to be large is now medium. when did a single meal start needing its own zip code? Today's "medium" was yesterday's "are you sure you can eat all that?" We've normalized gargantuan portions to the point where a family of four could comfortably dine on what's served to one person – and still have leftovers.
Let's not forget the seductive powers of marketing. Food ads have convinced us that happiness comes wrapped in foil or stuffed inside a sugary bun. It's as if the food pyramid was redesigned by a committee of clowns, with the base made up of pizza and the top adorned with a cherry (because, you know, fruit). These ads make unhealthy foods seem essential, fun, and delicious. This not only influences what kids want to eat but can set them on a path to poor health from a young age.
Many people don't learn about healthy eating in school, leaving them unprepared to make good food choices. "Whole grain" sounds healthy, but so does "whole bag of cookies," apparently. This lack of nutritional knowledge has given rise to diet trends that come and go faster than our resolve to stick to them. Today, it's keto; tomorrow, who knows? Maybe we'll just eat foods that start with the letter "P" and call it a day.