Food. One of the key things that keeps our bodies stable; however, it can also do the exact opposite. Countries have their own traditions when it comes to food: Italy is known for its pasta and you can find yourself a good taco in Mexico, but in America, what is our staple food?

A burger and fries sounds good, but diving deeper, what does it do to the human body? Unhealthy eating habits have contributed up to 678,000 fatalities yearly in the U.S. America is experiencing detrimental changes to the production of food that is sold to citizens day in and day out. An average diet for an American is filled with pro-inflammatory foods, in other words, they are filled with artificial chemicals. Even goods that seem to be healthy can cause damage to your body, such as brain damage that can cause both physical and mental health issues. 

Believe it or not, many elements being put into foods are primary reasons for sickness and disease. A study performed by the Royal Society known as a “SAD diet,” consists of American citizens volunteering to ingest amounts of sweet treats and high-fat foods for a week. They were shown to perform poorly on their memory tests, while also craving more junk food. Researchers noted that foods that are high-glycemic can cause harm to a part of the human brain known as the hippocampus; which stores most human memories and the ability to remember. Eating junk food will affect hippocampal function which leads to uncontrollable cravings; causing the obesity rate to increase, leaving 40% of Americans in the obese category. 

Fast food does not only target your brain, it also causes physical changes to your body like weight gain and obesity. Food that is low in fiber will take away necessary probiotics from food that are healthy and that the body needs. Artificial sweeteners and food coloring can have detrimental effects on the liver and other organs in the human body. Highly processed foods lead to many nutrients lost that are essential to good health. All of these effects are just the outer cap of the damage that the American diet can cause to the human body. Diving deeper, obesity can ultimately lead to cancer which is the cause of over 10 million deaths yearly.

Putting in perspective the damage that just a slice of pizza can have on mental and physical health, Americans do not realize the impact that the Western diet can have on their bodies. Food is supposed to fuel the body, not kill it.