By Alison Malawey
Voices Editor
Why are Americans so unhealthy?
There are people who will push the opinion that it’s because of income inequality or that we do not have universal healthcare.
While both of these are factors, I’d like to propose a different reason.
Have you ever gone to a different country and had something that you have had plenty of times back home, like a brand of soda or a specific candy, but it tastes completely different from what you are used to?
The reason is that American foods are filled with different chemicals that the people of many European countries simply refuse to allow to be put in their food.
Why are American foods filled with so many different things they don’t need?
One of the reasons is because things like corn syrup are cheaper than the healthier alternative, real sugar.
Food companies find substitutes to lower the cost of production.
You would think that would lower the cost of the product, but in actuality the money they don’t spend on quality ingredients just goes back into their pockets.
Another reason food companies add unnecessary things to our food is to fill it out.
Think of it this way. If you have soup, and you add water to it, you have more soup to go around, but when does it stop being soup?
A few years ago, there was a rumor going around that parmesan cheese had wood shavings in it. That’s mostly false.
What companies have actually been adding to your “100 percent parmesan cheese” is cellulose, which wood shavings just happen to be made up of, but lots of things are made up of cellulose.
The claim was that the cellulose was added to the cheese to keep it from sticking together, but just how much cellulose these companies are adding, no one would say.
Companies add unnecessary things to our food because it expands their product and gives them more to sell.
Food is the foundation of our lives. You cannot go without it. When you eat, you are giving your body resources to build itself.
Without quality material for construction, our bodies break down faster.
The sad part about all of this, is that the US has very lax regulation for what goes into our food.
Food corporations spend a lot of money to make sure things stay that way.
However, this can change.
Take notice of the ingredients of your food.
Educate yourself on what is right for your body.
Reach out to your politicians and demand they fight for your right to have quality food.