Known as the Standard American Diet (though Wikipedia calls it the Western pattern diet), it is “generally characterized by high intakes of pre-packaged foods, refined grains, red and processed meat, high-sugar drinks, candy and sweets, fried foods, high-fat dairy products (such as butter), eggs, potato products, and corn products (including high-fructose corn syrup). Conversely, there are generally low intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, nuts, and seeds.”
It’s generally agreed-upon to be unhealthy, but how to move away from it is a much harder question. Capitalism, food deserts, willpower, etc etc all get talked about. But regardless of whether or not it’s a good thing, how SAD is your diet?
Photo taken from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Walmart_Wenatchee.jpg
It’s probably less SAD than my fellow Americans, but still pretty rough. I don’t drink sugary drinks and heavily limit the amount of fast food I consume. When I do go out to eat, I stick to local restaurants; I haven’t had any of the major chains in years. I can’t afford red meat anymore, so my main sources of protein are tinned fish or chicken breasts. Those chicken breasts are part of the problem though, I buy lots of breaded chicken cuts that I can just throw in an air fryer. It’s not Tyson, so a little bit better, but still probably not great for me. I also do lots of boxed pastas, usually with canned veggies added in, neither of which I think are that healthy really.
Part of my issue is that I just don’t enjoy cooking. Mom hated it too, and I think that rubbed off on me during childhood. I make food pretty purely for sustenance, and see it as a chore.