America has become a place where being overweight is more common than being at a healthy and normal weight. 69% of American's are overweight or obese, 20% of children are overweight (Fed Up). These statistics are unacceptable and need to be changed. American's need to put their health before their taste buds and become educated on what food their body needs. Diets are not sustainable and are more likely to cause weight gain in the long run (Aamodt). The paleo diet nor counting calories is the cure for America's obesity epidemic. America needs a lifestyle change that is sustainable. As a result of poor nutrition education that has been influenced by industry no one really knows what is healthy. Are carbohydrates good or bad? How much protein do humans need to consume per day? Is milk actually good for you? How much and what kind of exercise should you exercise to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight?  Through exploring how the human body processes food it becomes clear that the solution to America's obesity epidemic is to switch to a whole food plant based diet while incorporating moderate amounts of exercise into one's lifestyle. 

Obesity is not the result of one poor choice but a lifetime of poor choices. Everyday Americans make a choice of what they are going to put on their plate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Everyday Americans decide whether or not to workout. There are other factors that contribute to obesity such as developmental patterns, family history, and metabolic measures, but they are insignificant compared to the diet and exercise of an individual (Callaway). The World Health Organization considers a health problem that affects more than 15 percent of a population an epidemic (Lean).  Today 68.8 percent of American adults are considered to be overweight or obese, 35.7 percent are obese, and 6.3 percent are morbidly obese (Overweight and Obesity Statistics). Body Mass Index, BMI, is the most common way to estimate a person's weight classification (underweight, normal weight, overweight, obese, extremely obese). BMI is calculated by dividing a person's weight, in kilograms, by their height, in meters squared. If a person's BMI is 25-29.9 they are considered overweight, 30-39.9 they are considered obese, and 40+ they are considered morbidly obese (Daniels). Obesity is not just a problem of an expanded waistline it increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, osteoarthritis, certain cancers (breast, colon, endometrial), and stroke (Overweight and Obesity Statistics). The health risks exist because of the burden excess weight puts on the body's organs, joints, and immune system (Lean). The Standard American Diet does not work or else the majority of Americans wouldn't be overweight or obese. 

There are so many different diets claiming to be the best and most effective for weight loss. From the paleo diet to the Mediterranean diet to trying to eat for their blood type Americans have tried it so why are the majority of Americans overweight? Because these diets are not sustainable and limit caloric intake which can lead to a viscous cycle of calorie restricting and binging. Americans need to be reminded that the reason humans eat is to gain nutrients and to fuel their body. We must find a sustainable solution were we get all the nutrients our body needs to function properly by looking at the basic anatomy of the human body, one must explore what food is before being able to understand what food we should be eating.  

There are three basic qualities every food has, carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Most Americans hold the belief that protein is the most important quality in food when carbohydrates are actually the most important. Carbohydrates can be divided into three basic categories  --  sugar, cellulose, and starch. Sugar includes sucrose (granulated sugar), fructose (what makes fruit sweet), lactose (found in milk), and glucose (the sugar that comes together in chains to create cellulose and starch). Sugar is a quick source of energy because the human body efficiently breaks it down. Cellulose is mad up of chains of glucose that are linked together by indigestible bonds. Cellulose is found in the cell walls of plants and our digestive system does not have the correct enzymes to break down cellulose and use it as energy. Cellulose is found in fruits and vegetables. The human body can not use cellulose for energy cellulose is helpful to humans because of its amount of dietary fiber. Starch is the most beneficial carbohydrate to the human body. It is also made from long chains of glucose molecules but the human body is able to break it down. Starch is broken down into simple sugars that provide humans with sustained energy and keep them full and satisfied. Starchy plant foods are commonly known as complex carbohydrates. Examples of starchy plant foods are corn, oats, rice, beans, and potatoes (McDougall 6-7). 

Americans need to add plant based starches into their diets. Numerous doctors including Dr. Colin Campbell, Dr. Thomas Campbell II, Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, and others agree that a whole food plant based diet is the key to optimal and sustainable nutrition. At the Pritikin Center a study was done where 4,500 patients were put on a low-fat, whole food, mostly plant-based diet for three weeks found that after the three weeks they had lost 5.5% of their body weight.  Other low-fat, whole food, mostly plant based intervention studies have found that after twelve days the patients lost between two and five pounds, after three weeks the patients had lost about ten pounds, after twelve weeks the patients had lost about sixteen pounds, and after one year the patients had lost about twenty-four pounds (Campbell, 139). In all of these studies patients were allowed to eat as many whole foods that were low in fat that they wanted. The whole food, low-fat, plant based food groups were: grains (corn, oats, rice, wheat, etc.), legumes (beans, lentils, peas), starchy vegetables (carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squashes, etc.), green, yellow, and orange non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, green beans, kale, zucchini, etc.), and fruits (apples, bananas, grapes, peaches, watermelons, etc.) 

Humans are commonly viewed as omnivores (an animal that eats both plants and animals), but human anatomy does not agree. A carnivore has a short intestinal track that allows meat to pass through the animal relatively quickly, before it can decay. In contrast humans' have a much longer intestinal track that allows the body more time to break down food and absorbs its nutrients. The human intestine works well with plant based foods but not meats. The bacteria in meat have a long time to multiply during their time in the human digestive system, increasing the risk of food poisoning. While meat is in a human's intestine it begins to rot which increases the risk of colon cancer (The Natural Human Diet). Diets such as the paleo diet and the Akins diet put the body into a state of ketosis. Ketosis is when a person's body does not have enough carbohydrates from food for your cells to burn for energy so fat is burned instead. Ketosis does allow people to lose weight but it is not sustainable because when the body is in a state of ketosis for too long it becomes ketoacidosis. Ketoacidosis can lead to a coma or death (What Is Ketosis). Americans hold a belief that protein is essential and therefore needs to be consumed in high amounts. The reality is the complete opposite. The human body does need protein but not in high amounts. Harvard School of Public Health has found that "eating even small amounts of red meat, especially processed red meat, on a regular basis is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke, and the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease" (Protein). 

The Standard American Diet refers to a diet high in animal proteins and fats, high in cholesterol and saturated fats, high in processed foods, and low in fiber, complex carbohydrates, and vegetables. The poor eating choices of Americans have lead to the obesity epidemic. Americans need to find a way to change their lifestyle to make healthy eating sustainable. One guideline for how American's should eat is the USDA's MyPlate. Harvard School of Public Health also have created their own recommendations, Healthy Eating Plate, which they believe are healthier than the USDA's MyPlate. The USDA's MyPlate and Harvard's Healthy Eating Plate recommend the same servings for each food group  --  fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and oil  --  except for dairy. The USDA recommends 3 cups of dairy per day while Harvard's Healthy Eating Plate doesn't even have a dairy category instead they recommend water. Harvard recommends to avoid dairy because a "high intake can increase the risk of prostate and possibly ovarian cancer" they also mention that dairy products are high in saturated fat and retinol which correlates with weaker bones. Harvard recommends people eat dark leafy greens or taking a supplement that contains both calcium and vitamin D instead of consuming dairy. The other difference between the two is their definition of protein. The USDA recommends "meat, poultry, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, processed soy products, nuts, and seeds" while Harvard recommends "fish, poultry, beans, and nuts" they also advise American's to "limit red meat and cheese; avoid bacon, cold cuts, and other processed meats." Harvard's recommendations also include a running man in the corner and beside him it says "stay active" because staying active is also important in weight control (Healthy Eating Plate & Healthy Eating Pyramid; MyPlate). 

To have a healthy and properly functioning bodies Americans must also eliminate dairy from their diets. Dairy is seen by Americans as a key part of a healthy diet because of its calcium. But according to Harvard School of Public Health milk is not the best source of calcium. Harvard also stated that a high intake of dairy can increase the risk of prostate cancer and possibly ovarian cancer. They recommend Americans obtain their calcium through nondairy sources such as collards, bok choy, fortified soy milk, baked beans, and supplements (Calcium and Milk). Cow's milk by design, grows a 90 pound calf into a 2,000 pound cow over the course of two years so it is not ideal for Americans that need to lose weight (Freedman, Barnouin).  Along with milk not being the best source of calcium and causing weight gain it contains bioengineered hormones and antibiotics which we do not need to have in our diet (FullyRawKristina). The Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies (CNS) based in Cornell University has found consumption of dairy products is strongly  associated with childhood onset (type one) diabetes, constipation, ear infections, sinus congestion, dermatitis, eczema, acne, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, arthritis, leukemia, lymphoma, and obesity. CNS has also found that when dairy products are pasteurized the process kills most of the bacteria found in milk but by doing so it creates viral fragments that may be health compromising (Goldhamer). 

Exercise is another key factor that has lead to America's obesity epidemic and can also be a factor in its reversal. According to the American Journal of Nursing in 2010 40% of women and 35% of men don't engage in any physical activity (Lean). Americans have replaced physical activity with sedentary activities such as television and video games (Jordan). Dr. T. Colin Campbell recommends that Americans don't just try to exercise when they can but instead to build an exercise program into their lifestyle (Campbell 142). To combat obesity Americans, need to take part in any exercise for fifteen to forty-five minutes, per day, every day. The result from fifteen to forty-five minutes, per day will result into an eleven to eighteen-pound lighter body rate than otherwise (Campbell, 142). Exercise alone will not reverse obesity, diet and exercise must work together to decrease body weight and improve an individual's overall health. 

If Americans eliminate meat and dairy from their diet they will be able to lose their excess weight. By switching to a whole foods plant based diet that is centered around starches Americans will also be able to decrease their risk of certain diseases such as type two diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 

