Most food readily available to Americans is processed and high in fat.
Moreover, these types of foods such as potato chips, french fries, canned
foods, and many others are also high in salt and calories. The amount of salt
in processed foods can build up in the kidneys and bring about an increase in
blood pressure. Compared to their natural counterparts, the calories in
processed foods are not filling, causing people to eat more. However, low fat
processed food alternatives are sometimes less healthy because sweeteners
or preservatives are usually added. Moreover, these types of foods lack the
nutrients people need every day. Michael Pollan, a Knight Professor of
Journalism at UC Berkley, in his book In Defense of Food, writes, " 'Taste
great, less filling' could be the motto for most processed foods [...] they
contain much less water, fiber, and micronutrients, and generally much
more sugar and fat, making them at the same time, to coin a marketing
slogan, 'More fattening, less nutritious!'" (150). Type 2 diabetes and a
number of other chronic diseases have become prevalent in the United
Stated due to large amounts of sugar consumption. In the article "Obesity,"
the authors state that studies show the total amount of fat in a person's diet
could have a larger effect on weight than the amount of calories it has
(Carson-DeWitt et al par. 8). Furthermore, processed foods cause heart
attacks which claim many unsuspecting victims. Pollan proposes that
Americans appear to be progressing in the way of a "prudent diet" and
nevertheless, paradoxically, having increasing numbers of heart attacks, not