Implications

Disease and rising health care costs are in America's future if the way we eat does not change. I have no doubt that the rate of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes will rise at an alarming rate if some action is not taken to inform Americans about the perils of the Standard American Diet. Some would say that Americans are already well informed but continue to eat unhealthily out of choice. This is simply not the case. Government tools like the Food Pyramid and My Pyramid have had a profound impact on the way Americans eat. Unfortunately they are currently working to make America unhealthy. If measures are taken to create a scientifically based nutritional plan for Americans it would do wonders for the general health of the country. High blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and cholesterol levels could be obliterated depending on our country's reception of the plan. Obesity in America places a nearly $117 dollar estimated burden on the public. Any modest reduction in obesity would help lessen this insane amount. Nutritionists have begun seeing increased rates of type 2 diabetes in children lately. Type 2 diabetes is also known as "adult-onset" diabetes and the main way to get it is through terrible nutrition; children should not be getting it. In the future this will be a horrible drain on the economy and the health care system. Also, the children will grow up and require life long treatment. If the lives of a handful of children were saved from this fate then my plan would be worth it.

America is fat and the blame cannot be placed solely on its overeating citizens. If the government does not increase funding for nutritional research, overhaul the Deparment of Agriculture's food pyramid, and fix school lunches, nutrition related conditions will continue to increase and continue to be a drain on the overall health of the nation and the health care system.