Ever heard the idiom “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”? It’s arguably one of the most recognizable expressions around and although it rhymes, rolls easy off the tongue, and is catchy, there is a lot of meaning behind the simple phrase. At one point or another throughout life, I’m sure we have all heard a parent, teacher, or relative regurgitate the phrase to us, potentially using it as a teaching aid to advocate for healthy eating.  Although at the time you might have not realized it, but It is actually portrays an important message and if followed can be used to benefit your current and long term health.

As of July 1, 2017 the United States ranks as the “most obese country with country with 109,342,839 classified obese citizens,”  but why does the United States maintain that ranking?

“I believe it has to do with the consumer culture in America,” stated Art teacher Dawn Adams. Americans like to consume and this directly correlates to food.

Step one: Not consuming mass quantities. In America the trend is to consume. In circumstances of eating, typically large meals are ordered and are most of the time not completed. Fixing this could increase an individual’s health and lower their waste output helping them save money on food and potential doctors appointments.  

“Sugar is not necessary to live. There are countries that don’t have the same amount of dental and cardiac problems as the U.S.,” stated Adams “That can be attributed to the fact those countries are not consuming the same quantities of sugar.”

Step two: Lowering sugar consumption. Although the task is tedious reading nutrition labels and calculating the amount of sugar and carbohydrates can be beneficial. The average recommended dose for sugar consumption is “no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar per day for women and 9 teaspoons (38 grams) for men.” Additionally these can be obtained through healthy foods like fruits.

Americans eat differently than the rest of the world by consuming more larger quantities of processed foods than other countries. Good ways to decrease levels of processed food is by avoiding packaged food and instead eating salads which are fairly inexpensive and easy to make.

Step three: Consuming less processed food. In regulation consuming processed food is not extremely detrimental to your health, but overtime it can take a toll.

“In America I’ve seen that Americans tend to consume large quantities of food. In Turkey people eat with the mindset of quality over quantity,” stated foreign exchange student Ata Celik.

Due to the economic wealth of the United States, citizens generally have the luxury and opportunity to eat out more. This leads to a consumption of more fats, grease, rich sauces, and  salts.

“Americans are not afraid to eat. It almost feels like they appear to be in love with burgers,” stated Celik.

“I only eat meat on certain days. I haven’t eliminated it completely, but a little bit is a step in the right direction,” stated Evan Van Pelt.

Van Pelt described his diet choice as “A personal choice. Nobody’s forcing me to eat a certain way I’ve just decided what works best for me.”  

Athlete Reece Wood stated “I try and eat meals that contain large amounts of protein. I’m pretty active so it work out well.”

Eating healthy comes down to personal belief, whether it’s eating large protein dense meals, low amounts of carbohydrate, low calorie, or completely eliminating meat from your diet one can form healthy eating habits that fit their lifestyle.