I think “Western diet” is more than high sugar, high carb.
It’s probably safe to say it is high sugar, high carb, high fat, high protein, high preservatives, high in toxins, highly inflammatory, high in calories... yet low in micro nutritional value (vitamins and minerals). When you have all that, it explains why we focus on sugar and carbs, because when you combine all that with insulin spikes/high blood sugar levels it becomes deadly, and in that environment removing the sugar/carbs (insulin spikes) it is going to result in significant improvements in health and weight.
Those factors also explain high incidents of chronic diseases (heart disease, fatty liver, type 2 diabetes) and obesity.
Is this an indirect way of saying people are eating high calories? Because most people use these terms in a relative manner. i.e. high carbs compared to fat and protein, or high fat and protein with fewer carbs.
I did directly say high calories [caloric], but maybe that was redundant. But yeah, I think if you take an average meal off any restaurant menu, it’s not only going to be high calories in light of the daily recommended number of calories (and more importantly the number of calories required to maintain an individuals healthy weight based on sex/age/height/BMI), but the breakdown of the Marcos will be high in all categories.
So for counter example you could eat a calorie surplus (like body builders bulking phase or maybe an endurance athlete refueling and preparing for another event) but that doesn’t necessarily mean the macros are all high (above daily recommended or above the amount to maintain body weight).
Geeze - I look in a grocery store and see way more good food that that kind of crap. Is it just that the average American doesn't eat/cook what they find at the grocery?
Studies from American Journal of Clinical Nutrition show 61% of American grocery store purchases are highly processed foods and 77% are highly or moderately processed foods. FDA studies show 60% of Foods in grocery stores have sugar added.
Most people just don’t understand/know what is and isn’t crap as you call it. But I think understanding what foods lead to metabolic disorders and chronic diseases, people would look at American grocers as peddlers of poison (of course they have a small percentage of healthy foods too).
Guess: you probably shop more around the outside of the store where you'll typically find the unprepared foods and probably don't shop for groceries at Walmart, maybe not even Safeway. I know it's true for me but not most Americans.
It’s probably safe to say it is high sugar, high carb, high fat, high protein, high preservatives, high in toxins, highly inflammatory, high in calories... yet low in micro nutritional value (vitamins and minerals). When you have all that, it explains why we focus on sugar and carbs, because when you combine all that with insulin spikes/high blood sugar levels it becomes deadly, and in that environment removing the sugar/carbs (insulin spikes) it is going to result in significant improvements in health and weight.
Those factors also explain high incidents of chronic diseases (heart disease, fatty liver, type 2 diabetes) and obesity.