Sticking to a healthy diet is not something that is easy for everyone. Sure, there are plenty of people out there who genuinely enjoy eating kale salads and quinoa, and who don’t mind skipping ice cream every single night, but there are also a lot of people who find it really hard to enjoy healthy food. On top of that, many people feel that healthier food (like all-natural and organic options) are more expensive and less accessible than less healthy options (like grabbing fast food for dinner or picking up a frozen meal after a busy day). The point is, there are plenty of reasons people have unhealthy diets — and unfortunately, many people have them.
Everyone knows that these unhealthy diets are, well, not good for you at all. We all know that an unhealthy diet can lead to a variety of health issues, can make us feel generally bad, and can lead to things like unwanted weight gain. But for a lot of people, the cons just don’t seem bad enough to change their entire lifestyle up. However, there’s a new study that has found some disturbing news about unhealthy diets, and it just might make everyone reconsider their choices.
According to this new study, unhealthy diets can actually cause more death than cigarettes. That’s a scary thought!
The research — which was part of the Global Burden of Disease Study done by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle, — found that, basically, unhealthy diets are responsible for more deaths every year than smoking. When you think about all of the negative side effects that come with cigarettes, that’s certainly an alarming thought.
According to the CDC, smoking causes over 48,000 deaths every year in the United States. Worldwide, it causes more than 7 million deaths every year.
This research found, however, that unhealthy diets lead to over 11 million deaths per year. So yes, that’s a pretty big difference.
One in Five Deaths Worldwide Linked to Unhealthy #Diet #KnowYourRisk #CardiovascularHealth https://t.co/qKQoogZRzY pic.twitter.com/UpEOuLXrYX
— Cleveland HeartLab (@CLEHeartLab) April 18, 2019
So, is it French fries, bags of chips, and ice cream that are contributing to this rising number of deaths? Not so much. Although a huge sugar and salt intake isn’t helping you get any healthier, this research discovered that the culprit here is really the nutritious food people aren’t eating. It’s essentially what an unhealthy diet is lacking that is causing so many problems.
The research found that simply changing your diet to include more nutritious foods could prevent one in five deaths around the world.
Researchers discovered that while diets were different in each country, there was a pattern. Diets that didn’t include enough fruits and vegetables, but did include too much sodium, accounted for half of all deaths and two-thirds of the years of disability attributable to diet.
One of the main risks was eating way too much salt, along with high levels of red and processed meat, and sugary drinks. Which sounds about right.
The other main risks included eating too few whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds, vegetables, and omega-3 fatty acids from seafood.
Not having enough milk or fiber was also a big issue.
These deaths were mainly caused by heart attacks and strokes. Types of cancers and type 2 diabetes were also the main causes of diet-related deaths.
The response to something like that is obviously to think, “Well, how can we get people to eat healthier?” The answer is not what you would expect.
Through this study, researchers found that trying to convince people to cut down on things like sugar, salt, and fat is not as helpful as simply trying to promote healthier options. Basically, instead of saying, “Don’t eat that,” they should be saying, “Try adding this to your diet.”
That makes sense when you think about it.
For one thing, it’s a more positive way to look at a dietary change, and for another, it works even if you don’t realize it. Lead author Dr. Ashkan Afshin of the IHME explained, “Generally in real life people do substitution. When they increase the consumption of something, they decrease the consumption of other things.”
If this news has, justifiably, freaked you out a little, you might be wondering how to change up your own diet. There are plenty of healthier options out there.
The research found that countries that follow a mainly Mediterranean diet, especially Lebanon, Israel, and Iran, were among the better performers. The Mediterranean diet was also named the most popular diet this year, namely because of all of its health benefits.
Following the Mediterranean diet means putting a heavy emphasis on fruit, vegetables, nuts and legumes, bread, eggs, seafood, and olive oil. The diet, which is really more of a lifestyle, doesn’t include a lot of red meat, and avoids things like added sugars, processed meat, refined grains, refined oils, and processed foods in the general.
While this is definitely a healthier alternative, it’s not the miracle answer. Afshin said, “Even in countries that have a Mediterranean diet, the current intake of many other dietary factors is not optimal.”
When it comes down to it, what you really need to do is focus on introducing the right foods into your diet and minimizing the wrong ones. Try to avoid a high intake of sodium, and try to add more whole grains, fruit, nuts, seeds, and vegetables into your everyday diet.
You don’t have to cut out all of the junk food you like, but be sure to add in lots of the good stuff, too. An unhealthy diet just isn’t worth the risk.
