The Origins and Impact of the Standard American Diet

In a recent wide-ranging discussion on health and longevity, Drs. Jordan Peterson and Peter Attia explored the roots of our modern Western diet – what they called the “Standard American Diet,” or SAD. This highly processed, sugar-laden way of eating emerged in the 20th century as the solution to a business and marketing challenge - how to create food that was cheap, abundant, non-perishable, and tasty.

While the standard American diet succeeded in vanquishing hunger and nutritional deficiencies, we are now seeing the devastating health impacts of relying so heavily on processed carbohydrates and sugar for calories. As Dr. Attia explained, our current obesity and diabetes epidemic can be traced back to the excessive consumption of refined grains and added sugars.

The Origins of the Standard American Diet

Prior to the 20th century, diets were largely based around whole, minimally processed foods out of necessity. The introduction of modern industrial food processing changed all that. As Dr. Attia highlighted, the priority became producing calories en masse that met the criteria of being:

• Abundant and cheap
• Non-perishable
• Highly palatable and tasty

These factors led to the rise of refined grains, added sugars, vegetable oils, and heavily processed convenience foods as dietary staples. The grain lobby also played a role, influencing the development of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Pyramid which emphasized copious carbohydrate consumption.

While this shift solved issues like malnutrition and food insecurity, it sowed the seeds for today’s epidemics of obesity, metabolic disease, and declining health.

The Heavy Price We Pay

According to Dr. Attia, 95% of the population suffers negative effects from eating the standard American diet in the long-term. Refined grains break down quickly into sugar, spiking blood glucose and insulin. Sugary drinks and desserts also inundate the body with more sugar than it can handle.

Over time, this constant metabolic stress leads to insulin resistance, diabetes, fatty liver disease, and metabolic syndrome. The high insulin levels also promote inflammation, weight gain, and cell proliferation – potentially feeding cancer growth.

Essentially, we sacrifice our long-term health for the convenience, longevity, cost, and deliciousness of processed carbs and added sugar. But paying the price with our wellbeing and reversing these troubling health trends will require a renewed focus on whole, minimally processed foods.

Undoing the Damage of the Standard American Diet

The solution may come down to rethinking our relationship with carbohydrates and reducing added sugar intake. As Dr. Attia noted, dietary choices that avoid metabolic dysfunction – like low-glycemic diets – can help extricate us from the current health crisis created by the standard American diet.

Occasional indulgences aren’t the issue; the dose makes the poison. But our bodies simply aren’t adapted to draw the bulk of our calories from sugar and refined carbs long-term. Moderation and focusing on whole foods is key.

With knowledge of the origins and health impacts of the standard American diet, we can work to undo the damage through better nutrition and more conscious food choices. Small, consistent changes by many may add up to a food revolution.

Watch the interview here: