The typical American diet is full of bad stuff, so people try extreme diets to fix it.

Chronic consumption of ultra-processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and added sugars contributes to systemic metabolic dysfunction and drives population-level dietary extremism as a reactive response.

Eating too much sugar over a long time can mess up how your body uses insulin, which then causes high blood pressure, bad cholesterol levels, and raises your chance of heart disease.

Eating a lot of packaged junk food can quickly raise your blood sugar, cause long-term body swelling, and mess up your gut bacteria. This weakens your body's ability to fight off sickness and makes you more likely to get cancer.

The standard American diet is characterized by high intake of ultra-processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and added sugars, leading to increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome and chronic inflammation.

Eating a lot of meat and sugary refined foods like white bread and pastries is linked to more body inflammation, higher fat levels in your blood, and a 14 to 17% greater chance of developing heart disease—even if you’re counting carbs, fats, or proteins.