The American diet paradox: excess calories despite a deficiency of quality carbohydrates

Overweight among Americans is not just the result of overeating but a consequence of a deep imbalance in their diet structure. The paradox is that despite consuming大量 food, the body experiences severe micronutrient deficiency. People get calories but lose what is truly necessary for health. The lack of a proper eating culture, combined with the availability of cheap fast food, has created a perfect storm for mass weight gain and health deterioration.

The typical American diet is a problematic triad: excess sugar, excessive protein intake, and saturated fats instead of the necessary ones. At the same time, there is a critical shortage of those carbohydrates that provide long-lasting satiety and stable energy. Breakfast often consists of quickly digestible carbohydrates—sweet cereals or white bread. Lunch is usually ready-made food or delivery. Dinner becomes the most filling meal, when the body receives the maximum calories of the day. The result: people feel hungry again after a few hours despite an excess of consumed calories.

Working Carbohydrates and Deceptive Carbohydrates: Why the Body Is Always Hungry

Without carbohydrates, a person cannot function physically or mentally. The adult brain requires about 20% of the body’s total energy—around 300–400 calories per day, which corresponds to 100–120 grams of glucose. During mental exertion, this number increases. The issue is not in carbohydrates themselves but in their quality.

Complex carbohydrates are molecules that require time for the body to unpack. The digestive system performs a series of actions to break them down to the necessary state. That’s why they provide prolonged satiety—intervals between meals stretch over several hours. Such carbohydrates are found in buckwheat, oats, brown rice, whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta, legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas), and starchy vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Simple carbohydrates tell a different story. They cause an instant energy spike because the body doesn’t need to spend effort processing them. Sugar enters the bloodstream almost immediately, causing a surge in insulin. But this energy disappears just as quickly as it arrived. Sugar, white bread, cookies, sugary drinks, fast food, and syrups—none of these provide vitamins, fiber, or minerals. The body remains hungry. A classic American breakfast of eggs, bacon, and white bread is an illusion of satiety. It seems like a filling meal, but after an hour, the person is hungry again.

This creates a vicious cycle: consuming simple carbohydrates doesn’t provide the necessary satiety, the brain repeatedly demands food, and the person eats more. Calories accumulate, but vitamins and minerals do not. The body screams: “You deceived me; I lack what I need!”—and hunger is triggered again.

Protein Instead of Variety: When Abundance of Meat Becomes Dangerous

In the American diet, protein is so abundant that it has practically displaced other nutrients. Meat is cheap and accessible—stores sell kilogram steaks for less than seven dollars. Because of this availability, people have likely replaced a balanced diet with meat. Barbecue has become not just a pastime but a primary source of nutrition.

Protein is essential for building muscle tissue, regenerating skin, joints, and blood vessels. But here’s the problem: excess protein is not beneficial; it harms health. Unlike carbohydrates and fats, which the body readily stores, protein does not accumulate. If a person does not engage in strength training, excess protein simply exits the body. From a 200-gram steak, the body will take about 50–60 grams; the rest passes through.

It sounds harmless, but in reality, the kidneys suffer. Excess protein produces more nitrogen waste products that the kidneys must eliminate. If this mainly involves red meat, sausages, and processed meats, saturated fats and salt intake also increase. The result is elevated “bad” cholesterol levels and a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Add to this the lack of fiber. Meat contains none, and such a diet disrupts digestion. Constipation and discomfort in the intestines occur because the microbiota needs dietary fiber for proper functioning. For predisposed individuals, the risk of gout increases due to elevated uric acid levels—especially if there is a lot of red meat and offal.

Fats: The Truth About Trans Fats and Why the Body Breaks Without Them

Anti-fat propaganda has gone so far that the entire world despises fats. They are blamed for cellulite, flabby stomachs, and excess weight. In reality, fats are simply necessary for proper body functioning. Adequate fat intake affects hormonal health: in its deficiency, young women lose their periods, young men experience erectile issues, and emotional states change. People become irritable, depressed, anxious.

However, this does not apply to all fats but specific types. Healthy fats—monounsaturated and polyunsaturated (omega-3 and omega-6)—support heart, vessel, and brain health, as well as overall metabolism. Trans fats are entirely different. They are artificially altered fats. For example, liquid sunflower oil is hydrogenated at high temperatures in factories. The fat molecules change shape, becoming more linear and solid. This results in margarine or cooking fats used in fast food. Deep-frying with hydrogenated or overheated oil produces pure trans fats.

In the American diet, trans fats are everywhere. They are stored in fat reserves just like excess sugar. They form cholesterol plaques on blood vessels, creating serious health risks.

The Truth About Hidden Sugar in Fast Food

People think they are just eating “a burger with fries,” but in reality, they consume a huge amount of hidden sugar:

• Sauces: ketchup, barbecue sauce, mayonnaise with added sugar contain several teaspoons per serving.
• Buns: burger and hot dog buns are sweetened to improve taste. A regular white bun can contain 2–5 grams of sugar.
• Drinks: soda, fruit drinks, sweet tea are obvious sources. A glass of soda can contain 40–50 grams of sugar.
• Side dishes: French fries are sometimes processed with sugar or syrup. Even pastries and ice cream are classic sources of added sugar.
• Breading: chicken nuggets, breaded cutlets often contain sugar in the batter and marinades.

Result: the daily sugar intake is exceeded unnoticed. The body receives calories without nutritional value.

The Experiment That Destroyed the Calorie Myth

On YouTube, there is a film called “That Sugar Film,” which features a visual experiment. Two participants ate differently over four weeks:

• First ate fast food but kept within calorie limits—did not overeat.
• Second ate healthy, balanced food: vegetables, protein, complex carbs, healthy fats.

The results were astonishing:

• Despite the same calorie intake, a diet high in sugar and fast food led to weight gain—even with calorie counting.
• The first participant experienced insulin and blood sugar spikes, increased fat mass, especially around the abdomen.
• Energy levels dropped, well-being worsened.
• The second remained at a normal weight, with stable energy.

Main conclusion: healthy eating is not just about calories but about the nutritional value of food. A balanced diet maintains stable blood sugar, energy, and metabolism.

95% of Americans Are Vitamin Deficient Despite Abundance of Food

National data from NHANES reveal the scale of the catastrophe. Adult Americans suffer from critical vitamin and mineral deficiencies:

• 95% do not get enough vitamin D,
• 84% lack sufficient vitamin E,
• 46% are deficient in vitamin C,
• 45% in vitamin A,
• 15% in zinc (similar percentages in copper, iron, and B-vitamins).

Consequences include:

Weakened immunity. Without vitamin C, zinc, and selenium, the body’s defense against infections diminishes. Diseases are harder to recover from.

Appearance issues. Deficiencies in vitamins A, E, B-group, biotin, and iron cause dry skin, brittle nails, hair loss.

Energy depletion. Iron, B12, magnesium, or iodine deficiencies lead to weakness, fatigue, dizziness, and concentration problems.

Fragile bones and teeth. Lack of calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus makes bones vulnerable, teeth prone to cavities, and growth in children impaired.

Nervous system reactions. Deficiencies in B-vitamins and magnesium manifest as irritability, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and attention issues.

Blood problems. Iron, folate, and B12 deficiencies cause anemia, pallor, shortness of breath, and weakness.

Metabolism slows down. Iodine deficiency hampers thyroid function, leading to fatigue and weight gain.

Symptoms of deficiency develop gradually and are hard to notice early on. That’s why most Americans remain unaware that their bodies are starving.

The Bottom Line: How Carbohydrates Are Linked to Malnutrition Despite Overeating

The problem is not in carbohydrates themselves but in what kind of carbohydrates people eat. The American diet consists of protein, sugar, and trans fats, with a complete lack of fiber and essential micronutrients. The body receives calories but lacks the tools for proper processing. Simple carbs do not provide lasting satiety, so people eat more. Meat without fiber disrupts digestion. Trans fats accumulate as fat and damage blood vessels.

Fast does not mean good or high-quality. Complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and sufficient micronutrients are what the body needs. That’s why, despite abundance, Americans are simultaneously gaining weight and starving—eating a lot but getting little.