unhealthy diet cost

An Unhealthy Diet Cost

The Hidden Unhealthy Diet Cost

Everyone knows that a poor diet can make you fat. Obesity is a leading contributor to heart disease and other chronic illnesses. So the unhealthy diet cost increases when we add in medical care. But how much more does the unhealthy diet cost?

A research article titled Cardiometabolic disease costs associated with suboptimal diet in the United States: A cost analysis based on a microsimulation model puts the annual cost at $301 per person to care for Cardiometabolic disease that results from a poor diet. The overall impact on the sick care system? $50.4 billion per year. This, of course, does not include other economic costs like lost productivity. More importantly, the research does not address the pain, suffer, and loss experienced that Cardiometabolic disease inflicts on patients and loved ones.

Unhealthy Diet Cost and Your Wellbeing 

A core principle for health and wellbeing at HealthCare Too is that everything is integrated. Our diet impacts not just certain parts of the Body (like the heart) but the whole Body as well as Mind and Spirit. The $301 cost is just the beginning.

Still it is good information that we can use to correct the unhealthy diet cost. Just like the costs go beyond the $301 Cardiometabolic disease so too do the benefits of good nutrition. The researchers highlighted several areas for diet improvement:

  1. Low consumption of nuts/seeds.
  2. Low consumption of seafood omega-3 fats.
  3. High consumption of red meat.
  4. High consumption of polyunsaturated fats.

Addressing these areas will have the greatest impact / cost reduction for Cardiometabolic disease. These can also all promote Sustainability (e.g., beef production), more exercise (e.g., less “run down” from poor diet), and greater social / spiritual interactions as we feel better.

The unfortunate side that everything is integrated makes this more complex than telling people to eat well.

The Unhealthy Diet Cost & Social Determinants Of Health

It is interesting to know the unhealthy diet cost. It is far more enlightening to see that cost when measured against different social considerations. The impact of these Social Determinants of Health has been gaining attention and this research helps highlight the need for whole person approaches. We can no longer afford a “sick care” system that forces providers to treat only symptoms and puts consumer back into the same lifestyles that spawned the diseases.

Individual costs are highest for men ($380), those aged ≥65 years ($408), blacks ($320), the less educated ($392), and those with Medicare ($481) or dual-eligible ($536) insurance coverage.

Sick care is broken. It will be a long and difficult journey to transform our sick care system into a real healthcare system as well as address the Social Determinants of Health. But you do not have to wait. Your health and wellbeing belong to you. No one else can or will fix that. Do not wait until the unhealthy diet cost catches you. Avoid the avoidable illnesses and bask in your own wellbeing!

ADDITIONAL ARTICLES

Search or Browse HealthCare Too‘s articles!

  • All
  • Acupuncture
  • Aging
  • Animal Health
  • Aromatherapy
  • Ayurveda
  • Cancer
  • Chronic Disease
  • Diabetes
  • Environment
  • Essential Oils
  • Financial Health
  • Fitness
  • Gut Health
  • Health Consumer
  • Heart Health
  • Herbalism
  • Holistic Programs
  • Homeopathy
  • Lifestyle
  • Light Therapy
  • Loneliness
  • Massage
  • Mental Health
  • Mindfulness
  • Music Therapy
  • Nutrition
  • Obesity
  • Pain Management
  • Pets
  • Skincare
  • Sleep
  • Social
  • Spirituality
  • Stress
  • Tai Chi
  • Technology
  • Telehealth
  • Traditional Chinese Medicine
  • Uncategorized
  • Wellness and Wellbeing
  • Women's Health
  • Yoga
Whole food offers nutrition your body knows how to process.

Can Whole Foods Win on Flavor and Health?

Advocating for whole foods' health benefits, this narrative challenges Big Food by emphasizing flavor alchemy with natural ingredients. By using fresh, seasonal produce and herbs, ...
Read More →
AI and Kids for nutrition

Smart Eating Adventures: How to Outsmart Sneaky Snacks with Artificial Intelligence!

Today we explore smart eating amidst misleading processed foods by Big Food companies. Artificial Intelligence, our superhero, aids us by differentiating healthy snacks from sneaky ...
Read More →
AI facilitated senior nutrition

Wise Eating in Our Golden Years: Navigating the Maze of Processed Foods with Artificial Intelligence

As we age, our bodies require better nutrition, which is often compromised by "Big Food" and its processed products. Artificial intelligence offers seniors tools to ...
Read More →
HealthCare Too AI v Big Food

“Byte” the Hand That Feeds You: AI’s Match with Big Food

Greetings, health warriors! Today, we’re diving into the belly of the beast—where artificial intelligence (AI) meets processed food. It’s like watching a sci-fi movie, but ...
Read More →
HealthCare Too for holistic nutrition

Lobby Food

Introduction The world has experienced a nutrition transition from mostly plant-based whole foods to industrialized processed foods. The nutrition transition started in Western countries and ...
Read More →