Compelling Facts
Evidence that our dietary guidelines and “disease” care system are failing us.
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It’s estimated that as much as 80% of all healthcare dollars are spent on treatment of conditions that are preventable.
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70% of Americans are overweight or obese.
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Nearly one-half of the American population will be obese by 2030, according to a 2012 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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Childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years: One out of three American children is overweight or obese.
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37% of our children who are not considered overweight have one or more cardiovascular risk factors.
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According to Medicare: Health care expenditures in the United States were nearly $2.6 trillion in 2010, an average of $8,402 per person.
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70 million Americans have hypertension, with elevated risk for stroke and heart attack.
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The War on Cancer, waged by President Nixon, began over 40 years ago, yet, if trends continue, it will surpass heart disease as the #1 killer.
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100M Americans have diabetes or pre-diabetes, with increased risk of amputation, heart disease, blindness, and limb loss.
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Rates of type 2 diabetes increased by 22% among U.S. adults from 1999 to 2008.
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Current trends suggest that one in three children born after 2000 will receive a type 2 diabetes diagnosis (Hispanic children it is 1 in 2).
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Many experts project type 2 diabetes as the future global epidemic, with diagnosis projections as high as one in three individuals from industrialized nations that have adopted the Standard American Diet.
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The share of the economy devoted to health care has increased from 7.2% in 1970 to 17.9% in 2009 and 2010, now at 18% of GDP.
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The U.S. spends substantially more on health care than other developed countries. As of 2009, health spending in the U.S. was about 90% higher than in many other industrialized countries, yet it ranks near the bottom in health outcomes.
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90% of the U.S. senior population consumes prescription drugs; with costs doubling in the last 30 years; prescription drugs are the #4 cause of death with 45-50 million adverse events annually.
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We’re experiencing prolonged morbidity, with life expectancy now surpassing 78 years, but with more degenerative disease; this is an alarming combination for U.S. healthcare costs.
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The toxic Standard American Diet:
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63% refined and processed foods: empty calories with no health benefit.
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25% animal based products: meat, dairy and eggs; disease building blocks laden with fat and dietary cholesterol.
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12% plant-based foods, with 6% of this being from French fries, leaving a paltry 6% of daily caloric intake coming from plant-based foods (this number also includes things like fruit juice and ketchup).
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We’re consuming an average of 185 pounds of added sugar and sweeteners each year.
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We’re consuming an average of 3,400 milligrams of salt a day, more than double the recommended amount (triple the amount recommended by many experts), with the majority derived from processed food.
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The trends and our current system are unsustainable. The time to take action is now!
Register today for the upcoming International Plant-Based Nutrition Healthcare Conference.
Transform your medical practice: Educate and empower your patients with the truth about nutrition. Educate and empower them with the ability to prevent, suspend and even reverse disease. Take a leadership role in creating a sustainable healthcare system—for the benefit of our generation and those to come.