What is a main cause of malnutrition in Americans today?

Overeating processed foods is a significant cause of malnutrition in Americans today. Processed foods often contain high levels of sugar, unhealthy fats, and sodium while being low in essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber. This dietary pattern can lead to a caloric surplus, where individuals consume more calories than necessary, but these calories do not provide the necessary nutrition to support overall health. Additionally, reliance on processed foods can displace whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, resulting in nutrient deficiencies.

While eating too little of a variety of foods can contribute to malnutrition, the more common issue in many American diets is an excess of processed foods that lack balance. Consuming too many fruits and vegetables is, in fact, beneficial and unlikely to be a direct cause of malnutrition. Not drinking enough water can also affect health but is not typically classified as a primary cause of malnutrition in the context of dietary choices. Thus, overeating processed foods is recognized as a main contributor to the issue of malnutrition in the U.S. population.