Life and death in the richest country

Experts are expressing shock over a newly-released study showing that Americans, even those in the upper class, are less healthy than citizens of Britain. This, even though Britains spend less money on health care. What in the world could it be?

I would have to study the survey, but I have my own hypothesis. I believe Americans are sick because of what we eat. We call it food. Often it is something else altogether.

Walk into the neighborhood grocery store, pick up any item and read the label. Look for levels of sugar, fat and sodium. Check out the ingredients. Artificial preservatives. Food coloring. Chemicals with names too long to pronounce.

Real food can be found at health food stores. Generally at two or three times the cost. It never ceases to amaze me that food with chemicals and preservative is less expensive than real food.

What about produce? Have you tried to buy a watermelon with seeds. That is the way God made them. But now all supermarket watermelons are seedless. How? Through genetic engineering. Do you actually want to eat "Frankenfood"? When the U.S. tried to send genetically-engineered food products to African nations, they were rebuffed. It is better to be malnourished than to ingest fake food. Which is, actually, a different manner of malnutrition.

And meat. Animals are injected with growth hormones and fed with the remains of other slaughtered animals. Sounds yummy.

Americans are said to be obese, but we are far from healthy. Soft drinks. Fried foods. Chips of all flavors. Where are the nutrients?

If I could go back in time, I would have stopped eating fake food when I was young and healthy. Now I am sick because of the chemicals and preservatives I have ingested. I have learned my lesson, and I pray it is not too late.

Americans are not healthy. Heart disease. Diabetes. Cancer. All are on the rise.

We don't need specially-flavored high-powered athletic potions. When you're thirsty, drink water. We don't need chemically-enhanced sodium-ladened fodder. When you're hungry, eat organic.

Health in this country will continue to decline until we demand clean water and real food.