In 1961 Americans consumed 2883 calories per person. By 2000 this had increased to 3817. Combine this with a decrease in physical activity and it’s a no-brainer; in the space of 40 years people got fatter. Not only that – they also got sicker.
What foods made up this 935 calorie increase and what effect might those foods have had on overall health?
Are we eating a lot more animal-based protein? Red meat? Or is it the increase of saturated fats that have made us sicker?
The answers to these questions present a stunning contrast to traditional dietary dogma.Here’s the base statistics.
| 1961 | 2000 | |
| Total Calories per Day | 2882.5 | 3816.71 |
| Calories from Protein | 13.2% | 12% |
| Calories from Fat | 34.4% | 36.7% |
| Calories from Carbohydrate | 48.7% | 47.3% |
| Calories from Alcohol | 3.7% | 4% |
Consumption of animal proteins went from 8.7% of daily calories to 7.6% – here are some details:
| Calories per Day from | 1961 | 2000 |
| Butter | 65 | 40 |
| Eggs | 67 | 55 |
| Red Meat | 140 | 123 |
| Poultry | 64 | 186 |
More poultry but less red meat, butter, and eggs. Pork consumption is about the same. So where did all the extra calories come from?
Added sugars, vegetable oils, and cereal grains.
| Calories per Day from | 1961 | 2000 |
| Added Sugars | 515.75 | 665.82 |
| Vegetable Oils | 267.5 | 634.93 |
| Cereal Grains | 627.32 | 869.05 |
We’ve been told to; eat less eggs, eat more margarine – avoid butter, eat less saturated fat, eat less red meat, eat more grains, use more vegetable oils.
The above statistics would indicate – that to some degree – this advice has been taken to heart.
Strange how more of us are obese than ever before and how diabetes and heart disease rates continue to climb.
Surely after 40 years we should be seeing some positive evidence?
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Many thanks to R. Wilshire for her indepth research into FAO food lists. You can see a more detailed analysis on her site at Weight of the Evidence.
@Dan Sorry, but if your brother’s wife from Latin America is petite and went from being slim to 100 pounds heavier, don’t blame it on America or fast food. There’s something gravely emotional or psychological haunting her.
Obviously, Liz didn’t mean it to be racist. I am Mexican and I do not appreciate the OP’s racist comment about Mexicans “making America fat.” First of all, it is baseless, factless and incompetently drawn from some likely flawed data. Mexicans have been in this country a lot longer. We had Texas and California well before Americans even thought about attaining those lands. Now, sure there has been a great influx of new Mexicans recently, but many have already been here well before 1963. So clearly, by the sheer clarity of history, Mexicans are not to blame. I am sorry you found Liz’s discerning realization of the OP’s incompetency offensive and “racist.”
the reason the unhealthy, processed foods are generally cheaper is because all that “junk” they put in it is actually junk, and thus extremely cheap to produce. Organic produce is much more expensive to farm than the GM stuff the large industrial operations crank out. Processed foods are extremely expensive for what you get though, they only seem cheaper / easier (for example boxed cereals compared to a bag of oatmeal, the cereal is not only far more expensive by weight but most likely also has virtually no nutritional value compared to the oatmeal)
Obviously this person is suffering from the harmful side effects of commercially processed food…
@Phil Please do not say WE are pigs. There are plenty of American’s like myself that eat very well-balanced diets and exercise frequently. The fact is that our country is full of people in poverty that can’t think they can’t afford to eat healthy foods, but instead of choosing alternatives they choose McDonalds. Maybe there should be free seminars that teach less fortunate people how to spend their money wisely so their children do not die of diabetes/obesity.
We all have excuses.
I have mine too. I manage my household, as many wives do. The cooking, the cleaning, the grocery shopping, the day to day administrative tasks. I also work full time.
So I get done with work and day care/school pick ups, and I have 30-40 minutes to get dinner on the table. After dinner it’s dishes, cleaning, homework help, baths, bedtimes… and when all that is done at about 8:30/9:00 – I’m supposed to be eager to go run for a few miles? Go to the gym? Jump on my bike and go for a ride in the dark?
We have a lot of issues in this country that contribute. Less meals cooked at home? Agreed. Too many additives/empty calories in processed foods? Agreed. Too many processed foods even available? Agreed. Cost issues? Agreed. Overbooked and overscheduled? Certainly. Agreed.
I wish we’d start with finding a way to make everyone able to move more as an organic part of their day. Walking paths, reasons to get up and move at work, etc. Exercise is a LOT harder when you need to squeeze all of it in during your “off time”.
I don’t really think so Paul. I live in Iowa where most of the people live in small towns or on the farm so you’d think that everybody would be getting a lot of exercise doing farm work or walking around town. This isn’t the case there is tons of fat and obese people. I’ve also went to both coasts and don’t see much change. America as whole just appears to a bunch of lard asses with some “normal” people squished between their massive rolls.
HERE’S THE PROBLEM!
Get off your computer…
Get off your butt…
Go for a walk!
My brother met his wife in Latin America. She is petite and was a healthy weight when they met, but after 10 years of living in the US, she has swollen up like a balloon. Fast food and big portions have caused her to gain at least 100 pounds. I feel sorry for her because she used to look nice.
all u is wrong and can eat a dick u homo lame ass niggas