In the last couple of weeks I’ve done more than my share of hanging around airports and food courts. Although I know the country is on an obesity kick, it’s still hard to believe how much food some of those fast food places manage to pile on a plate and how many people manage to lick their plates clean. So it was no surprise to read the average American eats about two pounds more a week than he did in 1970.
According to the USDA, which tracks consumption patterns, the nation’s dinner plates are not only overloaded, they’ve taken on a new look. The numbers have been sorted into food categories and except for cheese, which is being devoured, Americans are eating less dairy and more of everything else. People aren’t the milk drinkers they once were. They’ve cut down on whole milk but instead of substituting low-fat milk, they’re guzzling soft drinks and bottled water.
Vegetable consumption is on the increase, but it’s still not enough to satisfy nutrition experts. Frozen and fresh veggies, especially spinach and tomatoes, are favorites, and canned vegetables are lagging. As for fruit, people are not munching on oranges and pears. Fruit consumption is up by about half a pound a week per person, but almost half is juice, and when shoppers stroll the produce aisles, their favorite picks are grapes, bananas and apples.
The big draws in the meat department are chicken and turkey. Red meat, especially beef, is down but people seem to have gotten the message to eat more fish. Although Americans are not big fish eaters, fish and shellfish sales are picking up nicely.
Fats have taken the biggest leap. Since 1970, fats and oils have increased an astounding 59 percent, about half a pound a person. People are using less butter and margarine, but they’re more than making up for it with cream cheese and sour cream. Since 1970, cream cheese (it’s fat not cheese) consumption has gone up 350 percent and sour cream is not far behind. The Centers for Disease Control keep they’re own set of numbers and as you can imagine, they tell the same story another way. In 1980, 15 percent of Americans age 20 to 74 were obese and by 2007, that number had more than doubled.
We’re kidding ourselves if we think fast food places are going to cut down on serving size. Maybe it’s time to bite the bullet and take another look at the boring advice health experts have been touting for years — variety and moderation. For Americans who have a hard time cutting down on serving size, it can take some getting used to, but it works.
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