The average American consumes too few fruits, vegetables, whole grains and high fiber foods and too many refined foods and food items high in fats and added sugars. According to the USDA, added sugars and solid fats contribute about 35 percent of the daily caloric intake of the average American.
The USDA's Economic Research Service estimates that the average, daily caloric intake in 2000 was just below 2,700 calories per person. The daily allotment, however, is much lower. For moderately active women, the average daily caloric allotment is anywhere from 1,800 to 2,200 depending on age and level of activeness. For men, the corresponding numbers range between 2,200 and 2,800.
These numbers are up by almost 25 percent, or 530 calories, when comparing the daily caloric intake averages of 1970 and 2000. Of the 24.5 percent increase, added fats and oils contributed 9.0 percentage points, while fruits and vegetables together contributed only 1.5 percentage points. These numbers suggest that not only are Americans eating more and more, but they're simultaneously eating less and less healthy.
An important factor contributing to the high-calorie and high-fat diets Americans are eagerly gobbling up is fast food. About a quarter of Americans eat fast food every single day, according to "Fast Food Nation" author Eric Schlosser. In addition to the Americans who willingly consume fast food year round, many Americans affected by the economic recession have also increased their fast food consumption.
Many of the fast food items that Americans consume -- from burgers piled high with multiple patties and slathered with mayonnaise-based sauces to stuffed burritos dripping with sour cream and topped with different varieties of cheese--come loaded with an entire day's caloric allotment.
Findthebest.com compares fast food nutrition from the top 29 fast food restaurants in the U.S. The restaurants include all the national chains that provided primary sourced nutritional information. Here are the 10 fattiest options:
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Tobacco and alcohol are sold to people until they cannot walk and then they drive home and kill people. How are you going to tell fast food restaurants they can't make a 1700 calorie sandwich?
However, that sort of situation doesn't explain the rampant obesity in families that are middle or high income. Instead, I think this is part of a larger social phenomena in which Americans are unwilling to change their habits. The expectation is that science or some outside phenomena will make changing their habits unnecessary.
It's a weird blend of optimism and a lack of personal accountability.
It is actually cheaper to buy fresh vegetables and other products and cook your own food, than it is to eat fast food. If you do it right home cooking is more nutritious, ie. it takes longer for you to feel hungry again, and it is healthier than fast food. So not only does your buck go further, you also go longer LOL
What they also forgot to mention in the article is the amount of salt contained in fast foods. A major factor in high blood pressure and associated heart conditions.
I have a friend who claims to be a vegan, but she eats 3000 calories of veggie stuff a day, and she's beginning to look like a blimp... I read that when Elvis wanted to loose weight he would nothing but jello during the day. But, he ate 5000 calories of jello everyday. And, we know how thin that made him...