MORE THAN A SUGAR ISSUE: THE MANY FACETS OF U.S. OBESITY

Posted May 21, 2013 on Food Product Design

NEW YORK—While Americans tend to focus on sugar when placing blame for the U.S. obesityepidemic, a recent article from NYTimes.com reports on several other aspects of this weight management issue.

More than one-third of U.S. adults and almost 1 in 5 children fall under the category of "obese," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The problem started almost 50 years ago, when the amount of daily calories consumed increased and number of meals cooked at home decreased.

The 1970 food supply provided 2,086 calories per person each day, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). By 2010, this amount rose to 2,534 calories. More than half of the added calories come from fats and oils, another large portion from flour and cereal, and only a small amount (35 calories per day) comes from sugar.

From 2005 to 2008, 20% of calories consumed came from fast-food and full-service restaurants, according to USDA. The average adult now eats out almost five times each week. Portion sizes in restaurants grew tremendously, and while some people share entrees or take a portion home, most Americans will eat what appears in front of them.

Michael Pollan, an author and journalism professor at the University of California, Berkeley, offers simple advice for ending the obesity epidemic in his book "In Defense of Food." Pollan said, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." In Pollan's newest book, "Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation," he added, “And cook it yourself."

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