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How America's Diet has changed since 1970

ebethc

Senior Member
Messages
1,901
So are you saying We ate more grains, veg oils and cheese in the 70s?

GG
nope... more grains, etc. NOW... so, paleo is the opposite and I think that it's interesting that people w AI disease often times benefit from AIP ...
 
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FT_16.12.09_food_grains_fat.png

Chart from the article. Look at the average total calories a day, from 2,025 in 1970 to 2,481 in 2010. There's your obesity problem right there, people are eating too much of the wrong stuff, you'd have to be a high level athlete to be able to exercise that amount of additional calories away.
 

sarah darwins

Senior Member
Messages
2,508
Location
Cornwall, UK
Chart from the article. Look at the average total calories a day, from 2,025 in 1970 to 2,481 in 2010. There's your obesity problem right there, people are eating too much of the wrong stuff,

Sugars / sweeteners a little up, too. But that figure doesn't acknowledge the switch from the 70s onwards towards high fructose corn syrup in many processed foods, without doubt a massive driver of obesity and type II diabetes.

Interesting that red meat is about the same or slightly up. I would have guessed a decrease there. Perhaps the MacDonalds effect.
 

ebethc

Senior Member
Messages
1,901
@ebethc
the linked chart states:
people eat more grains and oils today (2010) than they did in 1970.

yes, sorry... that's what I said the first time; I edited the error in 2nd post... My entire point was that it's interesting that more grains, etc., are generally eaten now, and paleo is a movement away from that... paleo didn't exist in 1970 :)
 

Rvanson

Senior Member
Messages
312
Location
USA
2010 vs 1970 = More Grains, Vegetable Oils & Cheese! Interesting, since the Paleo is counter to these 3 groups and has helped so many ppl...

On the plus side: more chicken vs lower red meat; less sugar, potatoes, milk and margarine

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tan...w-americas-diet-has-changed-over-the-decades/

I too believe that the introduction of High Fructose Corn Syrup, instead of Sucrose, made from sugar beets or sugar cane, has been a real large issue between now and the 1970's.

Also GMO foods also seems to be a possible culprit in obesity and other diseases, not that I honestly believe that either of these changes in diet has anything to do with developing CFS/ME.
 
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Messages
1,478
I think the reason why The so called developed world is obese has nothing to do with food groups, more that we are eating too many calories for the energy we are expending.

The rise of obesity has far more to do with increased availability of food 24/7, cheaper food prices, higher level of processed foods etc. We are also doing less manual jobs since the 70's yet eat are evening meal with the same amount of calories in it as if we were, we drink more alcohol, sleep less and eat more snacks (most of which contain cheap refined sugar and flour).

To reduce obesity we would be better off reducing portion sizes and eating a more balanced diet (more veggies, moderate carbs and moderate high quality protein including dairy) with a good level of micronutrients and fibre from seeds nuts and grains. Exclusion diets are unlikely to sort out obesity and more likely to introduce nutritional deficiencies imho.