Prevention - Diet And Weight

Americans are blessed with the world's most abundant food supply. And how we take advantage of it! The graphic shows the percentage of those aged two and older who consumed more than their daily recommended energy allowance — their REA. This new acronym just means the number of calories that we need in order to live. We also exceed what we should consume in the way of ordinary and saturated fat. Data are from 1987 to 1985 and are based on USDA surveys. In these surveys, people report on their household food consumption. People tend to be a little shy. Caloric intake is thus subject to underre- porting, and actual caloric intake is actually higher.

The USDA's recommended caloric intake varies by age, sex, and activity level. The chart shows that average per-person caloric intake rose steadily from 1,807 calories per day in 1987-88 to 2,043 in 1995. The percentage of the population that consumed more than the recommended number of calories rose from 22% to 31%, a 41% increase.

We are told that fat intake should not exceed 30% and saturated fat should account for fewer than 10% of total calories. Indeed, we have reduced the fat in our diets. Average per-person fat intake dropped from 37% to 33.6% and average saturated fat intake dropped from 13.8% to 11.5% of total calories. This is still over the recommended intake. The USDA attributes the increase in caloric and fat intake to away-from-home eating.

There is, however, some contrarian opinion as well. A cover story in the July 7, 2002, New York Times Magazine examines the question "What If It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?" Author Gary Taubes reports on how researchers are beginning to suggest that maybe Dr. Atkins (proponent of a controversial, high-fat, low carbohydrate diet) was right after all. The same story refers to an alternative Food Pyramid proposed by Dr. Walter C. Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. For more on this view, see www.hsph.harvard.edu/now/aug24/.

Nearly one-third of us take in more than our recommended daily dose of calories. At the same time, we expend fewer calories than our parents did. The inevitable result? More of us are overweight or obese — and the lower our income, the more likely this is to be so. Excess weight may be the prelude to Type II diabetes and heart disease. For a discussion, see Chapter 1, Women's Health: Weighty Matters.

Prevalence of Being Overweight: 1976-80 Versus 1994

According to the USDA, more than one-third of adults and nearly one- quarter of adolescents were overweight in the early 1990s, compared to one- quarter and one-seventh in the late 1970s (see left). The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion reports that by 2000, the prevalence of obesity among adults was 19.8%, reflecting a 61% increase since 1991. The culprits? We're told: too much fat, too much sweetener, refined flour, not enough exercise.

Eating for Disease Prevention Versus What We Really Eat

Time's Top 10 "Foods	What We're Eating
That Pack a Wallop"
Tomatoes	Oranges, apples, bananas
Spinach	Iceberg lettuce
Red wine	Cola drinks
Nuts	Potato chips
Broccoli	Fresh and frozen potatoes
Oats	Cookies
Salmon	Beef
Garlic	Salt
Green tea	Carbonated drinks
Blueberries	Melons

So what are we supposed to be eating? Fruits and vegetables are repeatedly mentioned by experts. And if we want to get really serious about our diet and maximize its disease- prevention capabilities, Time magazine showed how in a January 2002 report on foods that contain phytochemicals; they may help prevent serious diseases. Phytochemicals are found in abundance in certain foods, foods that Time labeled the top 10 "Foods That Pack a Wallop." They are shown on the table next to USDA data showing what we actually spend our food dollars on.

Thanks to the media, we have a pretty good idea of what we should be eating. We've also heard we should be exercising. We will look next at Americans' exercise habits.

Sources : Lin, Biing-Hwan, Joanne Guthrie, and Elizabeth Frazão, "Nutrient Contribution of Food Away From Home." ERS. NFCS 1977-78, NFCS 1987-88, CSFII 1989-91, and CSFII 1994-95; 1-day intake data; Online. Available: www.ers.usda.gov/publications. July 3, 2002; Lino, Mark et al.," The Diet Quality of Americans: Strong Link With Nutrition Knowledge." Family Economics and Nutrition Review (1999), p. 49; Horowitz, Janice M. "10 Foods That Pack a Wallop." Time, 21 January 2002. USDA. "Food expenditures by selected demographics, 1997-98: Average annual per person expenditures of urban households." Online. Available: www.ers.usda.gov/. June 10, 2002.