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Thread: Where do Americans get their calories?

  1. #1
    The Queen Zuul's avatar
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    Default Where do Americans get their calories?

    I saw this link from another blog I read today and found it very interesting.

    The United State Department of Agriculture’s loss-adjusted food availability data is one window into where those extra calories come from. While the data does not quite show what is on the average American’s plate, it does provide a pretty good picture of what the population has been consuming since the 1970s. Data on the availability of different foods per capita is adjusted for losses like spoilage and waste. Take for example the produce that goes bad at grocery stores or the leftovers tossed into the compost. By calculating such food losses, the USDA data closely approximates the amount of food that actually makes its way from the farm into the average American stomach.




    It looks like a massive change in the amount of food that's being eaten, but it's probably not. Since fat is nine calories per gram while protein and carbohydrates are 4 calories per gram, that's an increase of about 94 grams (dry weight) or a little less than half a cup. It adds up, though. The difference between 1970 and 2008 is 505 calories, which is over a pound of fat each week.

  2. #2
    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    Sep 2009
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    Wow. Well, at least I didn't gain a pound every week between 1970 and 2008....

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