Americans still have a sweet tooth for sweeteners
On average, Americans consume nearly twice as much sugar and sweeteners as recommended, says a USDA economist in comparing food consumption data with the current edition of the Dietary Guidelines. “While the American diet has improved in some ways, many people still fall short of targets for some food groups and over-indulge in others,” says the analysis in USDA’s Amber Waves magazine.
The Dietary Guidelines say sugar and sweeteners, added during food processing or by consumers, should be limited to 10 percent of daily calories, or 12.5 teaspoons a day on a 2,000-calorie diet. Americans consume an average 22.9 teaspoons a day now, an increase from the 20.8 teaspoons a day in 1970, a decade before the Guidelines debuted. The government updates the Guidelines every five years.
Besides sugar and sweeteners, the average American eats more protein, grains, and fats and oils than the Guidelines recommend and fewer fruits and vegetables, although produce consumption is on the rise. Still, fruit consumption is less than half of the recommended two cups a day and vegetable consumption is two-thirds of the recommended 2.5 cups a day. Compared to 1970, four decades ago, Americans eat more fresh fruit and more fruit juice at present. Dark green vegetables, such as broccoli, and romaine and leaf lettuce, showed the greatest gains in vegetable consumption since 1970.
Meat accounts for the bulk of proteins consumed by Americans – 5.5 ounces of the daily average of 7.1 ounces. Americans consume far more poultry and 29 percent less red meat than in 1970. Per capita egg consumption is down slightly while people are eating twice as many tree nuts. On a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet, the Guidelines recommend no more than 5.5 ounces of protein foods. Grain consumption averages 6.7 ounces a day, compared to the recommendation of 6 ounces.
Cheese and yogurt, popular in current-day diets, nearly offset the plunge in milk consumption since 1970 so that dairy consumption held steady at half of the recommended level. “Studies have found that Americans consume milk less frequently than in the past, opting to replace a glass of milk at a meal with soft drinks, iced teas, or other nondairy beverages,” wrote USDA economist Jeanine Bentley. “Consumption of frozen dairy products also fell between 1970 and 2014.”
In the past month, two consumer groups sued the Trump administration because it decided to give restaurants, fast-food outlets and other food retailers an additional year, to May 2018, to post calorie counts for prepared foods and beverages. Activists also blasted the administration for delaying the roll-out of the updated Nutrition Facts label on packaged food. “The ability of the Trump administration to repeat its mistakes is breathtaking,” said the Center on Science in the Public Interest. “As with its delay of menu labeling the FDA will end up denying consumers critical information they need to make healthy food choices in a timely manner.”
More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese, putting them at risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer, says the CDC. Seventeen percent of children and teenagers are obese.