The Average American – Food Intake Over a Year
Study results show that the average American eats just under 2,000 pounds of food every year, and as a result, is overfed and undernourished. VisualEconomics developed an Infographic which shows the food choices typical in the American diet.
Though these numbers are shocking, I believe that had this study examined ONLY the eating habits of African Americans, the numbers in the fat, sodium, sugar, and meat categories would be even more disturbing, and the amount of fruits and vegetables ingested even lower.
Dairy
Dairy comes up as the most consumed food on the list. Americans average more than 800 pounds of milk, cheese, and other non-cheese dairy products.
Vegetables
Vegetables come second on the list at more than 400 pounds per year. But don’t let that number make you feel that American’s are eating enough vegetables. When you combine all the meat, fats, oils, sugar and flour, vegetables are vastly outnumbered. Also, 56 pounds of that is corn, which is actually not a vegetable – it’s a grain.
Fruits
Americans eat 273.2 pounds of fruit every year. Anyone else surprised that we eat more vegetables than fruit?
Coffee, Cocoa & Nuts
The study results conclude that Americans eat/drink 24 pounds of this stuff. Seems a bit low to me.
Fats and Oils
85.5 lbs of fats and oils are consumed every year by the average American.
Red Meat
The average American eats 110 pounds of red meat, 62 pounds of beef and 46 pounds of pork. Personally, I think for African Americans that figure is low.
Poultry
Americans eat 73.6 pounds of poultry — 60 pounds of that number is chicken.
Fish and Shellfish
Americans on average eat 16 pounds of fish and shellfish annually. Again, for African Americans that number seems very low.
Eggs
About 33 pounds of eggs are consumed each year by the average American.
Flour and Cereal Products
The average American eats 192.3 pounds of flour and cereal products — about 134 pounds of that is wheat flour.
Caloric Sweeteners
The average American eats 141.6 pounds of caloric sweeteners. Unfortunately, 42 pounds of that is corn syrup.
Those Numbers Include:
- 29 pounds of French Fries
- 23 pounds of pizza
- 24 pounds of ice cream
- 53 gallons of soda — about a GALLON A WEEK!
- 24 pounds of artificial sweeteners
- 2.736 lbs of sodium, 47% more than what’s recommended for optimum health
- 0.2 pounds of Caffeine (90,700 mg)– there’s about 50 mg in a can of Coke
- 2,700 calories per day
Considering these statistics, where do you stand? What changes can you make to improve these numbers in your life?
Category: Veganism and African Americans
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