Everyday Systems: nosdiet: message 864 of 3212

Note: This is an archived message from our old discussion software. Join the current discussion here.

    
Given statistics like these (see article below), I'm
amazed that people insist more mysterious factors are
to blame. Note that just about every problem substance
mentioned is an "S."

From:

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=5316807&section=news

Wed 2 June, 2004 03:49

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Junk foods such as sugary sodas
and chips make up nearly one-third of calories in the
U.S. diet, researchers said on Tuesday.

A study of 4,700 adults showed that, despite the
increased popularity of low-carbohydrate diets, soft
drinks and pastries pile on more calories in the daily
diet than anything else.

"What is really alarming is the major contribution of
'empty calories' in the American diet," said Gladys
Block, a professor of epidemiology and public health
nutrition at the University of California, Berkeley,
who led the study.

Writing in the June issue of the Journal of Food
Chemistry and Analysis, Bock and colleagues said that
sweets and desserts, soft drinks and alcoholic
beverages account for nearly 25 percent of all
calories consumed by Americans.

Salty snacks and fruit-flavored drinks add another
five percent.

"We know people are eating a lot of junk food, but to
have almost one-third of Americans' calories coming
from those categories is a shocker. It's no wonder
there's an obesity epidemic in this country," Bock
said in a statement.

Bock used data from a U.S. government survey called
the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
She analyzed the answers of 4,760 adults interviewed
in 1999 and 2000.

They were asked to report all the foods they ate in
the previous 24 hours.

Sodas contributed 7.1 percent of the total calories
eaten. Sweets topped the list, followed by hamburgers,
pizza and potato chips.

"It's important to emphasize that sweets, desserts,
snacks and alcohol are contributing calories without
providing vitamins and minerals," said Block.

"In contrast, such healthy foods as vegetables and
fruit make up only 10 percent of the caloric intake in
the U.S. diet. A large proportion of Americans are
undernourished in terms of vitamins and minerals,"
Block added.

"You can actually be obese and still be undernourished
with regard to important nutrients. We shouldn't be
telling people to eat less -- we should be telling
people to eat differently.