Sixty Years Later, America’s Unhealthy Weight
Fad diets, food science, and 800 calories destroying our health
Why did it happen, when, and how did we become a nation where two-thirds of adults (one-third of children) are overweight or obese, and half the population suffers from at least one chronic health condition?
In short, calories. Americans now consume, on average, 3,600 calories every day, an increase of 800 calories when compared to 1960.
During that period, food science also accelerated to include highly processed foods, growing lists of ingredients/additives, increased portion sizes when dining out, high fructose corn syrup (1970s), and genetically modified foods (1990s). That said, the main villain, or villains, 800 of them to be exact, are all calories.
To understand weight gain or loss, we must view calories in terms of energy and storage. For our ancestors, storing excess energy as fat ensured survival in hunter/gatherer times.
While walking through plains, forests or other terrain, early sapiens were uncertain if and when their next meal would come, let alone three square with snacks. Our bodies evolved to easily store excess calories (units of energy) in the form of fat to be used for later days should food become scarce.
