The Deficit in Our Diets 1

The Deficit in Our Diets: How the American Diet Has Changed Since 1953
Melody Mitchell
Nutrition 1322 TTH
D. Balthrop

Table of Contents
Abstract...Page
3

The Deficit in Our Diets 2

Introduction: How the American Diet Has Changed Since 1953...Page

3
Sugar Intake....Page
4
Portion Control....Page
5
Effects on American Population...Page
7
Conclusion..Page
7
Resources.........Page
8

The Deficit in Our Diets 3

Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the American diet deficiencies
that have caused widespread obesity in the country. The points explored are
major differences in the everyday diets of 1953 vs. 2014, how sugar intake has
changed, how portion control has changed, and the effects the diets had on
people. Though research revealed the products that went into the 1953 meals
were less healthy, the portions were controlled and well-balanced, resulting in
lower calorie intakes. Also, people in 2014 are much less physically active, so
instead of the higher calorie, fat-saturated diet now considered the norm, they
should have a healthier, lower calorie diet. Research suggests the largest issues
with Americas diet are lack of portion control and all-time high levels of sugar
intake, and these have caused obesity to spike.
Keywords: Portion control, obesity, diets, calorie intake.
The Deficit in Our Diets: How the American Diet Has Changed Since 1953
Introduction: How the American Diet Has Changed Since 1953
A little over 60 years ago in 1953, women were consuming 1,818 calories
a day and burning about 1,000. Today, an everyday, run-of-the-mill woman will
consume 2,178 calories a day and burn roughly 556. This could be down to
eating more junk food, due to women in 1953 cooking from scratch rather than a
box. They only got what they needed to cook the meal, and it was a pride-factor
to have cooked everything your family would be eating-- e.g. a bag of cheetos

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would not find its way onto the dinner table like it would today, because it wasnt
home-cooked.
While the dietary content of the average family meal in 1953 may not have
been what we would consider up to par health-wise- this being due to twice as
many eggs, cooking fat, and oil used in cooking, meals with higher sugar levels,
and families as a whole consuming less chicken- they were certainly better off in
terms of caloric intake. (How 1950s Women Stayed Slim).
Sugar Intake
In the modern Americans day, everything is fast-paced, and fast-paced
lives go hand-in-hand with fast-food. While living that lifestyle, it is difficult to keep
a proper level of nutrients, especially sugar. Sugar is an important source of
energy for our bodies, but too much raises the risk of obesity. A simple rule to
live by is this-- if you are eating more than you are expending, you will gain
weight.
Though sugar naturally in food is healthy, added sugars "contribute zero
nutrients and are just empty calories that can lead to extra pounds, or even
obesity" (American Heart Association, 2014). A CDC study conducted in 2013
looked at the average sugar intake of Americans from 2005-2010 and found that,
Men consumed an average 12.7% of their calories from added sugars compared
with 13.2% for women... (2013).
Did you know that the breakfast cereal Honey Nut Cheerios has 8.25
teaspoons of sugar per 100 grams? Red Bull has 7.5 teaspoons per can, one

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glass of Lemonade has 5.5 teaspoons, a Milky Way bar has 8.5 teaspoons, and
so on, so forth (MedicalNewsToday.com, 2014). Added sugar is everywhere and
in everything, making it nearly unavoidable, and sending Americas sugar intake
levels skyrocketing.
The sugar intake in America has been steadily climbing, and unfortunately,
most Americans are not combatting that rise of intake with appropriate levels of
physical exercise and portion control, so they are layering on the pounds.
Portion Control
Given the worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity, there is a
clear need for meaningful practical healthy eating advice - not only in relation
to food choice, but also on appropriate food portion sizes... (Spence, M.,
Livingstone, M., Hollywood, L., Gibney, E., O'Brien, S, Pourshahidi, L., Dean, M.,
2013).
The average person in American society needs about 2,400 calories a day.
More specifically, the average adult woman needs between 1,800 and 2,400
calories per day, and the average adult man needs between 2,400 and 3,000.
The reported average calories consumed per day is 1,785 for women and 2,640
for men, but the USDA suggests actual everyday intake is exponentially higher
(Cespedes, 2014).
Plain and simple, portion controls relation to obesity can be explained as
follows- the fundamental rule of weight management is that people gain weight

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when they eat more calories than they expend. (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2006).
In just one lunchtime meal at Burger King- consisting of one cheeseburger,
medium fries, and a 20 fl. oz. Root Beer- there are 1,200 calories. Thats 57% of
the recommended daily calorie intake for women and 44% for men! If a person
ate the equivalent of that seemingly well proportioned meal for every one of the
three meals suggested a day, she/he would have 171% of their suggested mean
calorie intake for the day-- and thats not including snacks.
While the American population is led to believe theyre getting proper
portion sizes (a burger, fries, and a drink- three simple pieces to a meal- could
not possibly be overdoing it, right?), they are not. In fact, just one extra soft drink
a day could add up to 15 lbs. in one year. (Mercola.com, 2006).
1 drink a day, 12 months, 15 pounds.
According to Disabled-World.com, the average 8-year-old American boy is
50 inches tall, weighs 57 lbs., and naturally gains between 7-10 lbs until age 18.
Assuming that boy began consistently drinking sodas at age 8, he will be 70
inches tall and weigh in at 307 lbs. Thats 160 lbs. overweight!
Effects on American Population
As mentioned above, Americas obesity is a large and growing problem-literally. According to the CDC, there are 78.6 million obese Americans today.
Average adult Americans are about one inch taller, but nearly a whopping 25
pounds heavier than they were in 1960[and the] average BMI (body mass

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index, a weight-for-height formula used to measure obesity) has increased

among adults from approximately 25 in 1960 to 28 in 2002. (CDC, 2004).
Conclusion
The purpose of this paper was to investigate the American diet
deficiencies that have caused widespread obesity in the country- specifically
portion control and sugar intake. The major differences in the everyday diets of
1953 vs. 2014 were also explored to give a gauge of how much the American
diet has changed. Research revealed the products that went into the 1953 meals
were less healthy, but the portions were controlled and well-balanced, resulting in
lower calorie intakes. Since then, Americans have come to be 25 lbs. heavier.
Based on the findings in this paper, it is a safe assumption that the deficit in
Americas diet are lack of portion control and all-time high levels of sugar intake,
and these have caused obesity to spike.
Resources
American Heart Association. (2014, November 14). Sugars, added sugars and
sweeteners. Heart.org. Retrieved from
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/262978.php
Burger King USA nutritionals: Core, regional and limited time offerings. (2014,
November.) Burger King USA nutritionals: Core, regional and
limited time offerings. Burger King. Retrieved from
https://www.bk.com/pdfs/nutrition.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2004, October 27). Mean body

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weight, height, and body mass index, United States 19602002. CDC.gov.
Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad347.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006, May). Do increased portion
sizes affect how much we eat? CDC.Gov. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/pdf/portion_size_research.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013, May). Consumption of added
sugars among U.S. adults, 20052010. CDC.gov. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db122.pdf
Cespedes, A. (2014, May 30). The average American daily caloric intake. Live
Strong. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/
347737-the-average-american-daily-caloric-intake/
Disabled World. (2014, August 7). Average height to weight chart: Babies to
teenagers. Disabled World. Retrieved from http://www.disabledworld.com/artman/publish/height-weight-teens.shtml
How 1950s women stayed slim. (n.d.). How 1950s women stayed slim.
MailOnline.
Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-191200/
How-1950s-women-stayed-slim.html
Medical News Today. (2014, June 16). How much sugar is in your food? Medical
News Today. Retrieved from
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/262978.php

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Mercola, J. (2006, August 24). How many pounds does one extra soft drink add
to
your body? Mercola.com. Retrieved from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/
articles/archive/2006/08/24/how-many-pounds-does-one-extra-soft-drinkadd-to-your-body.aspx
Spence, M., Livingstone, M., Hollywood, L., Gibney, E., O'Brien, S, Pourshahidi,
L., & Dean, M. (2013, August 1). A qualitative study of psychological,
social
and behavioral barriers to appropriate food portion size control. PubMed.
Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=PMC3734152