Читать книгу Low-Carb Diet For Dummies - Katherine B. Chauncey - Страница 34

The modern western diet includes more calories, larger portion sizes, and increased frequency of eating. The modern western diet is characterized by all the following:

 More soft drinks and sweeteners

 More salty snacks

 More cookies and snack foods

 Eating out more often, especially in fast-food restaurants

 Larger portion sizes, especially of soft drinks and french fries

 Increased convenience, microwaveable, and processed foods

Instead of the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, which was in use at the time, the modern diet turned the Pyramid upside-down with refined grains, potatoes and sweets, and meats in greater quantity than fruits and vegetables. Today pyramid guides to depict healthy eating have been abandoned completely. Although some evidence suggests that the Food Guide Pyramid enhanced nutrition knowledge, it did nothing to change people’s eating habits. The USDA replaced the pyramid with a plate diagram (MyPlate.gov) with a glass of milk set off to the side. Even though the USDA feels the plate diagram better reflects their recommendations for healthy diet, the current American diet still has lots of room for improvement.

Based on data from the USDA, the modern American diet is made up of the following:

 53 percent processed foods

 32 percent animal products

 11 percent veggies, fruits, beans, nuts

 4 percent whole grains

Of the measly 11 percent attributed to fruits and vegetables almost half of that consisted of french fries and ketchup. Combine that with the large intake of processed foods and animal products, and it’s no wonder Americans are plagued with obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.