Calories galore

Since the 1970s, American men have increased their daily calorie intake by an aver­age of 210 calories, and women by about 270 calories, according to an analysis in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2013. Calorie intake appears to have peaked about a decade ago, dropping slightly since then. Most of the extra calo­ries have come from high-carbohydrate (that is, sugary or starchy) foods and bever­ages. Liquid calories are especially bad for weight control since they do not reduce appetite as much as solid foods.

Toxic” food environment

One reason for our increased calorie intake: We are surrounded by inexpen­sive, energy-dense food, usually sold and served in oversized portions. It isn’t simply that food companies profit by selling us more food, but also that people have got­ten used to the abundance of cheap food (per ounce, if not per serving) and expect to find it everywhere. This calorie glut is made possible largely by government subsidies for wheat, soy, and especially corn—key ingredients in “junk” food and in feed for cattle and pigs. Other contrib­utors to our higher calorie intake include increased and cheaper output from factory farming, improvements in food palatability (thanks to added sugar, fat, and sodium and manipulating texture and other food quali­ties), and marketing by the food industry.

As a result, Americans now spend a smaller share of their income on food than any society in history or anywhere else in the world (a good thing), yet we get more “empty” calories for it (not good), accord­ing to a paper about the economics of obe­sity, published in 2014 in CA: A Cancer Journal of Clinicians. This has fueled over­consumption of high-calorie fare such as fast food, corn-fed beef and pork, packaged snacks, ready-to-eat meals, and soft drinks.

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