276 THE CHINA STUDYwords, you can eat mostly the same foods as you did twenty-five years
ago, while substantially reducing your fat intake. But you still retain the
same proportion of animal-and plant-based food intakes.
In practical terms this means that beef, pork, lamb and veal consump-
tion is decreasing while lower-fat chicken, turkey and fish consumption
is increasing. In fact, by consuming more poultry and fish, people have
been increasing their total meat intake to record-high amounts, II while
trying (and largely failing^12 ) to reduce their fat intake. In addition,
whole milk is being consumed less, but low-fat and skim milk are be-
ing consumed more. Cheese consumption has increased by 150% in the
past thirty years. 13
Overall, we are as carnivorous now as we were thirty years ago, but
we are able to selectively lower our fat intake if we so desire, due to the
wonders of food technology.
To illustrate, we need only to look at two typical American meals. 14, 15
Meal #1 is served in a health-conscious horne, where the main grocery
shopper in the family reads the nutrition labels on every food item he or
she buys. The result: a low-fat dining experience.
Meal #2 is served in a home where the standard American fare is ev-
eryone's favorite. When they cook at home, they make the meal "rich."
The result: a high-fat dining experience.CHART 14.4: LOW-FAT AND HIGH-FAT AMERICAN DINNERS
(ONE PERSON'S DINNER)
Low-Fat Meal # 1 High-Fat Meal #2
Dinner 8 oz. roasted turkey 4 .5 oz. pan-seared steak
low-fat gravy Green beans almondine
Golden roasted potatoes Herb-seasoned potato
pockets
Beverage 1 cup skim milk Water
Dessert Nonfat yogurt Apple crisp
Reduced-fat cheesecakeBoth meals provide roughly 1,000 calories, but are markedly different
in their fat content. The low-fat meal (#1) contains about twenty-five
grams of fat, and the high-fat meal (#2) contains just over sixty grams
of fat. In the low-fat meal, 22% of the total calories come from fat, and
in the high-fat meal, 54% of the calories come from fat.