the american lifestyleThe Big Problem: Chronic Diseases
As mentioned in Chapter 1, chronic diseases such as heart dis-
ease, cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, chronic lung, kid-
ney and liver diseases, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, and
diabetes account for 70 percent of all deaths in the United States.^4
These diseases are predominantly caused—and can be prevented—
by diet and lifestyle choices. So how have we come to the extreme
state of widespread ill health that we are experiencing today?
In 1970, the average adult consumed five hundred fewer calo-
ries per day and weighed 19.8 pounds less than in 2000. Similarly,
a child in 1970 consumed 350 calories less per day and weighed
8.8 pounds less than in 2000. The numbers don’t lie. They perfectly
predict our obesity epidemic.^5
Being Overweight:
The Proverbial Elephant in the Room
It is very easy to see when one looks back over the last century
in the United States why being overweight, obesity, and inflam-
matory diseases are becoming more prevalent. The answers are
simple: As modern society urbanizes and people’s lives center
around cities, people become busier; more processed, high-cal-
orie, and prepared foods are made available; and people eat out
more frequently.
American households spend more than 40 percent of their to-
tal food budget on foods prepared outside of the home, up from
25 percent in 1970.^6 This is problematic because, when we eat at
restaurants and fast-food restaurants, we not only consume more
food, but we also eat foods with higher caloric density (i.e., added
fats and oils, calorie sweeteners, cheeses, meats, refined grains).
Furthermore, even the foods we eat at home now tend to be more
calorie dense and less nutritionally dense than they were even a
few decades ago. For the average person, eating one meal away
from home each week equals approximately a two-pound weight
gain each year.^7