From 1965 to 1996: Consumption of fat decreased from 43% to 33% of total calories.

From 1965 to 2002, the percentage of overweight Americans went from 45% to 64%.

The percentage of overweight children between 6 and 11 years old tripled.

From 1950 to 1996, the incidence of cancer went up 58%.

From 1992 to 2002, Diabetes rose 49%.

From 1972 to 1996, the incidence of coronary heart disease rose from 16.2 per 1,000 persons to 78.2 per 1,000 persons.

Asthma, allergies, depression, lower respiratory infections and learning disorders are on the rise.

So why is our health declining? Are we ill because of a deficiency of drugs and medicine? No.

From 1960 to 1999, our spending per capita on health care rose from $126 to $3,808.

In 1980 we spent $22 billion on all drugs. In 2001 we spent $150 billion.

So what’s the problem? The problem is our medical care is not focused on foods. So... let's talk more about foods.

Of the three classes of macronutrients we have only mentioned fats. Let’s talk about the other two: protein and carbohydrates.

Consumption of protein has remained relatively the same for many decades.

So what about carbs? From 1977 to 1994 the

consumption of grain mixtures increased 115%,

ready to eat cereals increased 60%,

snack foods increased 200%,

sugar intake increased 80%,

soft drinks increased 200%.

From 1821 to 2001, consumption of sugar increased 2,000%!! From 10 lbs. to 210 lbs. per person per year.

From 1947 to 1997, the consumption of carbonated soft drinks increased from 10 gallons per person per year to 41 gallons. Today we consume the equivalent of 20 teaspoonfuls of sugar per day. (Nutrition Today Vol. 34,#1 Jan., 1999. USDA).

In 1908, the average American ate 300 pounds of whole grains per year. Today, it is 200 pounds of of grain per year but less than 2% of that is whole.

Here is the bottom line. As a general rule, eating fat does not cause weight gain. Why are we gaining weight? It’s the excess carbohydrate consumption (regardless of exercise)!

There is a second problem. People who eat excess carbohydrates are less satisfied and are hungrier. They eat more food! There is a problem with over consumption. The average man needs 1900-2700 calories. The average woman needs 1800-2500 calories. Even these statistics may be high, but the average American eats 3800 calories per day.

The average American eats 250-500 grams of carbohydrates per day. The average human body can handle 75 to 100 grams per day. As a general rule eating less than 60 grams of carbs a day will cause weight loss and improvement in health (a bagel has 40 grams).

Also, the choice of carbohydrate that you eat is important. You can choose to eat from the three classes of carbohydrate foods that are full of nutrients and promote health. These are fruits, vegetables and WHOLE grains. These are made by Mother Nature for your health.

OR

You can choose to eat the class of carbohydrate foods that deplete the body of nutrients and are detrimental to your health. This class consists of grains that are refined or processed in a factory. They include white bread, sugar, white pasta, white rice, candies, cakes, cookies, and pop. These are made by man for easy shipping, long shelf life, flavor, high volume, and uniformity in production.

The result of eating excess amounts of carbohydrates includes diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, overweight, fatigue, some forms of cancer, depression, allergies, digestive problems, a breakdown of the body, etc…

Most of the above statistics are taken from the USDA book: "Trends in U.S. Food Supply"

A statistic from mercola.com announces that around 1900 the average American only consumed about a pound of vegetable oil (high in omega-6) per year. Now we are consuming over 75 pounds each every year. Vegetable oil is a totally new product that our body has no idea how to digest. Therefore, it floats around in our arteries, undigested and causes plaquing. Vegetable oils are the yellow oils in clear bottles. Do not use them.

These statements on this website have not been evaluated by The Food & Drug Administration. Any products or therapies in this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. They are intended to improve health.