The average American

[king cranium maximus IV]

Check this chart.

First thought? That's a lot of dairy. I'm guessing mostly as a component to things.

Second thought? We eat more vegetables than I was expecting, at least.

 

[poindexter]

Unless Cheetos is a vegetable, I call bull**** on that chart.

 

[Football_Bat]

Corn syrup consumption is underestimated by probably a factor of three. Corn syrup is in everything that real sugar used to be an ingredient in.

 

[KJIM]

Corn syrup consumption is underestimated by probably a factor of three. Corn syrup is in everything that real sugar used to be an ingredient in.

Corn's a vegetable. Maybe they reported some consumption in that category.

 

[CarltonBanks]

Corn syrup consumption is underestimated by probably a factor of three. Corn syrup is in everything that real sugar used to be an ingredient in.

That's why I love the Pepsi Throwback...made with cane sugar instead of that syrup crap. Reminds me of the soda from when I was a kid.

 

[crimsonace]

Corn syrup consumption is underestimated by probably a factor of three. Corn syrup is in everything that real sugar used to be an ingredient in.

That's why I love the Pepsi Throwback...made with cane sugar instead of that syrup crap. Reminds me of the soda from when I was a kid.

And why I scour stores for Mexican-bottled Coke (which is the absolute best) and Jones Soda -- whose cola is pretty good and their root bear is freaking unreal. I'll stumble upon the hippie co-op that sells organic/"all natural" stuff and pick up a few cans of non-HFCS soda.

 

[holy bull]

I mentioned Boylan black cherry soda on the drinks thread. Had one tonight. "Cane sugar," baby, prominently on the label.

 

[holy bull]

I call bull**** based on the fact that it's measured in straight pounds. Non-cheese dairy, fruits and vegetables are to a large percentage made up of water, right? So their weight percentage of the whole is misleading, compared to foods that are dense, like meats and cheeses.

 

[LongTimeListener]

We are through the looking glass when SUGAR REAL SUGAR!!!! is promoted as the healthy alternative.

 

[The Big Ragu]

I want to know where the data comes from and how accurate.

But what struck me most wasn't what foods it says people eat. It was how overweight the average male and female is for those heights.

 

[novelist_wannabe]

Ragu, the sources are listed at the bottom. Probably the only way you gauge the accuracy is to conduct your own study, but in the absence of that, I'm willing to accept it as pretty accurate. Seems like I've read somewhere that the line of demarcation for overweight/acceptable weight in a person who is 5-9 is 160 pounds. So the average American male is 30 pounds overweight? If you believe all the information being pushed out on obesity as an epidemic, then that level of overweightedness isn't difficult to believe.

FWIW, corn is included in the vegetable category. Similarly, beverage milks are included in the non-cheese dairy category.

 

[BTExpress]

But what struck me most wasn't what foods it says people eat. It was how overweight the average male and female is for those heights.

I'd be curious what the median height/weight is. Because there is much more room to be overweight than there is to be underweight. You get 5 males who are 5-9, and they are 155, 160, 170, 175 and 325, and all of a sudden your "average" weight is 200.

 

[novelist_wannabe]

Just checked a couple of optimal body weight calculators. For a 5-9 male, it's 145-160 pounds. I checked it for my height. Wish I hadn't.

 

[deskslave]

Damn. That suggests it's slightly lower for someone who's 5-8. I've been fixated on the BMI being less than 25. (46 pounds down, 4 to go!)

Oh well. Gives me something new to aim for once I reach that goal.

 

[LongTimeListener]

If you are that close -- and great work BTW -- throw the BMI out the window. It is a good guideline but, like anything else, obsessing over a specific number where you are good at 24.5 but bad at 25.5 is not healthy. A study released a few years ago said the group that lives the longest is the one that's slightly overweight according to BMI.

 

[deskslave]

Oh, I know. It's an improvement no matter which way you look at it. But I could stand to drop a few more, so I'll keep doing what I've been doing. (A stunningly simple combination of eating less and doing more. Who'da thunk it?)

 

[LongTimeListener]

Yes but you did not stimulate the economy by spending $2,000 on a "program" with a "coach" and a "chemical analysis" of your diet. So your self-discipline and common sense are for naught.

 

[deskslave]

I bought a softball glove, though. Does that count?

 

[SFIND]

I can say I'm not the average American, because I eat a hell of a lot more read meat than that in one year.

 

[NickMordo]

This thread makes me want to eat a Klondike bar. Be right back...