What America Eats, Visualized

[SoCalDem]

http://www.good.is/post/what-america-eats-visualized/



This graphic, from Visual Economics, breaks down the elements of our diet in pounds. The quantity of fruits and vegetables we eat is actually a little higher than I'd expect, though we still consume more sweets and sodium than we should. The chart also doesn't expose the extent to which corn goes into other foods. If you want to find out your own recommended daily caloric intake, by the way, here's a calculator.

[Oregone]

1. Hm...how about a graph of what that chicken and cow are eating?

:)

[MorningGlow]

2. A gallon of soda a week?!

Somebody must be helping themselves to my share (which is frightening in itself, if they're having more than a gallon a week), because I sure don't drink anywhere near that much soda. I have maybe one can a month, if that. :shrug:

And I think I'm helping myself to someone else's share of caffeine, because that's not enough to match my actual diet!

[Arkansas Granny]

10. That's less than 2 cans a day. A lot of people drink more than that.

Like you, someone else is drinking my share of soda, but I'm well over the average for caffeine.

I'm surprised at the amount of fruits and vegetables on the chart. It's much more than I would have expected.

[prolesunited]

13. I used to drink one of those 32 oz. bottles of Diet Pepsi a day

Then I got poor and couldn't justify wasting money on the stuff. It was hard at first, but now I hardly miss it and might have it if visiting someone and it's offered.

[uncommon]

15. I drink 3-5 cans of Coke Zero every day.

Can't shake it.

[Confusious]

28. 2 cans of Dr. pepper a day. 3 on a bad day

I can't quit you!

[Warpy]

14. I'm lactose intolerant and sensitive to Vitamin C*, of all things

and either I have to find fruit drinks that haven't been laced with Vitamin C, nearly impossible except during the brief cider season, it's tea and soda for me. The one time I took a Vitamin C pill, before I'd nailed down the problem, it landed me in the hospital.

I reduce my impact on a tiring planet by using a C02 setup with reusable bottles and drink plain seltzer a lot of the time, but I'm one of those soda consumption curve busters. So sue me.

*It takes 8 different enzymes to synthesize Vitamin C in the gut. All 8 enzymes are within the human population, but only one person in about 2 million has all 8. Since I avoid C like the plague it is for me and show no sign of deficiency, I have to assume I'm one in two million and taking supplementary C or eating foods extremely high in C will give me an overdose. http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/v/vitamin_c_overdose/symptoms.htm#symptom_list

[SoCalDem]

17. 128 divided by 12 is less than 2 six packs a week

a large soda at a fast food place probably is 20 oz ....it's not hard to see how many people hit this "goal"..especially kids & guys who love their "Big Gulps":(

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Ah these are the kinds of graphics I LOVE

But hey, somebody is drinking my soda too...

[JuniperLea]

12. Mine too...

But that's ok because I'm drinking their coffee!

Ha!

[Kurovski]

38. Somebody's drinking an awful lot of soda,,,mine, too.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

4. Cheese? Somewhere in America has cheese? N.T.

[Greyhound]

18. If you look and can afford it, yes, real cheese can still be had here. n/t

[ixion]

5. I seriously doubt that is representative of the average American's diet

given that fast food chains are so very profitable, and serve garbage.

[sinkingfeeling]

7. 53 gallons of soda and 23 pounds of pizza and 29 pounds of fries, sure looks like the American diet

to me.

[ixion]

21. I guess they're showing potatoes as a vegetable, which it is, of course, albeit

a starchy one.

Same with corn.

Nor does it take into account the processing these vegetables go through, which strips them of any nutritional value.

[sandnsea]

8. lettuce, tomato, onions, pickle, potatoes

Don't forget the basis of that fast food when you break it out. I think it makes it look like we're consuming a lot more fruits and vegetables than we really are. And every KFC meal comes with potatoes too, but I wouldn't call that glop a vegetable.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. And, big topping of expensive Grade A Bullshit from the politicians.

[Erose999]

9. Since when was Pork a red meat? Dodn't these idjits who make graphs know its the other white meat?

[NutmegYankee]

36. I'm sure it was lumped into a group describing it's Fat content.

Most pig products are worse than beef.

[prolesunited]

11. Wow, I am sooo not the average American

[flvegan]

16. My graph is so far off from that.

Thank the gods.

[petronius]

19. What are all those non-cheese dairy products?

It looks like ~400 lbs once you take out the milk, ice cream only lists 24 lbs, and I assume butter is in the 'fats' section? Yogurt? Sour cream? Seems like a lot...

[SoCalDem]

20. probably cottage cheese, sour cream & yogurt

or the fact that babies may be averaged into this and they are milk-addicts:)

[Donald Ian Rankin]

22. I don't think breast-feeding comes under "dairy products"... N.T.

[SoCalDem]

23. formula does

:)

[petronius]

24. Baby formula makes sense. I would have thought that cottage cheese was cheese,

but maybe not...

[Donald Ian Rankin]

27. Only sometimes - quite a lot is soy or other sources. N.T.

[trotsky]

25. Notice the only milk they are taking out is "beverage" milk.

A lot of milk goes into other products - baked goods, sauces, etc. Maybe that's some of it.

[eppur_se_muova]

31. Also milk solids -- used in lots of factory foods. nt

[Solly Mack]

26. 2700 calories? a day? Wow

That's like 2 days worth of eating in one for me.

[femrap]

29. I can't believe Americans

eat more veggies than bread and pasta and peanut butter. Maybe it has to do with their measurement in 'pounds.' Weight of the product or the weight it puts on people???

Bread and pasta have to be more of the diet....sandwiches, mac'n cheez, spaghetti.

Now I'm hungry.

[Fridays Child]

30. marking for reference

[L0oniX]

32. Damn ...I'm hungry now.

[TransitJohn]

33. Who the hell is drinking all that milk???

Disgusting. :puke:

[REP]

34. I wonder who's eating "my" 23 lbs of pizza and 24 lbs of ice cream...

Not a food purist or anything - just don't like either!

The milk, on the other hand, is going into my cappuccino.

[Hello_Kitty]

35. Where's alcohol? eom

[NutmegYankee]

37. In Über religious America?!

Blasphemy! Good Red state Baptists don't drink alcohol! Especially not when another churchgoer walks into the same bar! :evilgrin:


Sorry, this proud German-American downed too many Kölsch beers tonight... :beer:

[carlyhippy]

39. They will have to change this up a little for me

I eat a whole lot more pizza than they state here, and I hardly drink soda. I also eat more fruit and veggies than the average person.