One Reason U.S. Obesity Keeps Rising: We're Eating More Food

“Here's a big reason why the American individual has packed on more pounds in recent years -- the rationale that it has taken more food to make people heavier is true. The New York Times reports that the amount of food an American ate in 2006 was almost 2 pounds more than was ingested in 1970. Citing U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics, the newspaper says that in 1970 the average amount of food each American ate weekly was 16.4 pounds. By 2006, that amount had increased to 18.2 pounds a week. What constituted the increase? According to the Times, it was unfortunately those substances that can make people fatter: oils, shortening, cheeses and about an additional quarter pound of meat each week. And while not making a direct cause-and-effect relationship, the Times cites obesity rate increases among United States residents from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: In 1980, 15 percent of adults between ages 20 and 74 were classified as obese. By 2007, that figure was 25.6, according to the CDC.”

http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=618117