The U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey has measured American’s caloric consumption and height and weight for over 50 years. A paper to be published in the journal Nutrition features the first comprehensive analysis of this data—it measured how macronutrient consumption patterns and weight and body mass index (BMI) of American adults have evolved since the 1960s.
In general, Americans have been following the nutrition advice issued for the last 40 years by the American Heart Association and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In other words, the infamous Food Pyramid that mandates less fat and more carbs. Here’s what the analysis showed:
· Fat consumption decreased from 45% to 34% between 1965 and 2011
· Carb consumption increased from 39% to 51% over this same period
· There is a big connection between this decrease in fat consumption and increase in carb consumption and the rise in obesity
· The percentage of overweight adults has increased from 42% to 66% since 1971
The conclusion? By following the nationally mandated dietary guidelines, eating more carbs and less fat has led to expanding waistlines and an obesity problem. This once again supports the research that shows that revising our dietary guidelines in the favor of increasing our intake of healthy fats and emphasizing carbs in the form of vegetables, low glycemic fruits, and controlled portions of complex grains may be the solution to our growing obesity problem. In other words, the basic fundamentals of Atkins continue to be proven as a viable way to help you lose weight and improve your health.
