Title: What's Wrong With the American Diet? - Consumer Health News | HealthDay
Headings: What's Wrong With the American Diet?
What's Wrong With the American Diet?
Chris Woolston
The carnival mirror
Portion distortion
Convenience culture
Taking control
Further Resources

Content: "Too many calories," asserts Melanie Polk, registered dietitian and former director of nutrition education for the American Institute of Cancer Research. Barbara Gollman, a registered dietitian who used to be the spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, weighs in with her own theory: " Too many calories." Perhaps it's time to stop talking about fatty foods and admit that we simply eat too many calories. Twenty-five years ago, the average American consumed about 1,850 calories each day. Since then, our daily diet has grown by 304 calories (roughly the equivalent of two cans of soda). That's theoretically enough to add an extra 31 pounds to each person every year. Judging from the ongoing obesity epidemic, many Americans are gaining those pounds -- and then some. Take the latest national surveys on weight. More than 68 percent of all Americans are considered overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (