Column #105

Reliable quantity estimates for the food groups consumed by the average American are hard to pin down. I had to use a wide variety of sources to piece together the data so it may not be spot on. But it’s reasonably close.

The prevailing estimate for total pounds of food consumed by the average American centers around 216.3 pounds of grain-fed meats and about 1,800 pounds of additional food stuffs. That includes everything imaginable including corn syrup, candy, sodas, sugar . . . the works. That’s one ton of food per capita or 5.5 pounds per day. Maybe that’s why the average man is 5' 9.2" tall, weighs 195.7 pounds, and has a 40" waist. The average woman is 5' 3.7" tall, weighs 168.5 pounds, and has a 38.1" waist. A healthy waist measurement is less than half of one’s height.

So what are Americans consuming per year?

All figures in pounds.
●    464.5   Water
●    396.0   Noncheese Dairy products
●    357.8   Soda
●    340.6   Coffee
●    273.2   Fruit
●    255.7   Vegetables (78# potatoes & tomatoes)
●    192.3   Flour and Cereal Products
●    166.4   Beer
●    163.2   Milk
●    108.7   Grain-Fed Chicken
●    105.6   Wine and Spirits
●      56.6   Grain-Fed Beef
●      51.0   Grain-Fed Pork
●      34.4   Cheese
●      30.0   Vegetable Oil
●      28.5   Eggs
●      24.0   Candy
●      16.6   Seafood
●        6.5   Beans
●        4.3   Nuts

How does that compare with what I eat?
●    730.0   Water
●    547.5   Coffee
●    318.5   Grass-Fed Beef, Lamb, etc.
●    217.0   Omega-3 Chicken, Duck, Turkey
●    187.6   Omega-3 Pork
●    115.5   Vegetables (Mostly all green)
●    105.5   Wine and Mixed Drinks
●      77.6   Eggs
●      45.6   Fruit
●      45.3   Nuts
●      34.4   Cheese
●      34.2   Seafood
●      22.8   Noncheese Dairy Products
●        6.5   Beans
●        5.0   Candy
●        0.0   Vegetable Oil
●        0.0   Flour and Cereal Products
●        0.0   Beer
●        0.0   Milk
●        0.0   Soda

As you can see I’m mostly out of step with the average American. What’s really amazing is how the numbers add up when you annualize them in pounds. Try it and you’ll be shocked. For instance, my coffee mug holds 16 ounces and I drink 1.5 mugs every morning. That’s 8,760 ounces per year or 68.44 gallons. Rounding to eight pounds per gallon that’s 547.5 pounds.

My breakfasts rarely differ from two meat patties, a strip of bacon, and two eggs. That’s 730 eggs a year just for breakfast. A handful of nuts a couple times a week multiplied by 52 weeks is huge. And so it goes. Where my diet really differs is in meat where I’m over the top. My veggies are on par, but differ in type. My fruit is way lower and the grains, milk, beer, vegetable oils, and such don’t register. My “candy” is very low sugar or no sugar. I eat fish at least once a week. Just like with coffee, a glass of wine or a sugarless mixed drink a couple times a week adds up too.

Of course the chemistry of the meat in my diet differs considerably from the average American. Their meats are grain-fed with highly skewed fatty acid profiles that mimic grains and are deficient in many important nutrients. So the nutrients I get from my meats differ significantly and boost my immunity.

When you look down the average American’s food list using your knowledge of which foods provide the best essential fat balances for brain, immune, and nerve system function, you see they are getting some Omega-3 with vegetables and, way down the list, some with seafood. Now we understand why so many Americans are whacked out these days and healthcare costs keep soaring.

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

Don't miss these links for additional reading:

Body Measurements from CDC

Waist to Height Ratio from Medical News Today

Dry Bean Consumption in the U.S.

Per Capita Consumption of Poultry and Livestock, 1965 to Estimated 2017, in Pounds

Vegetable Consumption Per Capita in the World

Fruit Consumption Per Capita

Milk Consumption Per Capita

Per capita consumption of eggs in the United States from 2000 to 2017

List of Countries by Alcohol Consumption per Capita from Wikipedia

Dairy Products Profile by Madeline Schultz, AgMRC, Iowa State University