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Why So Many Americans Are Obese

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Updated:  
2016-03-26 13:17:13
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From The Book:  
Gut Health For Dummies
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Realizing what causes obesity — and what keeps people from reaching their weight goals — is simple. It's all about the complete and total overabundance of food. People have just too much food available and they eat too much of it. Intermittent fasting can cut back on your interaction with this overabundance by simply saying “No thanks” one or two times a week.

According to several studies conducted in 2012 and 2013, you can easily see the overabundance of food that abounds in the United States today, as well as the poor effects it has on health:

  • The food industry produces nearly 4,000 calories of food per person per day.

  • The average American consumes more than 2,500 calories per day, which is a 20 percent increase over consumption levels in 1970.

  • The average American also eats more than 30 teaspoons of sugar and sweeteners each day, which is three times the recommended amount.

  • More than 73 percent of US adults are overweight or obese and already more than 20 percent of children unfortunately are as well.

  • The cost of obesity-related medical expenditures in the United States runs upward of $150 billion per year.

  • Twenty percent of Americans report that they're currently on a diet to lose weight.

About This Article

This article is from the book: 

About the book author:

Dr. Kellyann Petrucci is the coauthor of the health and lifestyle books Living Paleo For Dummies and Boosting Your Immunity For Dummies. She also created the successful kids' health and wellness program Superkids Wellness and the Paleo door-to-door home delivery food service Living Paleo Foods.