It’s no secret that Western society is going through a health crisis, mainly caused by the steep increase in processed food consumption and a truly unbalanced diet. Industrialization has brought us so many good things, but obesity due to excessive sugar intake isn’t one of them, and apparently, it’s a trend that doesn’t seem to lower with time!
The USDA reported in 2014 that the average American consumes around 160 pounds of refined sugar per year, give or take 10 pounds. Even if you *think* you definitely are in the minority of this statistic, think again: if you do the math, eating between 150 and 170 pounds of sugar per year means that you’re consuming around 30 teaspoons on a daily basis. You don’t eat THAT much, you say? Well? every can of soda holds 6 or more teaspoons of sugar, meaning that with 4 sodas per day, you’re already on your way to consuming more than a hundred pounds of sugar this year. More so, sugar hides not only in obviously sweet foods, like sodas and cakes but also in weird places like pasta sauce, ketchup, and bread!
Sugar consumption has obviously increased in the last few years. It’s amazing that only 200 years ago in the eighteenth century, the average American only consumed between 4 and 7 pounds of sugar per year. Apparently, if we continue on this sugar-eating trend, by 2030 all 50 states could have obesity rates of over 40%. Not sure whether what you’re eating has sugar? See if sugar is hiding under one of its other names.