The graphs were gathered by Kris Gunnars, a nutrition researcher
He says the obesity epidemic correlates with the time we were told to adopt a low fat diet and eat plenty of carbohydrates
Graphs show that our sugar consumption has rocketed yet consumption of eggs has fallen – and we have swapped butter for margarine
Calorie intake has also gone up by around 400 calories a day
Mr Gunnars says our diets filled with processed food are making us ill
We have more access to food than ever – yet we are also fatter and sicker than we have ever been.
How can this be in the 21st Century?
The answer, it is claimed, lies in the series of graphs below, which paint a stark picture of our food and drink consumption over the past few decades.
Compiled by Kris Gunnars, a nutrition researcher, medical student and personal trainer, of AuthorityNutrition.com, they appear to show a startling correlation between a change in the Western diet in line with the soaring obesity epidemic.
‘The modern diet is the main reason why people all over the world are fatter and sicker than ever before,’ says nutrition researcher Kris Gunnars
In a nutshell, Mr Gunnars says that sugar intake has ‘skyrocketed in the past 160 years’, we have changed the type of fat we eat and are consuming more processed food than ever.
There are more intricate reasons, too, he believes. Eating fewer eggs – proven to keep hunger pangs at bay – and swapping butter for margarine.
On his website, he says: ‘There is an immense amount of evidence I’ve found that runs completely contradictory to what the governments and dietitians around the world are recommending.
‘The modern diet is the main reason why people all over the world are fatter and sicker than ever before.
‘Everywhere modern processed foods go, chronic diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease soon follow.
‘The studies are clear on this… when people abandon their traditional foods in favor of modern processed foods high in sugar, refined flour and vegetable oils, they get sick.
Low fat disaster? Mr Gunnars said: ‘The first dietary guidelines for Americans were published in the year 1977, almost at the exact same time the obesity epidemic started’
‘Of course, there are many things that can contribute to these health problems, but changes in the diet are the most important factor.’
Mr Gunnars adds: ‘The first dietary guidelines for Americans were published in the year 1977, almost at the exact same time the obesity epidemic started.’ (In the UK, it was 1983.)
‘Of course, this doesn’t prove anything (correlation does not equal causation), but it makes sense that this could be more than just a mere coincidence.
‘The anti-fat message essentially put the blame on saturated fat and cholesterol (harmless), while giving sugar and refined carbs (very unhealthy) a free pass.
‘Since the guidelines were published, many massive studies have been conducted on the low-fat diet. It is no better at preventing heart disease, obesity or cancer than the standard Western diet, which is as unhealthy as a diet can get
‘For some very strange reason, we are still being advised to follow this type of diet, despite the studies showing it to be completely ineffective.’
Below, Mr Gunnars explains each graph…
SUGAR
Mr Gunners says: ‘People in Western countries are consuming massive amounts of refined sugars, reaching about 150 lbs (67 kg) per year in some countries. This amounts to over 500 calories of sugar per day’
‘People in Western countries are consuming massive amounts of refined sugars, reaching about 150 lbs (67 kg) per year in some countries. This amounts to over 500 calories of sugar per day.
‘The sources vary on the exact figures, but it is very clear that we are consuming way more sugar than our bodies are equipped to handle.
‘Controlled human studies show that large amounts of sugar can lead to severe metabolic problems, including insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, elevated cholesterol and triglycerides — to name a few.
‘Added sugar is believed to be one of the main drivers of diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even cancer.’
UK-based nutritionist Zoe Harcombe, author of The Obesity Epidemic: What Caused It? How Can We Stop It, agrees.
She told MailOnline: ‘The UK chart looks very similar to this chart. Just over 200 years ago we used to take 4-5lb of sugar a year; by the middle of the 19th century, this had increased five-fold to about 25lb a year; we now take about 100lb per year.’
FRUIT JUICE CONSUMPTION
‘Of all the sugar sources in the diet, sugar-sweetened beverages are the worst,’ says Mr Gunners. ‘Fruit juice is actually no better… it contains a similar amount of sugar as most soft drinks’
‘Of all the sugar sources in the diet, sugar-sweetened beverages are the worst. Fruit juice is actually no better – it contains a similar amount of sugar as most soft drinks.
‘Getting sugar in liquid form is particularly harmful. The studies show that the brain doesn’t “register” liquid sugar calories the in the same way as calories from solid foods, which dramatically increases total calorie intake.
‘One study found that in children, each daily serving of sugar-sweetened beverages is linked to a 60 per cent increased risk of obesity.’
Zoe Harcombe adds: ‘It’s a similar picture in the UK. Figures show that sugar-sweetened beverages have increased in consumption from 512 ml per person per week in 1975 to 1,142 ml per person per week in 2005.’
CALORIE INTAKE
‘There are many complicated reasons for this increased calorie intake,’ says Mr Gunners. ‘These include processed food and sugar consumption, increased food availability and more aggressive marketing towards children’
‘Although sources vary on the exact figures, it is clear that calorie intake has increased dramatically in the past few decades.
‘There are many complicated reasons for this, including increased processed food and sugar consumption, increased food availability, more aggressive marketing towards children, etc.’
However the picture is different in the UK. Zoe Harcombe says: ‘In 1975 we were eating 2,290 calories per person per day – but by 1999, this had fallen to 1,690 calories per person per day.
‘Yet there are an increasing number of people who are overweight or obese.’
ADDED FATS
Mr Gunners adds that the type of fat we eat has also changed, with butter plummeting in popularity in favour of oil. He explains that these oils are very high in Omega-6 fatty acids, which can contribute to inflammation and various problems when consumed in excess
‘When health professionals started blaming saturated fat for heart disease, people abandoned traditional fats like butter, lard and coconut oil in favor of processed vegetable oils.
‘These oils are very high in Omega-6 fatty acids, which can contribute to inflammation and various problems when consumed in excess.
‘These oils are often hydrogenated, which makes them high in trans fats. Many studies have shown that these fats and oils actually increase the risk of heart disease, even if they aren’t hydrogenated.
‘Therefore, the misguided advice to avoid saturated fat and choose vegetable oils instead may have actually fueled the heart disease epidemic.’
BUTTER AND MARGARINE CONSUMPTION
He says that saturated fat has been ‘demonised’, resulting in many people swapping butter for margarine. But this can be high in harmful trans-fats – linked to heart disease
‘Another side effect of the “war” on saturated fat was an increase in margarine consumption.
‘Margarine was traditionally made with hydrogenated oils, which are high in trans fats. Many studies show that trans fats increase the risk of heart disease.
‘Grass-fed butter actually contains nutrients that are protective against heart disease (like Vitamin K2), therefore the advice to replace heart-healthy butter with trans-fat laden margarine may have done a lot of damage.
SOYBEAN HAS BECOME A MAJOR SOURCE OF CALORIES
The use of soybean oil has also soared. Mr Gunners warns that it is often used in cheap, processed foods
‘The most commonly consumed vegetable oil in the U.S. is soybean oil. Soybean oil actually provided 7 per cent of calories in the U.S. diet in the year 1999, which is huge.
‘However, most people don’t have a clue they’re eating this much soybean oil. They’re actually getting most of it from processed foods, which often have soybean oil added to them because it is cheap.
‘The best way to avoid soybean oil (and other nasty ingredients) is to avoid processed foods.’
EGG CONSUMPTION
Egg consumption has also fallen – largely due to now disproven fears over heart disease. But studies have repeatedly shown that they are one of the most filling foods – helping to prevent unhealthy snacking
‘Eggs are among the most nutritious foods on the planet. Despite being high in cholesterol, eggs don’t raise the bad cholesterol in the blood.
‘For some reason, the health authorities have recommended that we cut back on eggs, even though there is no evidence that they contribute to heart disease.
‘Since the year 1950, we have decreased our consumption of this highly nutritious food from 375 to 250 eggs per year, a decrease of 33 per cent.
‘This has contributed to a deficiency in important nutrients like Choline, which about 90% of Americans aren’t getting enough of.’
Zoe Harcombe adds: Eggs are fantastically nutritious – containing virtually every vitamin and mineral needed by humans (except vitamin C – so have egg and grapefruit for breakfast!)’
LINOLEIC ACID
We are also eating more linoleic acid. Mr Gunnars says: ‘Most of the Omega-6 fats that people are eating is a fatty acid called linoleic acid. Studies show that this fatty acid actually gets incorporated into our cell membranes and body fat stores. These fats are prone to oxidation, which damages molecules (like DNA) in the body and may be increasing our risk of cancer’
‘Most of the Omega-6 fats that people are eating is a fatty acid called linoleic acid.
‘Studies show that this fatty acid actually gets incorporated into our cell membranes and body fat stores. These fats are prone to oxidation, which damages molecules (like DNA) in the body and may be increasing our risk of cancer.
‘In other words, the increased consumption of processed vegetable oils has lead to actual harmful structural changes in our bodies. That’s a scary thought.’
BUT WHAT DO OTHER EXPERTS THINK?
UK-based nutritionist Zoe Harcombe, author of The Obesity Epidemic: What Caused It? How Can We Stop It, agrees.
‘Wrongly demonised’: The humble egg contains virtually every vitamin and mineral needed by humans
She told MailOnline: ‘We changed our dietary advice in 1977 in the USA and 1983 in the UK.
‘The advice changed from a belief that starchy foods were fattening to advice to base our meals on starchy foods. Obesity increased from 2.7 per cent in the UK in 1972 to around 25 per cent by 1999. Coincidence? I think not.
‘We have demonised fat generally, and saturated fat specifically, but our ignorance about food has led to bad advice.
‘Our governments (US and UK) call biscuits, cakes, pastries, ice cream, savoury snacks, confectionery etc “saturated fats”. They are 1) processed food and 2) predominantly carbohydrate.
‘Then governments call meat saturated fat – meat has more unsaturated than saturated fat
They call eggs saturated fat – eggs have more unsaturated than saturated fat. Lard has more unsaturated than saturated fat.
‘Only dairy products have more saturated than unsaturated fat and they are a terrific source of calcium, vitamin D and bone nutrients.
‘We need to go back to eating food – this means eating meat, eggs and dairy products from pasture living animals; fish; vegetables; nuts & seeds; fruits in season and whole grains (not wheat, but brown rice, oats, quinoa etc) in moderation if you are overweight/diabetic.
‘Eating real food means eating food in the form that nature provides it. Oranges grow on trees – orange juice doesn’t.
‘Until we go back to eating what we evolved to eat – we will continue this horrific experiment of evolution where we manage to weigh multiple times more than baby elephants simply because we’ve lost touch with what food is.
‘The most recent Family Food Survey discovered that 80 per cent of the UK food intake comes from processed foods: sugars, jams, oven chips, processed meats, plastic cheese, processed vegetables, processed fruit, bread, cakes, buns, pastries, biscuits, cereals, cereal products, soft drinks, confectionery, sauces, dressings etc.And we wonder why we’re fat and sick!’
Source: Daily Mail
