Food Consumption Patterns In The United States

Nutrition Criteria
Over the past several years, emerging scientific proofs about health and nutrition has resulted in changing food consumption patterns in the United States. In one survey, 6 out of 10 consumers reported making a major change in their diets and another survey reported that nutrition was second only to taste in importance to shoppers. The changing food habits are related to the increased awareness that diet can be related to some of the leading causes of death that are – heart diseases, cancers, and diabetes – as well as to other common health conditions like osteoporosis, diverticulosis and obesity. Heart disease accounts for most of the deaths in United States. Nutrition Qualifying Criteria
The qualifying criteria were

These are nutrients identified by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans that are consumed in excess quantities by most Americans, such as saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.

Factors Affecting Nutritional Criteria:
 Age
 Gender
 Family Size
 Physical Activity
 Age and Gender:
Teenage boys hit a very speedy growth spurt when they reach puberty. The rate and timing for growth is different for every boy, but this a time when boys will build most of the muscle mass. Thus teenage boys will consume more calories when they start their growth spurt. Teenage girls are not only growing but they start to have their menstrual period, which taxes their reserves of Iron. Teenage girls have the highest requirement of Iron of all.

 Family Size:
Families with good amount of members need more calories instead of the families with fewer members.
 Physical Activity:
People who have a hectic life style in terms of physical activity or people who have any kind of exercising routine need more calories instead of people with sedentary lifestyle. Dietary

• Eat variety of foods to get the energy, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and fiber you need for good health.
• Balance the food you eat with physical activity – maintain or improve you weight to reduce the chances of having high blood pressure, heart disease, a stroke, certain cancers, and the most common kind of diabetes.
• Choose a diet moderate in sugars. A diet with lots of sugars has too many calories and too few nutrients for most people. It can contribute to tooth decay and also can cause diabetes.
• Choose a diet moderate in salt and sodium to help reduce your risk of high blood pressure.
• Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables and fruits which provide needed vitamins, minerals, fibers and complex carbohydrates and can help you lower you intake of fat.
• Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol to reduce the risk of heart diseases.

Food Guide