A new study has examined Americans’ eating habits for the past 30 years and has shown how the daily consumption of carbohydrates has grown.


The paper by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention found that in 1971, women ate 1,542 calories on average, compared with today’s 1,877, whilst men went from 2,450 to 2,618. Among women, carbohydrates jumped from 45% of daily caloric intake to 52%. For men, it grew from 42% to 49%.


According to the report, the surge occurred from 1976 to 1980 and from 1988 to 1994, blaming the super-sizing of fries and soft-drinks in restaurants and advice telling people to switch to carbs and avoid fatty foods.