How much fat, sugar and dairy you should eat each day, compared to the reality

We certainly have enough to eat in general – it's just not the right thing.

Americans today consume about 400 more calories per day than in the 1970s, an increase of 20%. Farmers and food manufacturers have also stepped up their activities. Worldwide, the amount of calories available for each person has increased by almost one-third (28%) over the past 50 years. In particular, the global appetite for animals has exploded: world per capita meat consumption has increased to almost 100 pounds per year, a dramatic increase from 67 pounds of meat consumed in the mid-1980s.

But we have gradually replaced fruits, vegetables and good fats such as olive oil, butter and fish with inexpensive, mass-produced alternatives. And this has an effect on our waistline and our long-term health.

"Access to cheap, convenient foods has changed global dietary habits and has enabled many middle-income countries, including the Middle East and North Africa, to cope with a double burden of malnutrition. and overweight or obesity, "warns a new report from HSBC.

The report is based on data from 45 rich and middle-income countries of the world, and compares what an average person's average daily intake is recommended by doctors and nutritionists. Here is how it is superimposed:

Shayanne Gal / Business Insider

Of course, the examples of items on the plate above are symbolic. (Nutrition experts will never suggest that you need to eat a whole avocado every day or five eggs to be healthy.) The image is designed as a visual representation of what your body usually needs: the amount of fat in a lawyer indicates how for example, your body needs a lot of power during a given day. And you do not need sugar at all.

It should be remembered that most healthy whole foods also can not be clearly categorized into one box. Eating a lawyer, for example, is a great way to get nutrients other than lipids: they contain potassium, fiber, vitamins C and B-6 and magnesium.

According to the HSBC report, the problem is systemic and not personal: fruits and vegetables represent only 28% of global food production, even though these anti-cancer foods should ideally represent more than 40% of our diet. A study conducted in 2018 revealed that the world produced "12 servings of cereals, 5 of fruits and vegetables, 3 of oil and fat, 3 of protein, 1 of milk and 4 of sugar per person per day" .

We do not need this sugar and could replace much of the grain and oil with fresh produce.

In the United States, for example, with corn and soybean subsidies, it is inexpensive to produce unhealthy products such as cereals, chips and soda. This has allowed sugary processed foods (which are clearly linked to more cases of cancer and poor health) to become the backbone of many consumers' diets. Our fast food has also become saltier and heavier; In the United States, a typical meal currently accounts for about half of a person's recommended calories.

This is not a strategy recommended by a doctor to stay healthy.

As Harvard cardiologist Sara Seidelmann said earlier, you should "try to make choices that fill your plate of plants – whole foods and whole grains, which you can recognize."