WASHINGTON
(Reuters) -- Junk foods such as sugary sodas and chips make
up nearly one-third of calories in the U.S. diet, researchers
said.
A study of 4,700 adults showed that, despite the increased
popularity of low-carbohydrate diets, soft drinks and pastries
pile on more calories in the daily diet than anything else.
"What is really alarming is the major contribution of 'empty
calories' in the American diet," said Gladys Block, a professor
of epidemiology and public health nutrition at the University
of California, Berkeley, who led the study.
Writing in the June issue of the Journal of Food Chemistry
and Analysis, Bock and colleagues said that sweets and desserts,
soft drinks and alcoholic beverages account for nearly 25
percent of all calories consumed by Americans.
Salty snacks and fruit-flavored drinks add another five percent.
"We know people are eating a lot of junk food, but to have
almost one-third of Americans' calories coming from those
categories is a shocker. It's no wonder there's an obesity
epidemic in this country," Bock said in a statement.
Bock used data from a U.S. government survey called the National
Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. She analyzed the
answers of 4,760 adults interviewed in 1999 and 2000.
They were asked to report all the foods they ate in the previous
24 hours.
Sodas contributed 7.1 percent of the total calories eaten.
Sweets topped the list, followed by hamburgers, pizza and
potato chips.
"It's important to emphasize that sweets, desserts, snacks
and alcohol are contributing calories without providing vitamins
and minerals," said Block.
"In contrast, such healthy foods as vegetables and fruit make
up only 10 percent of the caloric intake in the U.S. diet.
A large proportion of Americans are undernourished in terms
of vitamins and minerals," Block added.
"You can actually be obese and still be undernourished with
regard to important nutrients. We shouldn't be telling people
to eat less -- we should be telling people to eat differently."
WASHINGTON
(Reuters) -- Junk foods such as sugary sodas and chips make
up nearly one-third of calories in the U.S. diet, researchers
said. 
