Surprise! Alcohol Makes 16% of Americans’ Calorie Intake
No, seriously. We like it a lot. Like 16% of our calorie intake a lot.
It seems this does come as a surprise to some, though. Now that we’re at the point where even McDonald’s lists total calories on its menu, and there’s a low-fat, sugar-free, n0-gluten version of everything, we have to start looking at other culprits for this whole “obesity” thing. Namely, alcohol. Apparently, Americans consume around 100 calories worth of booze a day, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
The same report goes on to say that the aforementioned 16 percent comes from the 32.7 percent of men and 18 percent of women who drink on a daily basis, and that 16 percent “is the same percentage as added sugars contribute to U.S. children’s diets.”
Other findings include:
- Men consume an average of 150 calories from alcoholic beverages, while women average 50 calories.
- The highest caloric intake was seen in men aged 20 to 39, who consume almost 175 calories daily on average from alcoholic beverages.
- Average calories from alcoholic beverages were greatest among those in the highest income category: those living at or above 350 percent of the poverty level consumed 117 calories a day from alcohol, compared to 91 calories in those living at poverty level.
- More of men’s alcohol calories come from beer than other liquor types; women’s were fairly equivalent across beer, wine and spirits.
In other words, we need to drink more water. Just… as a nation.
via Food Product Design/ photo courtesy Life123
