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At the National Healh Associations international conference last summer, Dr Frank Sabbatino mentioned a report done by Information Resources, that appeared in The Wall Street Journal Almanac. The report listed the 50 top largest product categories in food stores by sales dollars. So, in other words, which products do we spend the most money on. While I wasn't able to write down the results Dr Sabbatino mentioned at the time, I did want to eventually find the original report. I thought this would be important information to have as I already report on studies that show food consumption based on what people say they eat, food consumption based on restaurant sales, and food availability data. This new information would be one more way to see what American really eat and spend their money on. Well, I found the original article and the results were very sad but not shocking. To me, the results only confimed once again how poor the American diet really is, and what we really eat. Here are the top 20 categories for $ spent.. 1) Carbonated Beverages 2) Milk 3) Cold Cereal 4) Fresh Breads & Rolls 5) Cheese 6) Beer & Ale 7) Cigarettes 8) Frozen Dinners/Entrees 9) Ice Cream/Sherbert 10) Refrigerated Juice/Beverage 11) Soup 12) Cookies 13) Coffee 14) Luncheon Meats 15) Crackers 16) Laundry Detergent 17) Dog Food 18) Shelf Stable Bottled Juices 19) Wine 20) Dinners Vegetables didn't show up to # 22, frozen vegetables were #33, and canned fruit was #39. This is a very sad state. The numbers don't lie. Inspite of what many American say about eating healthier, the numbers once again, prove differently. We spend way more money on junk food and processed foods than anything that resembles healthy food. We even spend more money on dog food, than healthy food for humans. Outside of the vegetables and frozen vegetables, not one of the top 50 that are food related are in my home. I don't know if I should laugh or cry. Remember, fresh fruits and vegetables are the centerpiece of any healthy diet. If you aren't buying them, you can't be eating them. So please, go buy some fresh fruit and veggies today, and make it a great and HEALTHY day!! |
