A Nutrition related post. Really, can it be?

Last week at work things were particularly slow so I did some reading in one of my research journals. One particularly interesting article summarized the average American diet from 2001-2002. While that seems like a long time ago, I can't imagine current data would be improved, possibly only more discouraging. I thought that these shocking statistics were worth sharing:

• Sweetened carbonated beverages provide 37% of added sugars to the average intake.
  
• 10% of grains consumed are whole grain. (The current recommendation is that at least half of all grains be from whole grain sources.)
• 46.5% of fruit intake was in the form of juice. (solidifying my firm anti-juice stance)
• 43% of the starchy vegetables consumed were in the form of fried potatoes. (fries or chips)
• Lettuce made up 25% of the dark, green leafy vegetables group. (This wouldn't be so disturbing to me if I thought people were actually eating dark green lettuce and not iceberg.)
  
• Of the fish consumed, only 25% were fish considered good sources of omega 3 fatty acids.
  

Their conclusion was:
"Americans do not, in general, consume the most nutrient-dense forms of basic food groups, instead consuming foods that are high in solid fats and added sugars. The main culprits- the foods that contribute most to discrepancies between recommendations and actual intake- are sweetened carbonated beverages and other sweetened beverages, grain-based desserts, non-skim dairy products, and fatty meats."

So there you have it folks. All you need to do is cut out sodas, frappuccinos, pie, cake, whole milk, sausage and bacon. Sounds simple right?