Lots of Cheese, Chicken & Soft Drinks

Americans’ love of cheese and chicken has steadily grown over the last century. And soft drinks, first introduced in the 1940s, has now overtaken coffee and milk as the beverage of choice. These are just a few fun facts into how American’s eating habits have shifted over the last 100 years, thanks to recent USDA data.

USDA’s Economic Research Service collects information on U.S. food availability that now spans 100 years. The data measures food supply, not intake, but it’s a gauge of what we’re eating (and drinking) over time.

The fact that soft drink consumption has overtaken other common and less caloric beverages may play a role in the obesity epidemic, which is one reason AICR recommends that people avoid sugary drinks for cancer prevention.

You can look at more ERS food availability data here.

The data also suggests Americans have an ever-increasing amount of food choices, including lots of fruits and vegetables.

What’s a food that you couldn’t live without that wasn’t available 100 years ago? For me, frozen broccoli is in the top ten.