Two weeks ago, a major energy-usage report indicated that natural gas had surpassed coal as the more commonly used fuel in energy production in the United States. The significant turnabout has largely been the result of much more plentiful natural gas as a result of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and continued pressure on energy companies to use cleaner fuel.
Coal’s decline is a milestone in this country’s 150 years of industrial development.
Now, The New York Times reports that, looking back, Americans are consuming fewer calories, the result of increased awareness of the health effects of large quantities of food and, particularly, too much sugar. The tipping point seems to have come 10 or 12 years ago as government warning reports by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in 1999 and by the nation’s surgeon general in 2001 received wide distribution and comment. More healthful school lunch menus and an appreciation for fresher food played roles, aided by a few states and municipal governments with policies that have encouraged more healthful eating.
As a result, Americans and particularly those with young children, have begun to slightly reduce their coloric consumption. The decline is not great, the story emphasizes, and obesity is still a major challenge, but the decline is real. It was in the 1970s that coloric consumption, and thus weights, began to climb.
Why, you say, has it taken so long to recognize the changing trend? Because the change has been small, and measuring coloric consumption is not as clear cut as measuring the use of natural gas and coal, for example. According to The New York Times, per-capita calorie data comes from diaries kept for researchers, from bar codes, presumably grocery-store purchases, and changes in food production.
The drop in coloric consumption has not touched everyone equally, as might be imagined. Households with children have done better, likely because of the widespread publicity about the prevalence of child obesity. And Anglo families have outpaced non-Anglo families in the decline.
Those who are greatly overweight are not cutting back proportionally, either.
Most reassuring, experts are quoted as saying while harmful foods are still being consumed, people who are consuming fewer calories are eating (and drinking) less of them. Part of the population understands what too many calories can do, and has changed its habits. Moderate levels of change are levels that can be maintained over time.
Colorado is one of the top five or so states with a healthy populace for several reasons, including the easy availability of recreation. But as a nation, there is work to do. With a combination of research studies, engaged health organizations of all sizes, and that always effective peer pressure, the decline in calorie consumption can continue.
