Vegetables include major categories including dark-green (broccoli), deep yellow (carrots), legumes (dry beans, peas), starchy (potatoes) and others. Overall vegetables consumption increased, but remained under the recommended amount. In fact, the Dietary Guidelines recommend that Americans eat 2.5 cups of vegetables per person per day as part of a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet. Yet our data shows that Americans consumed only 1.7 cups of vegetables per person per day in 2010.

The meat group includes red meat, poultry, fish products, eggs and nuts. Meat consumption has increased overall and stayed consistent above the recommendation. The Dietary Guidelines recommend 5.5 oz-eq from the meat and beans group per person per day as part of a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet. Americans eat 1 oz-equivalent more than recommended, and have been eating increasingly more meat, hence we don’t consider their meat consumption an improvement.

According to USDA, the rapid expansion of the fast-food industry contributed to boosting per capita consumption of wheat products. These businesses, providing items such as sandwiches, hamburgers, breaded chicken, pizza, and bagels, spread rapidly in the 1970s and 1980s. Therefore we don’t consider the current grains consumption as significantly healthier than that in 1970.

Added fats and oils include fats and oils from both animals and vegetables, such as butter, salad and cooking oils, shortening and margarine, but exclude naturally occurring fat in meat, etc. Consumption of added fat and oil has increased significantly since 2000. However, per USDA, such a jump in consumption may be due to underestimation before 2000. USDA does suggest that such an overall increase in consumption is partially due to the increase in availability of added fat and oil.

Dairy products include milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream and condensed milks, etc. Average dairy consumption stayed consistent around 1.5 cups per day, which is 0.5 cups less than recommendation.

Added sugars and sweeteners (or caloric sweeteners) include refined cane and beet sugars, corn sweeteners, and edible syrups added to processed foods and beverages but do not include dietary sugars found naturally in foods, such as in fruits. Consumption of added sugars and sweeteners has increased significantly over the last 30 years, partially driven by the increased use of high-fructose corn syrup in soft drinks and processed food.

The Guidelines suggest that Americans on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet, who divide their discretionary calorie allowance equally between solid fats and added sugars, limit consumption of added sugars and sweeteners to 8 teaspoons per day. However, Americans consumed 23 teaspoons per person per day in 2010, which is more than triple the amount recommended. Hence Americans need to drastically cut down on added sugars and sweeteners.