Sugar is dead

Why are we gaining so much weight? Sedentary lifestyles certainly don't help, nor does our over-reliance on comfort technology (ie. cars, escalators, elevators, etc.). However, an argument can easily be made that diet is the main reason why our waistlines are growing. And, in particular, how our girth is largely due to how much sugar we consume.

Because simple sugars deliver a large amount of calories with little to no nutrition, it only makes sense that eating candy and drinking soda all day will cause a person to feel terrible and gain weight. A study published in the Annual Review of Nutrition found that from 1970 through 2000, daily caloric intake among women ages 20 to 39 jumped from 1,652 to 2,028. Interestingly, over the same period, the percentage of calories sourced from fats and protein decreased. So, we essentially got rid of of the healthy stuff and replaced it with junk.

It's no wonder, then, that since the average American consumes 25 pounds more sugar annually than we did back in the days of disco, we're barely able to get on the floor and dance these days.