Report: Americans Are Fatter Than Ever

A new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the average American has gained 15 pounds or more since the late 1980s.

Thas led to concerns about a growing number of future chronic diseases tied to obesity, like heart disease and diabetes.

One cause of the obesity epidemic is not only that we eat too much, but that we eat the wrong kinds of food. A disturbing study reveals that more than half of the calories we consume come from ultra-processed foods, which are terrible for our health.

Shocking  research examining nearly 10,000 Americans reveals exactly how much of our diet is made up of so-called "fake food."

Nearly 60 percent of our daily calories come from ultra-processed foods, and of that, 20 percent is sugar. The study also shows Americans get less than 1 percent of their calories from vegetables.

Ultra-processed foods contain about five times more added sugar than non-processed foods or minimally processed foods, such as canned tomatoes.In fact, almost all of the added sugars we consume come from ultra-processed foods.

Identifying Ultra-Processed Foods

Ultra-processed foods are ones that have already been made, like frozen dinners, breakfast cereals, sodas and snacks. The consumer doesn't have to do anything to make them, or in some cases, such as with microwave popcorn, has to only do very little to them.  

Ultra-processed foods can also be identified by their long list of mysterious ingredients that are difficult to visualize and even pronounce.

Health experts say the sugar in ultra-processed foods - as well as trans fats, artificial additives, emulsifiers, and preservatives -- lead to problems like obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Author Michael Moss exposes the trade secrets of the food industry in his book, Salt, Sugar, Fat.

"The solution is gaining control over that food," he concluded.

The Irresistibility Factor

Moss understands exactly why Americans keep coming back for more of these ultra-processed foods from the big companies.

"They got big by making products that are utterly irresistible to people, both in taste, but also ultra-convenient that will sit on the shelf and be waiting for you until you're ready to eat them -- and also incredibly low cost," he explained.

Moss isn't surprised by the fact that people have great difficulty resisting ultra-processed foods. He says the food industry spares no expense engineering products that are addictive.

He says their goal, often achieved through careful research, is to have each food item they manufacture reach the pleasure pinnacle known as the "bliss point." He says taste isn't the only measure of satisfaction, but texture, as well as something they call "mouth feel."

"Those chips will compel you to eat more and more beyond what you should," he explained. "And you'll go back for more bags and more bags."

The Solution?

Health experts say the solution is simple, but not easy: just say no to the delicious, cheap and convenient ultra-processed foods.

Instead, embrace whole foods, the ones with no list of ingredients that you find on the perimeter of the grocery store, such as vegetables, fruits, seafood, meat and eggs. Then prepare those whole foods at home, from scratch.