Why America is obese (infographic)

Shaun Weston20 Jul 2012 (Updated 3 May 2013)

More than a third of Americans are obese, and obesity is the leading preventable cause of death worldwide, according to a new infographic.

Part of the problem is diet, but also a huge part of the problem in America is portion size. A site called Insurance Quotes conducted comparative research on serving sizes around the world, and shared its findings in infographic on this page.

See larger version of this infographic on the FoodBev.com Flickr channel.

For example:

  • The average fast food meal is four times larger than it was in the 1950s.
  • Americans have the highest per capita calorie consumption in the world.
  • Reports show foreigners gain 5-10lb weeks after adopting a typical American diet.

Source: Muhammad Saleem. Infographic reproduced by kind permission.