tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13939100.post116819225522849760..comments2023-12-28T11:12:31.132-05:00Comments on Planet Lactose: Whole-Milk Drinkers Gain Less WeightSteve Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233930058408428963noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13939100.post-69286544094298827452007-01-20T04:21:00.000-05:002007-01-20T04:21:00.000-05:00Hi Steve, you are correct, ice cream consumption h...Hi Steve, you are correct, ice cream consumption has remained relatively flat, though total frozen dessert consumption has steadily risen each decade. Stating it as ice cream was a misquote on my part. <br /><br />But, I have seen the frozen yogurt craze first hand, and must say I think it packs on more calories than ice cream. Many years ago I would go with friends to get frozen yogurt (and not feel very good after) and the serving sizes we had were easily triple what I would have eaten in ice cream!<br /><br />Shocking that cheese consumption today is more than four times as much as it was in the 50's.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13939100.post-1168455464344468332007-01-10T13:57:00.000-05:002007-01-10T13:57:00.000-05:00I certainly agree that we as a country exercise le...I certainly agree that we as a country exercise less and tend to eat larger and more calorie-laden portions of food. Those two factors undoubtedly overwhelm any single food's contribution to the obesity epidemic.<BR/><BR/>However, I was curious about your claim that cheese and ice cream consumption have risen.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.ers.usda.gov/Amberwaves/June03/DataFeature/" REL="nofollow">This USDA webpage</A> contains fascinating charts of trends in milk, cheese, and ice cream from 1909 to 2000.<BR/><BR/>Whole milk consumption per capita has declined steadily since the 1940s and was passed by low-fat milks in the the late 1980s.<BR/><BR/>Cheese consumption has doubled since 1975, and this is attributed to its growing use in fast foods.<BR/><BR/>Ice cream consumption, however, peaked in 1946. And the <A HREF="http://www.idfa.org/facts/icmonth/page2.cfm" REL="nofollow">International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)</A> states that:<BR/><BR/>"According to 2004 U.S. production, regular ice cream accounts for the largest share of the frozen dessert market, at 59.9%. Reduced-fat, light, lowfat and nonfat ice cream account for 27.8% of the market, followed by frozen yogurt (4.3%), water ice (4.1%), sherbet (3.5%) and other (0.5%). Source: USDA"<BR/><BR/>Cheese and fast foods are a problem and will continue to be, given current trends. It's hard to know just how that balances out the trends toward lower-fat varieties of milk and ice cream, though. As I said, the contribution of any one food overall is impossible to quantify.Steve Carperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04233930058408428963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13939100.post-1168450444574249602007-01-10T12:34:00.000-05:002007-01-10T12:34:00.000-05:00I agree with you. Some people may react in differ...I agree with you. Some people may react in different ways to different foods due to intolerances, allergies, etc., but at this point it is hard to argue that overall diet (calorie consumption) and activity levels are not the primary culprits of weight gain for the majority of the population. <BR/><BR/>I think they may have gone after this study as whole milk consumption has gone down dramatically in the years as obesity has risen. But, cheese and ice cream consumption have taken their place in the whole dairy category (adding loads of calories and likely unwanted fat). I think the increasing use of computers (as I sit here for my second straight hour) and the invention of the supersize meal have also played a big part in the "expansion" of our society.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com