| Meat Consumption Over Time
Daily Per Capita Meat Consumption
(ounces of cooked meat, poultry, and fish)
1970: 4.73
1980: 4.76
1990: 4.86
2000: 5.18
2006: 5.27
Over time, our red meat consumption has declined while poultry consumption rose significantly. Fish consumption went up too, but it still constitutes less than 10% of the dead animals eaten in America.
| Date | Red Meat | Poultry | Fish |
| 1970 | 74.3% | 17.9% | 7.8% |
| 1980 | 70.4% | 21.5% | 8.1% |
| 1990 | 61.3% | 29.3% | 9.5% |
| 2000 | 58.1% | 32.9% | 9.0% |
| 2006 | 55.2% | 35.5% | 9.3% |
Egg Consumpton Over Time
(in average daily calories per capita)
1970: 32.7
1980: 28.8
1990: 25.0
2000: 26.8
2006: 26.5
I would have put this in servings but it turns out eggs vary in size and calories so I'm not sure how to correctly state it in servings. A large egg has 72 calories.
Dairy Consumption Over Time
Total Dairy Consumption
*Total dairy is listed in average daily per capita servings
| Date | Total* | Beverage Milk | Yogurt | Cheese | Processed Cheese Foods/Spreads |
| 1970 | 1.76 | 54.7% | 0.2% | 14.4% | 5.6% |
| 1980 | 1.68 | 50.6% | 0.6% | 23.1% | 7.5% |
| 1990 | 1.83 | 43.3% | 0.9% | 29.2% | 8.4% |
| 2000 | 1.79 | 38.7% | 1.4% | 35.8% | 8.0% |
| 2006 | 1.77 | 36.7% | 2.4% | 38.9% | 7.6% |
We're switching from whole to reduced fat and fat free milk, but we're getting milk fat in our diets anyway from increased cheese consumption.
| Date | Cottage Cheese | Frozen Dairy | Evaporated & Condensed Milk | Dry Milk Products | Cream Products |
| 1970 | 0.6% | 6.5% | 4.7% | 13.2% | 0.1% |
| 1980 | 0.5% | 6.4% | 2.9% | 8.3% | 0.1% |
| 1990 | 0.4% | 6.3% | 3.0% | 8.2% | 0.2% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | 6.4% | 2.2% | 7.0% | 0.2% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | 5.7% | 2.5% | 5.7% | 0.0% |
Beverage Milk Consumption
(average daily per capita servings milk)
| Date | Total | Whole | 2% | 1% | Skim |
| 1970 | 0.96 | 79.8% | 10.5% | 0.7% | 4.3% |
| 1980 | 0.85 | 59.8% | 23.1% | 6.5% | 4.9% |
| 1990 | 0.79 | 39.7% | 35.6% | 9.0% | 10.3% |
| 2000 | 0.69 | 34.3% | 31.9% | 11.7% | 15.5% |
| 2006 | 0.65 | 30.6% | 32.9% | 12.2% | 15.3% |
Cheese Consumption Over Time
(in average daily servings per capita)
1970: 0.25
1980: 0.39
1990: 0.53
2000: 0.64
2006: 0.69
In the tables below, each cheese listed as percent of total cheese consumption
| Date | Cheddar | Other American Cheese |
| 1970 | 54.7% | 11.6% |
| 1980 | 42.2% | 17.3% |
| 1990 | 40.4% | 9.3% |
| 2000 | 36.2% | 11.1% |
| 2006 | 36.2% | 9.4% |
| Date | Provolone | Romano | Parmesan | Mozzarella | Ricotta | Other Italian Cheese |
| 1970 | 2.1% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 11.3% | 0.8% | 0.7% |
| 1980 | 2.6% | 0.9% | 1.7% | 18.6% | 1.0% | 0.6% |
| 1990 | 2.8% | 0.6% | 1.9% | 30.9% | 1.2% | 0.3% |
| 2000 | 3.3% | 0.7% | 1.7% | 34.9% | 1.1% | 1.5% |
| 2006 | 3.7% | 0.9% | 2.2% | 36.5% | 1.0% | 1.7% |
| Date | Swiss Cheese | Brick | Muenster | Blue Cheese | Other misc cheeses |
| 1970 | 8.4% | 1.0% | 1.6% | 1.4% | 3.5% |
| 1980 | 8.2% | 0.4% | 1.9% | 1.0% | 3.5% |
| 1990 | 6.0% | 0.3% | 1.8% | 0.8% | 3.6% |
| 2000 | 3.9% | 0.1% | 1.1% | 0.8% | 3.7% |
| 2006 | 4.4% | 0.1% | 1.1% | 0.7% | 2.2% |
Cheddar consumption over time
(in average daily servings per capita)
1970: 0.14
1980: 0.16
1990: 0.22
2000: 0.23
2006: 0.25
We're eating so much more cheese these days that even though a smaller percent of it is cheddar, we are eating MORE cheddar overall. But the growth in cheddar consumption is NOTHING compared to Mozzarella! Mozzarella consumption is now roughly equal to cheddar but its growth over time is enormously higher.
Mozzarella Consumption Over Time
(in average daily servings per capita)
1970: 0.03
1980: 0.07
1990: 0.17
2000: 0.22
2006: 0.25
Nut Consumption Over Time
Daily Per Capita Nut Consumption
(measured in servings equivalent to one ounce of cooked meat*)
1970: 0.58
1980: 0.53
1990: 0.67
2000: 0.67
2006: 0.77
*I have NO idea what the USDA means by "Daily per capita ounces of cooked meat equivalents" but that is what they measured nut consumption in
| Date | Peanuts | Almonds | Hazelnuts | Pecans |
| 1970 | 71.5% | 4.3% | 0.7% | 5.2% |
| 1980 | 69.3% | 5.8% | 0.7% | 5.9% |
| 1990 | 67.4% | 8.2% | 0.8% | 5.2% |
| 2000 | 64.5% | 9.1% | 0.7% | 5.2% |
| 2006 | 62.3% | 9.7% | 0.7% | 4.7% |
| Date | Walnuts | Mac Nuts | Pistachios | Other Tree Nuts | Coconuts |
| 1970 | 4.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 7.1% | 6.0% |
| 1980 | 6.9% | 0.9% | 0.7% | 4.5% | 5.4% |
| 1990 | 5.0% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 5.6% | 5.3% |
| 2000 | 4.9% | 1.2% | 2.3% | 5.3% | 6.9% |
| 2006 | 5.1% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 9.2% | 5.4% |
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